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The Little Blue Door in Chichester (PO19)

Ofsted: Outstanding
(Feb 2024)
·
4.6(8 parent reviews) ·1 Laburnum Grove, Chichester, PO19 7DL · West Sussex
Number of places
60 places
Age range
0–4 yrs
Last inspected
Feb 2024
Local authority
West Sussex

About this day nursery

The Little Blue Door offers a nurturing and stimulating environment for children aged 3 months to five years, across two convenient locations in Chichester and Westhampnett. The nursery focuses on fostering a love for learning and play, providing a "home away from home" atmosphere.

They offer varied sessions to suit family needs, including both school day and full day options, with an early drop-off service available for parents requiring extra flexibility. Meals, including snacks, lunch, and a light tea for full-day attendees, are freshly prepared in their own kitchen.

The outdoor play areas, including a private garden, are integral to their approach to early years development. The leadership team, comprising individuals with extensive childcare experience and qualifications, is committed to nurturing young minds.

The Little Blue Door also supports government funding entitlements, aiming to make quality childcare accessible to more families. They encourage prospective families to book a visit to experience the nursery firsthand.

What it's like

Children thrive in this exciting, educational nursery, forming exceptionally close relationships with staff who are extremely welcoming and nurturing. They show positive attitudes to learning, make rapid progress, and enjoy helping staff plan activities. Children are exceptionally kind, caring, and thoughtful towards one another, playing beautifully and cooperating well.

Home-cooked mealsExperienced leadershipOutdoor play area

Pricing & funding

Charges are based on two daily sessions from 8am to 4pm and 8am to 6pm, with an optional early drop-off session starting at 7.30am. Registration fees are required to secure a place or join the waiting list.

Funding accepted

15 hours — universal (3–4 yrs)30 hours — working parents (3–4 yrs)

Good to know

  • An early drop-off session is available from 7.30am and includes breakfast.
  • A registration fee is required to secure a place.
  • A reduced fee is payable to join the waiting list, with the remainder due when a place is offered.

Key facts

Opening hours

Weekdays from 7:30am - 6pm (7:30am-8am early session incurs surcharge).

Session types

School day (8am-4pm), Full day (8am-6pm), Early Blue Doors (7:30am-8am)

Food

Meals provided (snacks, lunch, light tea for full day) cooked in-house.

Age range

3 months to 5 years

Term time / All Year

All Year

Established

2016

Ofsted Inspection

Ofsted rating for The Little Blue Door

Last inspected 15 February 2024

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

What it's like to attend

Children thrive in this exciting, educational nursery, forming exceptionally close relationships with staff who are extremely welcoming and nurturing. They show positive attitudes to learning, make rapid progress, and enjoy helping staff plan activities. Children are exceptionally kind, caring, and thoughtful towards one another, playing beautifully and cooperating well.

Inspector highlights

  • Staff are extremely skilled at developing children's listening and communication skills and expertly plan activities to introduce new language.
  • Staff have a detailed understanding of children's individual needs and work with the manager to plan a clear, sequenced curriculum, delivering high-quality teaching.
  • Children benefit from highly passionate staff who swiftly identify early development concerns and work cooperatively with other professionals to ensure first-rate early intervention.
  • Children have excellent opportunities to develop their independence and are greatly encouraged to problem solve by 'having a go'.
  • The passionate and experienced manager is extremely successful at reflecting on and evaluating the nursery, continuously striving for further development.
Inspection #10311666 · Source: OfstedView full Ofsted report

What parents say

Verbatim quotes recorded in the Ofsted inspection

'extremely high standard of care and learning'

appreciate that children have their own nursery book bag and can borrow books to share stories together at home

Inclusion & environment

How they support every child

SEND provision

Children benefit from highly passionate staff who swiftly identify early development concerns. Staff work cooperatively with other professionals to ensure first–rate early intervention. For instance, staff provide one-to-one sessions to children who need additional support.

Outdoor space

Children enjoy frequent trips out into the community, enhancing their understanding of the natural world. Children work together to set out resources of their choosing. For instance, they help one another to carry drain pipes in the garden.

Parent Reviews of The Little Blue Door

4.6
(8)
Ann-marie Thomas
8 months ago

I'm shocked more parents have not reviewed LBD! Florence has thrived in this environment from day one. They are very passionate about procedure and following things through. Her needs have always been met and communication great. The staff that have managed every class Flo has been in, have been incredible and I cannot believe she has only 1 class left until Primary . Being a working mum and being crazy busy in the wedding season I have been so incredibly grateful to their flexibility to have Florence on extra days to support this. Will always highly reccomend x

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Luke V
6 years ago

We are extremely happy with The Little Blue Door and would wholeheartedly recommend it. Our son is non-verbal at the moment and the staff have been fantastic with helping him develop all aspects of his communication. From the outset our son was given the additional support he needed and we have seen significant developments with how he now communicates. He is extremely happy and The Little Blue Door is on a whole another level to anything we have experienced before with other nurseries. Thank you to the whole team for all of your support and giving our son the most amazing environment for him to develop.

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Tom Snell
5 years ago

I can't recommend The Little Blue Door enough. It was by far the stand out nursery from the three we visited when choosing for our daughter. She absolutely loves going to nursery which is a reflection of the relationships the staff build with the children. My daughters, speech, learning and motor skills have come on so fast from her time at the nursery. What a great place for children!

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Sandrine B
7 years ago

The kids are pretty well looked after but the rooms are quite small. The management is arrogant, inflexible and bordering rude. Like asking you to go and read the policies when you ask for details on something, or ignoring you when you wait in the corridor. More could be written but I don't have time. A very 'selective' type of attitude with the parents too. Lucky there are few nurseries in Chichester !

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Natalie Dunning
7 years ago

Absolutely delighted with the team at LBD. They have the best attitude and are wonderful with the children. Both mine go in different rooms and it's always tailored to their individual needs. Would highly recommend.

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Reviews from Google for The Little Blue Door. See all on Google Maps

Inspection history
Improved from Good → Outstanding in 2024

Date: April 2018

  • February 2024Outstanding
  • April 2018Good

Frequently asked about The Little Blue Door

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This listing has been compiled from official Ofsted records, the nursery's own website, details provided directly by the nursery where available, and other trusted public sources. We regularly review and update listings to keep the information as accurate as possible. Learn more