Little Fireflies Nursery at High Hurstwood

Little Fireflies Nursery at High Hurstwood
Unique reference number (URN): 2823933
Address: High Hurstwood Village Hall, Chillies Lane, High Hurstwood, TN22 4AD
Type: Childcare on non-domestic premises
Registered with Ofsted: 20/12/2024
Registers: EYR, CCR, VCR
Registered person: Newton Lang Childcare Limited
Inspection report: 31 July 2026
Exceptional
Strong standard
Expected standard
Needs attention
Urgent improvement
Safeguarding standards met
The safeguarding standards are met. This means that leaders and/or those responsible for
governance and oversight fulfil their specific responsibilities and have established an open
culture in which safeguarding is everyone's responsibility and concerns are actively
identified, acted upon and managed. As a result, children are made safer and feel safe.
How we evaluate safeguarding
When we inspect settings for safeguarding, they can have the following outcomes:
Met: The setting has an open and positive culture of safeguarding.
Not met: The setting has not created an open and positive culture of safeguarding. Not all
legal requirements are met.

Strong standard
Achievement Strong standard
Children build securely on what they already know and can do because teaching develops
their knowledge and skills progressively from their individual starting points. Babies develop
secure communication, physical and personal skills as they confidently explore their
environment, communicate their needs using signs and become increasingly independent in
their play and daily routines.
Toddlers build successfully on these foundations as they collaborate with others, confidently
communicate their choices, persevere when solving problems and adapt their thinking when
their first ideas are unsuccessful. Older children confidently explain their thinking, test ideas,
solve practical problems and apply newly acquired vocabulary naturally in their play. For
example, they proudly describe their potion as 'overflowing' and explain why one container
holds more than another after investigating their ideas together.
Children with special educational needs and/or disabilities and those who face other barriers
to learning make sustained progress because support is carefully tailored, reviewed
regularly and adapted as their needs develop. Consequently, children leave the setting with
the confidence, independence, knowledge and skills needed for the next stage of their
education.
Behaviour, attitudes and establishing routines Strong standard
Children behave consistently well because leaders have established a calm, respectful
culture with clear expectations that are understood by staff, children and families. Warm,
responsive relationships help children feel emotionally secure, enabling them to approach
new experiences with confidence and enthusiasm.
Children demonstrate positive attitudes to learning. They remain engaged in purposeful play
for sustained periods, show perseverance when tasks become challenging and readily
revisit previous ideas to deepen their understanding. For example, children create an
imaginary helping squad, riding bikes to help others before developing their story together.
Staff recognise children's individual stages of development and provide sensitive support
that enables them to manage transitions successfully and develop increasing independence
while maintaining high expectations.
Children collaborate thoughtfully with one another. They take turns, listen to different
viewpoints and work together to solve problems during play. Staff use gentle explanations,
signing and visual prompts to help children understand turn-taking and the needs of others.
They model respectful communication consistently, helping children resolve minor
disagreements independently and develop empathy for others. Children confidently express
their feelings using familiar strategies and increasingly manage their emotions without
relying on adult intervention.
Leaders work closely with families to promote regular attendance and consistent routines,
recognising the importance of continuity in children's learning and wellbeing. Where children

