Childcare in Eastbourne
Eastbourne has 26 day nurseries, 6 pre-schools, 11 school nursery classes, 10 childminders and 11 after-school clubs. Ofsted has inspected 34 of them and rated 30 Good or better, 7 of them Outstanding. 30 have never been inspected, which usually means recently registered. Of those that publish a price, a full day runs from £53 to £65, typically £60. Across East Sussex there are 33 places per 100 children under five, about the same as England as a whole at 32.
Places per 100 under-fives is registered capacity at nurseries, pre-schools and childminders across East Sussex, divided by the children aged 0 to 4 who live there at the 2021 Census. It compares areas; it is not a count of free places today. It also leaves out the 65 school nursery classes across East Sussex, because nobody publishes how many children they take.
64 settings, best rated first. Search by postcode to sort them by how far they really are.
What has changed here
Ofsted does not publish closures, so we work them out by comparing releases. Worth knowing if you are working from an old list.
- Jun 2026Opened Heron Park Primary Academy - Infinite Sport Clubs Full day care
- Jun 2026Opened MV Funtastic Out-of-school day care
- Jun 2026Closed West Rise Nursery Full day care
- Dec 2025Closed Fireflies Childcare Limited Out-of-school day care
- Dec 2025Opened Active Education Sussex Holiday Camp - Eastbourne Out-of-school day care
- Jun 2025Opened Premier Education - Gildredge House Out-of-school day care
- Jun 2025Opened Little Castle Nursery Sessional day care
What people ask about childcare in Eastbourne
Answered from the figures on this page, so they stay in step with it.
How much does nursery cost in Eastbourne?
Of the 5 full-day rates published by settings in Eastbourne, the typical price is £60 a day, ranging from £53 to £65. These are prices the settings publish themselves, not an average of quotes.
Which nurseries in Eastbourne take funded hours?
27 of the 64 settings in Eastbourne are recorded as taking the government funded hours. Councils do not publish a list of approved providers, so the rest are unknown rather than a no.
Are any nurseries in Eastbourne rated Outstanding?
Yes. 7 of the 34 settings Ofsted has inspected in Eastbourne hold an Outstanding grade.
Which nurseries in Eastbourne take babies?
47 settings in Eastbourne are registered to take children under two. Ofsted's register does not say whether a setting runs a baby room or has space in it, so ring before you plan around it.
Is it hard to get a nursery place in Eastbourne?
East Sussex has 33 registered childcare places for every 100 children under five, against 32 across England. That is registered capacity rather than free places, so it compares areas rather than telling you what is available this week.
Towns close to Eastbourne
Worth widening the search to, especially if you drive to work.