Nursery recommendations in the Hastings, St Leonard's and Ore area

[Orangeyouabanana]

Which nurseries do you recommend in the Hastings, St Leonard's and Ore area?

There are two which i have been told to avoid which is The Gables and the other one i would not consider is Clive Vale after The Clambers incident but i am open to any other suggestions as i am planning to start looking round now for a September start

Thank you

The best nursery in the whole area without a doubt is Jigsaw nusery based at the YMCA it looks all run down etc but is an amazing nursery that my dc's thrived at. I think they have a group of nurseries but couldn't be sure.

I would also avoid the sure start nurseries, the one behind Morrisons and St Nicholas on London Road.

I have looked at the OFSTED reports for YMCA and the two you mentioned but the Sure Start nursery in London Road has a better OFSTED report is there local knowledge that i should know that would exclude it from a visit?

Do you know anything about Artemis Nursery as they have an outstanding OFSTED report but it is an old report from 2008 so local knowledge would be appreciated

I'm not suprised that St Nicholas have a good OFSTED report because they work very closely with the local authorities. They are in probably the most deprived area of St Leonards and I wouldn't send my children there if I had the choice.

My experience of the YMCA nursey is based on attendence 4-5 years ago so things may have changed a lot.

Artemis is a newish nursery and I don't know anyone who has had children going there so I can't really comment. However, I have seen from a quick search that there Calvert Road site was awarded outstanding last year, so I would certainly be going to have a look there.

If you have access to a car and don't mind travelling there is also a fantastic nursery at Claverham school in Battle.

Hope that helps...Are you new to the area?

Yes i am new to the area and live by Tower Road West but i am still finding my way around

I have two children a daughter who is three and a son who is 9 months old and would like them to go to the same nursery in the area which is why i am not interested in a school nursery for my daughter

I am looking at St Nicholas, Carousel Nursery, Artemis and YMCA over the next two weeks and i am going to a play session at a Children's Centre and i shall ask the mums there for any advice as well but i will let you know what i find out and could you please let me know if you have any knowledge of these nurseries from any connections you have

Thank you

I USED TO LIVE IN TOWER ROAD, AND MY DD WENT TO JIGSAW ON CUMBERLAND GARDENS (5-10 MINUTE WALK WITH SMALL PEOPLE FROM YOU) Shit sorry caps lock pressed by cat. I can't recommend it highly enough, all the staff are lovely and help children settle in in whatever way works for them. They loads of good interesting stuff and all seem to actually enjoy working with kids, which I know sounds odd, but some places I visited the staff looked half asleep.
Some friends had their children in Artemis and they had mostly excellent things to say about it too. I second what JH says about St Nics.

I went to look round three nurseries today and i did not like any of them and would not trust them to look after my children at all

ABC family Nursery by Battle Road was very large and spacious but has a tiny patch of garden and the staff i encountered did not seem competent to look after any children. The whole place gave me a bad feeling and i heard a lot of raised voices at the children by members of staff

Jigsaw in Cumberland Garden: I visited a few weeks ago and again i was unimpressed by the staff as when i asked questions about how they would help my daughters mild speech delay and how they interacted with the speech therapists regularly they were not helpful or they seem to have not a lot of experience with it and it was very worrying

Greenway nursery the sure start nursery behind Morrisons: i looked at for my own curiosity was awful the children were not being supervised properly and were running around wildly around a particular member of staff who had no influence or control over their behaviour at all he was the final nail in the coffin
They did have a nice building with very good resources and a great garden but all of that is expected for a Sure Start Nursery

St Nicolas and YMCA Jigsaw are the next ones i am visiting as i met a few new mums today at a playgroup that said that St Nicholas is the better nursery for children with speech delay due to the ties they have with the Speech and Language department so i shall report back in the next few days with my findings

Any local knowledge about children still attending/left last year nurseries in the area is very much welcome and appreciated

The Artemis nursery also has an outstanding Ofted report from last year.

I am probably in danger of outing myself through this post but here goes.

As a well qualified and very experienced early years worker, and more importantly as a parent, I have to say that I used to work at one of the nurseries mentioned above. I would NEVER send my children there.

The nursery that I would recommend wholeheartedly is St Nicks. Whilst you must look beyond Ofsted reports, you cannot get a good report by having links with the local authorities as has been suggested.

If you live in Tower Road West then the children attending St Nicks will be your neighbours and children's future classmates so to dismiss it due to the deprivation of the area seems pointless. Because of the intake the nursery has fantastic links with professionals who support the children, including Speech and Language therapists.

As a charity run nursery they are not motivated by profit so do not cut corners with staff like others do with ratios. They often have childcare students and supernumerary staff so the ratios are fantastic.

As an early years worker I would say the absolute most important thing to consider when looking at the nurseries is staff. I know St Nicks hasn't lost any staff for years. To retain such employees who are low paid and doing long, exhausting hours, makes a motivated and dedicated staff who truly love working with, teaching and nurturing children.