require additional support, staff use personalised visual communication aids and adapt
transitions between rooms to children's individual needs. For example, children move to
their new room alongside a familiar key person and can return to their previous room until
they feel secure. These approaches help children understand expectations, communicate
their needs and manage change successfully. Consequently, children develop resilience,
confidence and secure attitudes that prepare them well for the next stage of their education.
Children's welfare and wellbeing Strong standard
Children's welfare and wellbeing are promoted consistently well through warm, nurturing
relationships and care practices that reflect each child's individual needs. Babies receive
responsive care from practitioners who know their routines well. Staff follow safer sleep
guidance and safer eating practices consistently, enabling children to feel safe, secure and
settled throughout the day. Older children confidently manage age-appropriate self-care
routines, independently accessing tissues, washing their hands thoroughly and explaining
why these routines help prevent the spread of germs.
Children develop healthy lifestyles through well-established daily routines. They serve
themselves at mealtimes, pour drinks, use real crockery and cutlery confidently and enjoy
nutritious meals in a relaxed, sociable environment. Staff promote physical development
through daily opportunities to climb, balance, explore and take managed risks, encouraging
children to think carefully about keeping themselves and others safe while remaining curious
and active.
Children's emotional wellbeing is supported consistently. Staff use sensitive interactions,
signing, visual supports and emotional support resources to help children recognise,
express and manage their emotions with increasing confidence. Children talk openly about
their feelings, recall strategies to help themselves feel calm and develop positive
relationships built on kindness and respect. For example, staff use colour-coded emotional
resources to help children identify and talk about their feelings. Children learn strategies
such as breathing in deeply and slowly blowing out to help themselves feel calm, which they
can recall when they need them.
Curriculum and teaching Strong standard
Leaders have designed an ambitious, well-sequenced curriculum that reflects the setting's
curiosity-led ethos and provides children with the knowledge, skills and confidence they
need for future learning. From the earliest stages, leaders prioritise children's
communication, physical development, emotional security and independence, before
progressively broadening learning across all areas as children get older. Staff implement this
through carefully planned environments and interactions. For example, babies
independently access low-level resources, while staff use songs, stories, signing and visual
prompts to develop their communication and confidence. As a result, even the youngest
children increasingly communicate their needs, make choices and explore independently.
Planning reflects children's individual development alongside the needs of each group of
children, ensuring learning remains purposeful and responsive.
Teaching consistently encourages children to think, investigate and solve problems for
themselves. Practitioners observe carefully, extend children's ideas through skilful

questioning and allow them time to test different solutions before intervening. During
sustained play, children compare containers, testing their ideas and confidently explaining
why one container holds more than another. Staff introduce ambitious vocabulary naturally
within children's play. For example, while children create 'crocodile food', staff introduce
words and concepts such as 'seasoning', 'capacity' and 'opposable thumbs'. This broadens
children's vocabulary while maintaining their curiosity and extending their ideas.
Communication, language and independence are prioritised from the earliest stages. As
children develop, staff progressively increase the challenge, encouraging them to make
decisions, test ideas and apply what they know independently. Purposeful professional
development, coaching and peer support ensure teaching continues to evolve in response
to children's emerging needs, resulting in a curriculum that is implemented consistently well
across the setting.
Inclusion Strong standard
Leaders have established an inclusive culture in which every child is known well and
ambitious expectations underpin the support they receive. Emerging needs are identified
early through careful assessment, detailed knowledge of children's development and strong
partnerships with families. Staff adapt teaching, routines and the learning environment
swiftly, reducing barriers to learning and wellbeing and enabling children to participate fully
from the earliest opportunity.
Children receiving additional support benefit from highly personalised provision that reflects
their individual strengths, interests and next steps. Staff consistently use signing, visual
supports, personalised communication systems and strategies to help children manage their
feelings and communicate their needs. As a result, children develop positive relationships
and grow in confidence. Children become increasingly independent because adaptations
are reviewed regularly and refined as their needs change. For example, children confidently
use communication aids to ask for a turn, understand expectations and participate
successfully alongside their peers.
Leaders work collaboratively with families and a wide range of other services involved in
children's care and development, implementing specialist advice thoughtfully and evaluating
its impact carefully. Additional funding is targeted strategically and reviewed regularly to
ensure it improves children's experiences, development and access to the curriculum.
Consequently, children with special educational needs and/or disabilities and those who
face other barriers to learning make sustained progress, participate confidently in nursery
life and flourish in an environment where they are respected, valued and fully included.
Leadership and governance Strong standard
Leaders are ambitious and reflective, with a clear vision for providing a curiosity-led
curriculum that enables all children to flourish. They have an accurate understanding of the
setting's strengths and use regular monitoring, professional dialogue and careful evaluation
of children's progress to identify priorities and continually improve the quality of education.
Leaders review the impact of changes thoughtfully, adapting practice where necessary to
ensure improvements continue to enhance children's experiences and outcomes.

