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Dolphins Day Nursery

Ofsted: Good
(Mar 2025)
·
5.0(6 parent reviews) ·73 Chesswood Road, Worthing, BN11 2AB · West Sussex
Number of places
54 places
Age range
2–4 yrs
Last inspected
Mar 2025
Local authority
West Sussex

About this day nursery

Dolphins Day Nursery, established in 1997, operates from non-domestic premises in Worthing, offering a welcoming and inclusive environment for children aged 2 to 4 years. 30 am to 6 pm, the nursery ensures children arrive happy and ready to learn.

The dedicated staff team, featuring diverse backgrounds and multiple languages, works closely with families and other professionals. This collaborative approach ensures a deep understanding of each child, especially those with special educational needs and/or disabilities (SEND), fostering a strong sense of belonging and supporting good progress from their individual starting points.

Children benefit from a robust curriculum that promotes good health and physical development, including activities focused on oral health. Regular outdoor learning in the spacious garden allows children to enjoy fresh air and exercise, enthusiastically playing chasing games and learning about the effects of physical activity on their bodies.

The nursery was rated as Good by Ofsted on its latest inspection on March 26, 2025, reflecting the continuous efforts of leaders to enhance the quality of provision since the previous inspection. The curriculum for mathematics is particularly strong, with staff skilfully integrating counting and numbers into spontaneous play and challenging older children with addition and subtraction.

Staff are positive role models, encouraging turn-taking, sharing, and helping children resolve disputes by discussing their feelings. Children are also supported in developing independence from an early age, confidently taking on tasks such as serving their own food and getting dressed.

Furthermore, staff excel in fostering communication and language skills through meaningful conversations and thoughtful questioning, encouraging children to think critically and become confident communicators. Parents consistently praise the nursery and its staff for their children's development in these areas, and the nursery shares strategies with parents to support learning at home, ensuring consistency in development.

What it's like

Children arrive happy and ready to start their day at this welcoming and inclusive nursery. Staff work closely with families and other professionals to gain a deep understanding of the children in their care. This helps all children to have a sense of belonging and make good progress from their starting points.

Welcoming and inclusiveGood Ofsted ratingStrong maths curriculumIndependence skills fosteredEffective communication supportSpacious garden

Pricing & funding

Funding accepted

15 hours — universal (3–4 yrs)

Key facts

Opening hours

Monday to Friday from 7.30am to 6pm

Term time / All Year

All Year

Established

1997

Ofsted Inspection

Ofsted rating for Dolphins Day Nursery

Last inspected 26 March 2025 · Kelli Wiseman

Safeguarding effective
Overall effectiveness
Good
Quality of education
Good
Behaviour and attitudes
Good
Personal development
Good
Leadership and management
Good

What it's like to attend

Children arrive happy and ready to start their day at this welcoming and inclusive nursery. Staff work closely with families and other professionals to gain a deep understanding of the children in their care. This helps all children to have a sense of belonging and make good progress from their starting points.

Inspector highlights

  • Since the last inspection, leaders have worked hard to improve the quality of the provision.
  • Children benefit from the strong curriculum for mathematics.
  • Staff act as positive role models, encouraging turn-taking and sharing.
  • Staff support children to develop their independence skills from an early age.
  • Staff support children's communication and language skills well.

Areas to develop

  • 1enhance staff's understanding of how to use their knowledge of what children know and can do to plan more precisely for their next steps in learning
  • 2support staff to recognise and maintain children's engagement during their play when they become less focused.
Inspection #10353040 · Source: OfstedView full Ofsted report

Inclusion & environment

How they support every child

SEND provision

This ensures that children's individual needs are met, including children with special educational needs and/or disabilities.

Outdoor space

Children benefit from regular fresh air and exercise in the spacious garden. They enthusiastically burn off steam as they play chasing games with their friends.

Parent Reviews of Dolphins Day Nursery

5.0
(6)
jocess07
8 years ago

Highly recommend! My daughter love going to nursery. Seeing my daughter, how she develop her skills, social behaviour and confident. She learned so many things (counting, identify colours, writing & creativity in art). They also teach children the diversity( different languages & culture of other countries). Which I'm so impressed that my daughter know how to sing in different dialect. Nicole and her staffs are very helpful, supportive and friendly.

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Jegavanthan Arulkumar
4 years ago

I would highly recommend! Nicole and her staff are very professional, supportive and encouraging. Excellent atmosphere to the kids and my little one enjoyed her time there. It is very nice to see that the staff always focus on developing the skills, creativity, independence and social behaviour of the kids.

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Kirsty “Kirsty” SM
8 years ago

I highly recommend this nursery! Fabulous! My son has been there for just a few months & is so happy. From the moment we walked in ( & i turned up unannounced) , we were made so welcome and all the children came and said hello to my son and took him off to play while i talked to Nicole & Ronea. He was even offered to join them at snack time. I especially love the diversity of the nursery & the fact they are so flexible with shift patterns of parents. The staff are fabulous & the nursery doesnt have a high staff turnover which is a positive in my eyes. The nursery has everything your child could want. If a few things look a bit old, its irrelevant, its all about the quality of care, the interaction, the development of the child & this is in abundance at Dolphins. I love getting my daily sheet to see what my son has been up to for the day & the food has a 5* rating. My son loves emptying his box and bringing home his creations. His development in the last few months is amazing. I love seeing him so happy there & sometimes struggle to get him to leave at night!! :-) In August, there has been a planned event every Thursday away from the Nursery which is great & an opportunity for parents to attend. The "Graduation Party" they arranged for the children leaving to go to school clearly had a lot of thought put into it. Highly recommend!

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Valerie Woodland
9 years ago

Two of my kids have been at the nursery. First and most importantly, it is the best value in Worthing. The staff is great, food is excellent and the children are happy. The inside is a bit old but always clean. Communication with the parents is great and it feels safe. I have tried another one before and it wasn't as good.

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Hendrieta Juozaityte
10 years ago

Highly recomended!My son going to nursery more then year now ,very happy how he develop ,he learn so many thinks,doing lots of different activity's staff are very friendly and helpful,he love spent time in there and he loves go you nursery,it's like part of our family ,and when I'm at work I can do my staff with no worries ,I know he's is the safe hands !!!

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Reviews from Google for Dolphins Day Nursery. See all on Google Maps

Inspection history
Improved from Requires improvement → Good in 2025

Date: November 2009

  • March 2025Good
  • May 2024Requires improvement
  • August 2018Good
  • April 2016Good
  • March 2013Requires improvement
  • November 2009Inadequate

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