URN 511215 · Inspected 2026-02-04 · Published 2026-04-09 · Inspector: Victoria Salisbury
Fellowship of St Nicholas Unique reference number (URN): 511215 Address: St Nicholas Centre, 66 London Road, St Leonards on Sea, East Sussex, TN37 6AS Type: Childcare on non-domestic premises Registered with Ofsted: 07/04/1999 Registers: EYR, CCR, VCR Registered person: Fellowship of St. Nicholas(The) Inspection report: 4 February 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 Behaviour, attitudes and establishing routines Strong standard Leaders and managers have embedded an inclusive and respectful culture between children and staff. Children demonstrate that they know the rules of the setting very well. For example, babies toddle to the lunch table when it is mealtime. Older children immediately get ready to go outside, finding their own pegs and putting on their own shoes. These activities develop children's consistent understanding of expectations and routines successfully. Children demonstrate that they have strong bonds with each other and staff. For example, babies go to familiar staff for cuddles and comfort. Older children smile when they are given stickers as a reward for positive behaviour and being kind to their friends. Staff are very good role models. They model good manners, and children are polite and behave very well. Where children need support, for example children with special educational needs and/or disabilities, staff are kind and gentle in their interactions, promoting children's positive self- esteem and confidence. Leaders and managers work very hard with staff to ensure children attend regularly and are punctual. They identify barriers to attendance and take swift and decisive action to reduce these. All children attend regularly, and they thoroughly enjoy their time at the setting. Children's welfare and wellbeing Strong standard Children benefit from staff who are kind and caring in their approach. For example, staff take time to work with parents to support children's individual care needs. Children demonstrate that they can go to the toilet independently and know to wash their hands. All children are encouraged to keep themselves healthy and safe. For example, babies are supported to learn how to eat carefully so as not to choke. Older children identify risks in the forest school and know to keep themselves safe when playing outside and navigating space. These activities encourage children to learn to manage their personal safety and own wellbeing successfully. Leaders consistently focus on children's welfare and wellbeing. They adapt procedures where they identify children who face barriers to their learning. For example, staff provide families with support in their homes to help with sleeping, weaning and feeding routines. Leaders and staff are highly responsive to children's individual needs and circumstances, and children confidently express how they feel, developing positive wellbeing. Children are encouraged to make healthy choices. For example, children choose snacks from a range of healthy fruits and vegetables. Families are encouraged to use the community pantry to help themselves to balanced and nutritious foods, supporting their understanding very well. Inclusion Strong standard Leaders and managers demonstrate a very clear understanding of families' needs and circumstances. Staff take effective action to support all children, especially those with Expected standard special educational needs and/or disabilities (SEND) and those who face barriers to their learning. They use additional funding effectively to purchase resources and equipment to help children settle. Staff are well trained in the graduated approach. Children with SEND enjoy exploring spaces designed to help manage their feelings and emotions. Other children excitedly press buttons on boards to hear information translated into their home languages, supporting them to feel included. Leaders and managers are ambitious for all children. They work incredibly closely with other professionals to support families. For example, staff help families in their homes with behaviour and sleep times. Families are provided with places to wash clothes and prepare hot meals, supporting them with routines. Staff prepare individual information packs to support children's learning at home and provide parents with access to the social supermarket and parent workshops where needed. Children are provided with individualised care. Staff deliver small intensive sessions to help develop children's literacy skills and regularly monitor the impact of these, making adaptations and adjustments to ensure all children make progress. Leadership and governance Strong standard Leaders and managers are acutely aware of the challenges families face. They take swift and effective action to reduce barriers and ensure all children receive the support they are entitled to. For example, they provide targeted and bespoke support to develop children's communication, language and physical skills. They use funding very effectively to purchase resources and develop staff knowledge. Staff are provided with regular supervision meetings to support them in developing their understanding and to identify their own professional next steps. Leaders and managers prioritise staff's wellbeing, ensuring they are very well supported. Leaders and managers understand the effectiveness of their provision very well and clearly identify where further support could be provided to enhance staff's skills. They are highly reflective of what they offer and have high expectations for all children and families. Staff actively seek additional training and qualifications to support them in their roles. They regularly seek feedback to help them continue to improve. Leaders identify priorities for development and are proactive in matching these to what staff need. This means that children, especially those with special educational needs and/or disabilities, thrive and flourish. Achievement Expected standard