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Young Friends Kindergarten

Ofsted: Outstanding
(Apr 2024)
·
4.7(15 Google reviews) ·89 Holland Road, HOVE, BN3 1JP · Brighton and Hove
Number of places
70 places
Age range
0–4 yrs
Last inspected
Apr 2024
Local authority
Brighton and Hove

About this early years setting

Young Friends Kindergarten in Hove offers a unique, plant-based, and sustainability-focused early years experience. They provide a calm, connected, and meaningful environment for children, prioritising high-quality care that reflects their values.

The kindergarten offers fresh, homemade plant-based food daily, uses sustainable practices and materials, and employs experienced educators who foster emotional well-being. Enrichment activities include cooking, gardening, nature exploration, and community engagement.

They welcome families seeking a holistic approach to early education and offer various attendance options, including a 'Full Young Friends Experience' that encompasses a comprehensive package of food, care, learning, and enrichment. The nursery also works with government funding schemes, allowing families flexibility in how their child's kindergarten journey is shaped.

They ensure a minimum of two sessions per week for continuity of care and offer wraparound care options.

Our ethos

Young Friends Kindergarten offers a unique, plant-based, and sustainability-focused early years experience, providing a calm, connected, and meaningful environment. They are committed to high-quality care, fostering emotional well-being, and a holistic approach to early education through activities like cooking, gardening, nature exploration, and community engagement.

What it's like

Staff at Young Friends Kindergarten implement an ambitious curriculum with creativity and passion, providing a calm environment where children flourish academically and emotionally. Children are motivated to learn through engaging experiences, and staff ensure a strong sense of belonging. Highly skilled staff cater to babies' every need, promoting independence skills.

Plant-based mealsSustainability-ledNature KindergartenForest School activities

Pricing & funding

Fees are billed monthly, calculated on a 50-week year. Discounts are available for siblings and full-time attendance. Funded places incur additional charges for meals and consumables, with extra wraparound care charged hourly.

Funding accepted

15 hours — universal (3–4 yrs)30 hours — working parents (3–4 yrs)Tax-Free Childcare

Good to know

  • Fees are charged monthly, calculated by multiplying weekly fees by 50 and dividing by 12.
  • A 10% sibling discount and a 5% five-day discount are available.
  • Enrichment activity costs vary for funded hours.
  • Late payment fee is applied if payment is not received by the 8th of the month.
  • The first invoice includes the registration fee and a pro-rata month ahead.

Key facts

Opening hours

8am to 6pm, all year round

Term time / All Year

All Year

Ofsted Inspection

Ofsted rating for Young Friends Kindergarten

Last inspected 25 April 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

Staff at Young Friends Kindergarten implement an ambitious curriculum with creativity and passion, providing a calm environment where children flourish academically and emotionally. Children are motivated to learn through engaging experiences, and staff ensure a strong sense of belonging. Highly skilled staff cater to babies' every need, promoting independence skills.

Inspector highlights

  • Staff teach children how to care for the local environment and the world around them, including composting and growing food.
  • The owner and managers provide excellent support for staff, creating a positive working environment where staff feel valued.
  • Children respond very well to interesting ways of teaching, such as using puppets to discuss trips to the dentist.
  • Children have daily opportunities for outside experiences, including foraging, trips to the library, and litter picking at the beach.
  • The staff team expertly nourishes children's love of books and stories, and children develop excellent communication and mathematical skills.
Inspection #10335213 · Source: OfstedView full Ofsted report

What parents say

Verbatim quotes recorded in the Ofsted inspection

Parents mention that the strong values that their children experience have a positive impact on their home life.

They say that their children are gaining valuable skills that will be used for their whole lives.

Parents comment that they feel reassured that their children are in a safe environment and that the staff provide 'an education and love'.

Inclusion & environment

How they support every child

SEND provision

All children, including those with special educational needs and/or disabilities, make excellent progress in their learning, as staff expertly plan learning experiences based on their existing knowledge and interests.

Outdoor space

Children have daily opportunities for outside experiences that help them to learn about life beyond the kindergarten. They play outside in the delightful garden, feed rabbits, and fill bird feeders.

Google Reviews of Young Friends Kindergarten

4.7
(15 Google reviews)
Amy Dyer
10 months ago

My daughter is still a recent joiner at Young Friends and she's come on such a long way already. The first and only nursery we visited, we can now see why friends have sung their praises. I fully trust she is in safe hands and a nurturing environment for her to explore. I'm really happy we found Young Friends and it's only the beginning of a wonderful journey. Thank you :)

Read on Google
Claire Costello
a year ago

We absolutely LOVE this nursery- it is by far the best we have seen! I love that it is eco friendly & teaches the children about sustainability, child led, creative, my daughter cooks most days, uses tools, plants veg, has messy play, eats healthy and so much more! We travel across town to take our daughter and are actually going to move house to be closer to the nursery rather than find somewhere closer to us! It is clear the staff love their job and the children, I can leave my 3 year old with complete ease knowing she is so taken care of. It feels like having some of the village support that is missing in our society. She always comes out muddy-which is how it should be! My daughter asks to go to nursery on her days off, so we are very happy! Thank you so much everyone at Young Friends! ❤️❤️❤️

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Dan Kemp
a year ago

We couldn’t be happier with Young friends. The staff are so kind and show such genuine care for the children. Our girls are buzzing when we pick them up and so excited to tell us what they have been up to during the day. They are learning so much about the environment and how to care for animals. The outside space is a beautiful haven for the children. Sophie was wonderful and thoughtful in helping them to transition from another setting. It has been a joy to see them flourish at young friends.

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Ben Marshall
a year ago

Young Friends has been absolutely amazing. Having moved down from London where our daughter went to a fantastic nursery we never thought we’d find somewhere as good but Young Friends surpassed our wildest expectations. All the staff are amazing creating an atmosphere of love, fun and warmth with top notch play-centred early years education thrown in. We - and our daughter (and now son) - couldnt be happier.

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Georgie Middleditch
10 months ago

We feel so incredibly lucky to have found young friends, from a very shy little baby who really struggled with separation anxiety he has ADORED young friends from day one. He runs in every day and just has the best time. Knowing that he is outside so much makes us so happy and we love unpacking his clothes covered in mud. Sign of a great day. Not to mention using proper hammers, drills and saws in the work shop. He has developed such a love of the natural world, always asking about different flowers and plants and telling me fun facts about the environment. Not to mention all the trips to the kitchen garden, parks and beaches. I firmly believe that his impressive creative and imaginative play is a direct result of YF’s unique learning approach and lack of “toys”. The children spend hours creating their own little worlds as it’s such a genuinely free flow environment. I also notice how empathetic and caring all of his friends are, definitely something that is nurtured at YF. Every staff member has been wonderful and he always speaks so fondly of all of them. Luckily, with two more children this isn’t the end of young friends for us!

Read on Google

Reviews from Google for Young Friends Kindergarten. See all on Google Maps

Inspection history

Date: April 2013

  • April 2024Outstanding
  • June 2018Outstanding
  • December 2013Outstanding
  • April 2013Outstanding

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