Good luck with your search.

wedoNOTdothat which nursery did you work in that you would not recommend? if you do not want to post it on the board please could you message me

I have visited the St Nicholas nursery and i was defiantly impressed as they have a very large outside play area and the most of the staff i encountered were very friendly and warm and seemed to care a lot about the children however the baby room staff did not impress me at all, in fact the room supervisor seemed more concerned about the pictures she was cutting out than the children in her room and i heard her raise her voice while i was in the other room

The room my daughter would be in though was very warm and three of the staff i encountered were brilliant and they were the ones who had been there a while according to the manager but there was a new member of staff who gave me a bad vibe so i wonder if i could ask that she would not be my daughters key worker if i sent her there as that would be a deciding factor

YMCA did not inspire me with confidence as they have had a large turn over of staff and they all seemed very frazzled with the children they were looking after

They all seemed very young and when my daughter was playing in the room during the show around only one member of staff tried to interact with her but left to go and deal with two children who had bitten each other and when i asked if this was normal to have children biting each other she said that they were going through a stage of having biting in the nursery but after she said this she was reprimanded by another member of staff for telling me this which makes me wonder what they would keep from me

Bears house nursery: I was left alone in a room with several other children and my daughter while they went to look for some nursery information for me about the nursery and did not seem concerned when i asked if this was a regular occurrence, they replied that they had only been gone a few seconds nothing could have happened

Beakys Nursery and The Meadows: i visited but was put off when they said to me that they did not go out on trips and had very small outside areas which meant my daughter and son would be inside for most of the session

I must say that my two children attend ABC Family Nursery, and yes their outdoor area looks small but in fact if you look again it is almost the same length as the building! plus they do ensure the children are outside as often as possible. In additionop they have a seperate baby garden round the back. I have had no problems with my children there, the rooms are spacious and there is pleanty of room for my children to play both inside and out. I would highly recommend ABC to all my friends. They make time to speak to me every time I drop off or collect my children and are very supportive and full of useful information. The staff are freindly plus they have just incorporated CCTV of which i can log in at work and view my children any time during their booked sessions, which is reasuring.
I agree with the "DON'T Touch Gables" I wouldn't send my dog there!

I don't think anyone has mentioned The Meadows in St Helens Crescent yet. IMO it is fantastic, all the children seem really happy and they do all sorts of activities - writing, drawing, indoor and outdoor play, gardening, worksheets, crafts, French, messy play etc. They never have to advertise which I think says a lot, but have just expanded so unusually have spaces available. They take children from 1 year old and charge £3.60 per hour, with 2 course hot lunches available for £2.

It looks like you're not considering the nursery where I used to work. Have you come to a decision?

Just seen you have been to The Meadows. I asked my son about playing outdoors and he said they play outside for a short time when it's windy and a long time when it's sunny. He's never complained about the outside space - they have 3 gardens, not just the small one by the entrance where the 1 year olds play. We go outside a lot when he's not at nursery though, so I suppose it would be more of a concern if you needed nursery full time. They do have people come in to do show and tells - police, dentists etc., but tbh I think trips would worry me so I'm not that bothered that they stay on site. We do our trips out on the other days with friends and family!

The only one that seemed to tick any of the boxes is St Nicholas for my daughter but i would feel uncomfortable leaving my son there until he was in the larger room so i may look into a childminder for him as he is quite reserved and would thrive in a smaller environment

Trips and being outside a lot in all weathers is important to me because my children will attend for 5 days a week

However i still would like to talk to anyone who has used the St Nicholas nursery before i enroll my daughter and to talk to anyone who knows the staff as i have heard negative things as well

-midlifecrisis1: The garden may be the length of the building but it is very shallow and with all the houses around it that look onto the garden it does not make me feel very safe. The staff also mentioned when i visited that they do not go out on trips very often and that is something that i feel is important.
CCTV was not mentioned to me when i was there and would of been something that would of been a immediate no for me as my children being streamed into other peoples homes while they are at nursery is not something i approve of at all

-CuppaTeaJanice: I think outings are very important as children see the world differently with other children and while i take my children out with me to the park ect it is a different experience when there are more children there
There was also something else that i can not put my finger on to do with the staff that work there that made me automatically say no as well

I a looking for the nursery in the Hastings too

I know I'm a bit late adding this but just wanted to say that my Daughter attends Jigsaw at Cumberland Gardens and I think it's great ! The staff are friendly, always helpful and supportive to my Daughter's needs. They get the children involved in what's going on in their community, they have a lovely outdoor space and my Daughter has thrived there.

I am looking for a nursery or a pre school for my DS in St leonards can anyone recommend one ? I am favouring a prechool (playgroup) because I dont think I could afford nursery fees.

The nursery at Robsack Wood school is rated outstanding, as is the school. Maybe wedoNOT could advise ?

@Orangeyouabanana I'm now looking for a childminder (or nursery) in Hastings for my 1yo, can you let us know which one you went for in the end? and how would you rate the nurseries/childminders you used?

Hi
Does anyone know anything about Tiny 1s in Hastings?
Thanks

Greenway Nursery, Hastings
Outstanding!
We always liked Greenway Nursery and our son was very happy there. Their was then a minor issue which was exaggerated beyond belief by the local town rag, FSN then bought in more staff to support the existing team.

Good has now become great, the team at Greenway all show a passion and enthusiasm for the kids and daily activities which is exceptional. Each child now has a tailored plan to help them develop and we have seen stunning progress from our Son. With their support he has improved in his communication and is far more confident playing with others.

Thank you so much for all your care and effort.