A little more about us
Hillbury House Childrens Nursery in Hove was established in 1985 to offer a very high standard of care for babies and young children.We are a small independent nursery, not part of a chain, we only have 30 places.
Our aim is to offer a very safe, caring and stimulating environment, and to provide a ‘home from home’ feel.
All our staff are fully qualified nursery nurses, and follow an holistic approach to childcare.
Here is how we work
Babies
(0-18 months)
We are able to look after six babies in their separate suite of play room and cot room. Our highly qualified and experienced staff are with the babies continuously and are on hand to attend to their individual needs.
Parents are always welcome and we will gladly follow routines set by them. At the end of each session parents are given a report on their babies day.
The bright and cosy playroom has been carefully designed for the younger age group and contains colourful toys, mobiles and mirrors to stimulate the babies. We introduce music and story telling and even painting and messy activities which prove to be great fun! The Cot Room provides a quiet area for morning and afternoon sleeps.
All the babies enjoy walks out with the staff to the parks, beaches and other places of interest with, of course, parental consent. Our aim for the babies is to offer a welcoming “home” environment with lots of care and attention to promote their health and development.
Toddlers
(18 months – 2 1/2 years)
At 18 months the children join us in the main nursery, although they will have joined us for various activities before so that they can get used to us all. They still maintain contact with the baby room. The toddlers have their own story time with a drink and a chance to play outside or in our large indoor gymnasium.
Older Children
(2 1/2 – 5 years)
As with the younger children, they have a chance to take part in all the activities in the three areas. We carry on all the basic skills and develop them to lead on so by the time the child starts school they will be confident and fully prepared. Hillbury House has very close contact with all the local schools.
Our lunchtimes are always a social occasion where the children and staff sit together, and afterwards we have a quiet, relaxing period. If parents wish their child to have a sleep we can provide beds or cots.
Tea time, at around 3.45 provides another social gathering. Before the close of each session, the children have a story time and spend some time singing nursery and number rhymes, both traditional and new, and after each session they bring their work and paintings or models home to show their parents.
Our monthly invoices are sent via Xero, a secure online payment system. No more notes in school bags!
FEES 2024/2025 With/Without Funding
We try to keep our fee structure as simple as possible to enable our families to budget their childcare costs. We divide our year into 50 weeks (school closure and Bank Holiday’s) and multiply your weekly session costs by this. We then divide into 12 equal monthly payments.
This may change depending on any ad hoc sessions attended or any holiday entitlement accessed.
Fees are to be paid by the 1st of the month, in advance of the month ahead. We regret that no refund can be given for non-attendance, one months notice must be given in full when holidays are to be taken or 2 months when the child leaves. The Nursery will be closed over the Christmas break and also Bank Holidays, which are not invoiced. We also offer an extra week’s holiday entitlement to each child during a 12 month period which will not be billed provided one month’s notice is given in writing. Any time above the limit is invoiced at full fee level. E.G a child attends 3 days a week = 3 days free.
Fees not paid promptly by the 1st, are subject to a 5% surcharge, and the Nursery reserves the right to immediately offer the place to another child if notification of absence is not received.
Please discuss any special request for payment with Liz Woolley.
In addition to the £35 Registration and Administration Fee, which is non-refundable, we ask for a £100 deposit, payable either one month before the child is due to start, or on the commencement date, whichever is earlier. This will be returned when the child leaves (if two months notice is given) or may be set against the final month fees.
The constant need for financial planning makes it regrettable that there can be no exception to these regulations.
Nursery Hours
Hillbury House Nursery is open 51 weeks of the year (except for bank holidays), closing only for the week around Christmas and New Year.
The Nursery is open from 8 a.m. until 6 p.m. Monday to Friday. We can offer full sessions or the flexibility of part sessions to suit parents needs.
Illness
If a child has sickness or diarrhoea, they must be kept at home for at least 24hrs following the illness.
Complaints Procedure
All staff are able to discuss any concerns regarding a child at any time. Liz Woolley and the supervisor are available by appointment to discuss any concerns at length. If a concern cannot be resolved through the above channels, you may contact the inspection unit. Hillbury House is committed to following the same procedure should we have any reason to be concerned about a child in our care. Parents would be informed of this action unless a child was considered to be in immediate danger
Safeguarding Procedure
At Hillbury House Nursery, we are fully committed to providing the highest quality of care for children aged 0-5. A vital part of our role involves keeping children safe. We are guided by the principles as set out in The Early Years Foundation Stage statutory guidance., section 3.1 states that:
Children learn best when they are healthy, safe and secure, when their individual needs are met, and when they have positive relationships with the adults caring for them. Read the full Policy here.
Settling In
All parents are always welcome at the Nursery at any time. We do not make any hard and fast rules when a child joins the Nursery as all children are different. We encourage as many visits as possible to the Nursery before the child officially registers, and initially we also encourage the parent to stay if they wish. A familiar toy or comforter is a good idea to begin with.
Food
Children staying for lunch and/or tea should bring their own food and drink in labelled containers. Food will be heated in a microwave oven if required. Please ensure that sufficient quantities of feeds are supplied. These will be stored on our fridge. All bottles will be cleaned and sterilised by staff after use, and we must ask that all equipment supplied by parents is clearly and indelibly labelled. We now also offer meals via Little Tums catering- please ask for more details!
Collection
All parents and guardians are reminded to notify staff of the person responsible for the collection of their child each day. We ask parents to collect promptly at the end of each day. Failure to do so will result in extra payment for each child for every 15 minutes.
SEND Policy (Special Educational Needs and Disability)
This policy complies with the statutory requirements laid out in the SEND Code of Practice 0-25 and this has been written with reference to the Equality Act 2010, The Children & Families Act 2014 and B&H Special Educational Needs and Disability (SEND) Strategy 2021-2026. We provide an environment in which all children are supported to reach their potential. Read the full Policy here.
Clothing
We do provide protective clothing for messy activities but we suggest comfortable clothes, which are easily washable, for your child at other times. Please label all clothing. Additionally, parents must supply their own nappies, wipes and anything else required for their child’s hygiene.
Parking
Parking for drop-offs and collection is available in our shared off-street car park, making sure you and your child is safe and no need for car dash before the parking officer comes.
Discipline
At Hillbury House our policy is always to give praise to the children, but when we need to carry out disciplinary procedures they are as follows;
If a child behaves in a way that wil endanger themselves or any child, or we feel that their general behaviour is not acceptable, i.e. biting or rudeness, we will ask them to stop. If the problem does not improve, we will remove the child from the situation, i.e. by sitting then next to a member of staff until they calm down. If the situation continues to be unacceptable the supervisor will discuss the problem with the child’s parents. At no time do we carry out any form of physical punishment.
EYFE Info
At HiHo we can guide and support you to receive the best help with your childcare costs from the government.
We are a part of all of the government funding schemes: Tax-Free Childcare, 15 Hour Funding, 30 Hour Funding and also childcare vouchers from outside agencies. As in line with our policy we require 1 month notice to change sessions. We can be flexible and adapt with discussion. Read the full policy here.
Tax free childcare
& childcare vouchers
15 and 30 hours
free childcare
