Pumpkin Patch Nursery Wish Park Hove

Pumpkin Patch Nursery Wish Park Hove
Unique reference number (URN): 2844272
Address: Wish Park, Saxon Road, Hove, BN3 4LF
Type: Childcare on non-domestic premises
Registered with Ofsted: 23/06/2025
Registers: EYR
Registered person: Pumpkin Patch Nurseries Ltd
Inspection report: 29 January 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, including those with special educational needs and/or disabilities and those who
face other barriers to learning and/or wellbeing, progress well from their starting points. They
develop positive attitudes to their learning and learn to express themselves clearly and with
confidence. Children are very well prepared for transitions across the nursery, including
moving on to school.
Children benefit from regular opportunities to explore familiar books and stories. They enjoy
taking part in small-group activities, such as playing card games. Children patiently wait for
their turn and show a clear understanding of the rules of the game. They take the lead in
their play and show a love of learning. Children articulate what they are doing, such as when
they set up a shop in the home corner and talk about how much the shopping is. Children,
including those who speak English as an additional language, make rapid progress in their
communication and language development.
Behaviour, attitudes and establishing routines Strong standard
Leaders and staff create a calm and respectful environment. They set clear expectations for
behaviour, and routines are well embedded into the nursery. Children know what is expected
of them and consistently demonstrate impeccable behaviour, reflecting the nurturing
environment and dedicated guidance provided by staff.
During group times, children talk about the setting's 'golden rules' and what they mean. They
confidently show their understanding of why the rules and boundaries are in place as they
share resources willingly, speak kindly to their friends and model positive actions, which
creates a respectful and productive culture. Staff teach children how to keep themselves
safe. For example, children learn how to use hammers safely. Children remind their friends
about putting on safety goggles and gloves as they delight at using the tools. Staff are
positive role models who are consistent in their approach to helping children to regulate their
emotions, providing calm spaces for children as they need them. As a result, children have
consistently positive attitudes to their learning and to each other.
Leaders value their partnership working with parents. They ensure there is a shared
understanding of the importance of good attendance and punctuality. Parents feel well
supported and value the opportunities and support their children receive. As a result,
children attend regularly, settle quickly and relish their time at nursery.
Children's welfare and wellbeing Strong standard
Leaders have established a robust key-person system where staff get to know all children
and families incredibly well, building strong attachments from when children start. Staff gain
a comprehensive and detailed knowledge of children's unique personalities and learning
styles, which they share with other staff to ensure they all have a secure understanding
about each individual child, including those who face barriers to learning and/or wellbeing.

Staff promote long-lasting healthy habits by providing regular opportunities for children to
develop their physical health and independence. Children develop a love of being outdoors,
where they benefit from being active in the fresh air. They talk about the weather and
independently put on appropriate clothes to keep themselves warm and dry. Staff
consistently encourage children to manage their own personal hygiene, such as wiping their
nose. These routines help children develop independence.
Children learn about healthy eating and keeping themselves safe. For example, they are
supported to use knives safely as they cut the fruit for snack and talk about healthy foods.
Children play an active role in completing daily risk assessments and share what they have
found with their friends, using their knowledge to keep each other safe. Consequently, they
are confident, manage their own risks very effectively and develop an extremely good
understanding of how to stay safe and make healthy choices.
Curriculum and teaching Strong standard
All children, including those with special educational needs and/or disabilities and those who
face other barriers to learning and/or wellbeing, benefit from the carefully planned and
sequenced curriculum. Leaders and staff spend time getting to know each individual child
and family through a supportive induction process. Staff gather detailed information and
learn about each child's uniqueness. They skilfully tailor support to help children take their
next steps in learning. Leaders and staff are ambitious for all children. They adapt activities
thoughtfully to provide a personalised curriculum as and when appropriate.
Staff know their key children extremely well. They plan interesting activities that children
become highly engaged in. Children develop excellent perseverance and concentration
skills, as they enjoy taking part in activities with highly skilled staff. For example, they
confidently learn how to make their own paper. Staff support and encourage children,
enhancing their mathematical and language skills through discussion, such as purposeful
counting and measuring as they work together with their friends. For instance, children
count and talk in detail about the smells, shapes and sizes of the different herbs, spices and
flowers they are adding to their paper. This ensures children are extremely well supported to
learn through their interests in an environment that supports their needs.
Inclusion Strong standard
Leaders are deeply committed to supporting children with special educational needs and/or
disabilities and those who face other barriers to learning and/or wellbeing, creating an
environment where all children thrive. They seamlessly create an inclusive provision to
make sure that children receive the necessary support in a timely way to make the progress
they are capable of. For example, children with English as an additional language receive
specialist support in addition to the regular support staff give them. Staff learn about
children's home languages to ensure children can fully engage and participate in activities.
In addition, staff use sign language and picture communication strategies to further support
all children's communication skills.
Leaders and staff work in partnership with parents, the local authority and external
professionals well to plan and implement programmes that help children who face barriers to
learning. They use additional funding extremely well to enhance equipment and provide