Professional development is purposeful and closely aligned to the needs of children and
staff. Leaders use training, coaching and peer observations to make specific improvements
to teaching. For example, following training about how 2-year-olds learn, staff now gain
children's attention before speaking, break instructions into manageable steps and give
children sufficient time to process what they hear. Consequently, staff are more confident in
their teaching, and children's language is developing more rapidly. Staff confidently
articulate the curriculum, know children's starting points and next steps well, and
consistently implement leaders' high expectations across the setting.
Leaders support staff wellbeing and manage workload through accessible room-based
leadership, coaching and opportunities for professional development. Staff value having a
manager who knows their room, children and priorities well, enabling them to seek support
readily and continually develop their practice. Leaders foster strong partnerships with
families and other services to support children's learning, development and wellbeing.
Additional funding is targeted carefully and reviewed regularly to maximise its impact.
Compulsory Childcare Register requirements
This setting has met the requirements of the compulsory part of the Childcare Register.
How we check if a provider meets the requirements of the Compulsory Childcare
Register
When we check if settings meet the Compulsory Childcare Register requirements, they can
have the following outcomes:
Met
Not met

Voluntary Childcare Register requirements
This setting has met the requirements of the voluntary part of Childcare Register.
How we check if a provider meets the requirements of the Voluntary Childcare
Register
When we check if settings meet the Voluntary Childcare Register requirements, they can
have the following outcomes:
Met
Not met
What it's like to be a child at this setting
Children thrive in this warm, nurturing setting where they feel safe, valued and excited to
learn. Secure relationships help children develop confidence and resilience. Babies
confidently return to familiar adults for reassurance, shared stories and songs before
independently resuming their exploration. Across the setting, children eagerly choose from
carefully planned experiences that spark their curiosity, while staff know them well and
ensure every child is included, respected and supported to flourish.
Children become deeply engaged in learning that encourages them to investigate,
collaborate and solve problems together. Toddlers excitedly work as a team to rescue frozen
toy animals from blocks of ice, experimenting with pipettes and warmer water, persevering
when their first ideas do not work and celebrating their success together. Older children
sustain imaginative play for extended periods, developing their own ideas together and
confidently deciding how their play will evolve. They create imaginary scenarios, collaborate
with their friends and show resilience when their ideas do not work as expected.
Children develop warm friendships and communicate confidently with one another. Signing,
visual supports and personalised communication strategies enable all children, including
those with special educational needs and/or disabilities and those who face other barriers to
learning, to participate fully alongside their peers. Children develop increasing
independence through self-care routines, serving themselves at mealtimes and making
thoughtful decisions about their play while learning to assess appropriate risks. The
importance of regular attendance is promoted effectively, enabling children to benefit from
consistent routines, secure relationships and the full breadth of the ambitious curriculum.
Consequently, children leave the setting as confident, resilient learners who are well
prepared for the next stage of their education

Inspector:
Lauren Mills
About this setting
Unique reference number (URN): 2823933
Address:
High Hurstwood Village Hall
Chillies Lane
High Hurstwood
TN22 4AD
Type: Childcare on non-domestic premises
Registration date: 20/12/2024
Registered person: Newton Lang Childcare Limited
Register(s): EYR, CCR, VCR
Operating hours: Monday,Tuesday,Wednesday,Thursday,Friday : 07:30 - 17:30
Local authority: East Sussex
Next steps
Leaders should build on their already strong curriculum by further developing provision for
babies and extending opportunities for learning in the forest school environment to
deepen children's curiosity, resilience and independence.
About this inspection
The inspector spoke with leaders, practitioners, the designated safeguarding lead and the
special educational needs coordinator during the inspection.
We carried out this inspection under sections 49 and 50 of the Childcare Act 2006 on the
quality and standards of provision that is registered on the Early Years Register. The
registered person must ensure that this provision complies with the statutory framework for
children's learning, development and care, known as the early years foundation stage.

Facts and figures used on inspection
This data was available to the inspector at the time of the inspection.
This data is from 31 July 2026
Children numbers
Age range of children at the time of inspection
0 to 4
Total number of places
40
Our grades explained
Exceptional
Practice is exceptional: of the highest standard nationally. Other settings can learn from it.
Strong standard
The setting reaches a strong standard. Leaders are working above the standard expected of
them.
Expected standard
The setting is fulfilling the expected standard of education and/or care. This means they are
following the standard set out in statutory and non ‑ statutory legislation and the professional
standards expected of them.
Needs attention
The expected standards are not met but leaders are likely able to make the necessary
improvements.
Urgent improvement
The setting needs to make urgent improvements to provide the expected standard of
education and/or care.

The Office for Standards in Education, Children's Services and Skills (Ofsted) inspects
services providing education and skills for children and learners of all ages, and inspects
and regulates services that care for children and young people.
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