Children benefit from staff who plan a curriculum designed to support them to be prepared for their next learning stage. Older children are supported to make smooth transitions to school. Children with special educational needs and/or disabilities (SEND) achieve well. Staff identify where children would benefit from more personalised learning and ensure targeted individual support is planned, reviewed and monitored to ensure children reach their developmental milestones. For example, staff are well trained to support children's communication and language, delivering tailored sessions to develop children's listening and attention skills. Children with SEND make significant progress. Despite some inconsistencies in staff practice, children display positive attitudes to learning and are encouraged by staff to take part and join in with activities designed to help them develop their knowledge and understanding. For example, older children work together to solve problems, developing their imagination and thinking skills. Younger children enjoy exploring chalks to make marks, developing their understanding of letter shapes. Curriculum and teaching Expected standard Children benefit from staff who know them well. Staff are responsive to children's needs and interests. For example, they read stories to children when favourite books are requested. Other children ask staff for specific toys that they like, and staff quickly ensure they access these. However, at times some staff do not always recognise how they can extend activities to engage children further in their learning and support them to maintain interest consistently. Nonetheless, leaders and managers accurately identify where they can help staff to further enhance their practice. Staff regularly monitor and assess children's progress and are swift in securing additional help and support, ensuring all children, especially those with special educational needs and/or disabilities and those with education, health and care plans, make positive progress from their starting points. Staff provide children with a wide range of activities designed to promote their physical and mathematical development. Older children work collaboratively together to move large tyres outside, counting as they do it. Other children sustain concentration and focus when learning to balance on specialised equipment. Younger children learn to identify bigger- and smaller-sized animals in a tray. This helps children develop important skills for later learning. 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 are happy and safe at this welcoming nursery. They develop positive relationships with each other and staff. This supports their personal and social skills successfully. Staff support a range of families to help their children attend regularly. All children arrive excited to start their day. They demonstrate secure understanding of the routines. Staff use sign language to support babies' understanding that it is snack time. Older children are praised for finding their coats when going outside. This helps all children develop independence. Children benefit from a range of activities designed to support their development in all areas of learning. For example, older children enjoy exploring ice and learning about Arctic animals and talking with staff about them. Younger children enjoy exploring musical instruments, developing their listening and attention skills. Babies explore soft-play equipment, learning to develop key skills such as balance and coordination. Staff skilfully support children with special educational needs and/or disabilities and those who speak English as an additional language very well. Staff value and include all families and, as a result, all children demonstrate confidence in the environment, enhancing their self-esteem and wellbeing. Children benefit from staff who know them well. Staff prioritise developing children's communication and language and physical skills. For example, older children maintain concentration and focus when staff read stories, developing a love of books. Babies are cuddled and comforted as staff sing rhymes and songs. This helps develop children's vocabulary and understanding effectively. Children are encouraged to keep themselves physically active. Older children excitedly talk about their visits to forest school. Younger children learn about making healthy choices. Staff promote mathematical learning well. Inspector: Victoria Salisbury About this setting Unique reference number (URN): 511215 Address: St Nicholas Centre 66 London Road St Leonards on Sea East Sussex TN37 6AS Type: Childcare on non-domestic premises Registration date: 07/04/1999 Registered person: Fellowship of St. Nicholas(The) Register(s): EYR, CCR, VCR Operating hours: Monday,Tuesday,Wednesday,Thursday,Friday : 08:00 - 17:00 Children are encouraged to count as they walk up the stairs. Babies explore colours and shapes with staff. All children make positive progress from their starting points. Next steps Leaders should support staff to identify more consistently when they can extend activities to further support children's specific next steps, further enhancing their progress. About this inspection The inspector spoke with the nominated individual, the manager and staff 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. Local authority: East Sussex Facts and figures used on inspection This data was available to the inspector at the time of the inspection. This data is from 4 February 2026 Children numbers Age range of children at the time of inspection 0 to 4 Total number of places 42 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. If you would like a copy of this document in a different format, such as large print or Braille, please telephone 0300 123 1231, or email enquiries@ofsted.gov.uk. You may reuse this information (not including logos) free of charge in any format or medium, under the terms of the Open Government Licence. 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