children with specialist or one-to-one support as needed. Leaders and staff continually
enhance their knowledge and understanding through participating in a wide range of
training, including training on the graduated approach. As a result, children receive the best
possible support through a coordinated approach to prepare them effectively for their future
education.
Leadership and governance Strong standard
Leaders are highly reflective of the service they provide for children and families. They are
passionate about the nursery and have an excellent understanding of how children learn.
Leaders support staff well to ensure that the quality of experiences for all children is of a
consistently high standard, including for those with special educational needs and/or
disabilities and those that face other barriers to learning and/or wellbeing.
Leaders provide staff with regular, effective supervision and support for their wellbeing,
recognising the importance of this. They regularly monitor the quality of teaching and
prioritise a rich programme of professional development for staff. This ensures staff have a
clear and detailed understanding of the ethos behind their curriculum. Furthermore, they are
supported to gain qualifications and complete courses that allow them to gain further
knowledge and expertise, such as learning about forest and beach schools. Leaders
encourage staff to share their expertise, acting as 'champions' of particular areas of learning.
This supports staff to provide rich learning experiences through high-quality teaching to
support all children's learning and development.
Leaders work in partnership with local schools and invite them to attend events within the
nursery. They provide a range of workshops for families, such as to support children starting
school. This provides children with a consistent approach to their care and education.
What it's like to be a child at this setting
Children thrive in this highly engaging and nurturing nursery. They arrive full of excitement
for the day ahead, happily seeking out their friends as they settle and take part in activities.
All children, including those with special educational needs and/or disabilities and those who
face other barriers to learning and/or wellbeing, benefit from consistently high-quality
teaching and care. Leaders and staff know the children extremely well and meticulously
monitor their attendance and progress. They swiftly identify and address any gaps in
children's development, working in partnership with parents and other professionals. Staff

Inspector:
Nicole Atkinson
strengthen children's learning through revisiting activities and targeted interventions. This
helps to reinforce and embed children's knowledge and skills.
Children develop a sense of belonging as they take on roles of responsibility in the nursery.
For example, they complete daily risk assessments in the garden and share their learning
with their friends, where they discuss how they can keep each other safe. Children enjoy an
exciting range of activities at the nursery and within the local community. They take part in
forest and beach school activities, exploring the environment and learning about nature and
how to use equipment safely. Furthermore, children take part in projects as part of the 'park
community', such as planting in the allotment. These rich and varied experiences give
children a secure understanding of the world around them and prepare them extremely well
for their future learning.
Children's behaviour is exemplary. They show confidence, resilience and independence in
abundance. Children follow the clear expectations set by staff to create a harmonious and
respectful play environment. They make great friendships, play cooperatively and offer each
other advice and encouragement. For example, children work together to create a car, which
they sit in and discuss what they can see and where they are going. This approach nurtures
a sense of kindness and collaboration and mirrors the positive qualities modelled by staff.
Next steps
Leaders and those responsible for governance should sustain their work to ensure
continued improvement and high standards. They should focus on creating a
transformational impact on the outcomes and experiences of disadvantaged children,
those with special educational needs and/or disabilities, those who are known to or
previously known to children's social care, and those who may face other barriers to their
learning and/or wellbeing.
About this inspection
The inspector spoke with leaders, practitioners and the special education 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.

About this setting
Unique reference number (URN): 2844272
Address:
Wish Park
Saxon Road
Hove
BN3 4LF
Type: Childcare on non-domestic premises
Registration date: 23/06/2025
Registered person: Pumpkin Patch Nurseries Ltd
Register(s): EYR
Operating hours: Monday,Tuesday,Wednesday,Thursday,Friday : 07:30 - 18:00
Local authority: Brighton and Hove
Facts and figures used on inspection
This data was available to the inspector at the time of the inspection.
This data is from 29 January 2026
Children numbers
Age range of children at the time of inspection
2 to 4
Total number of places
60
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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