Carousel Nursery School
OutstandingTakes funded hoursBirth to 8+Open for decades
A day nursery in St Leonards-On-Sea for children from birth to 8+, open 08:00 to 18:00, 5 days a week. £66.00 a day for under 3, and they take the funded hours. Rated Outstanding by Ofsted in September 2024. Open since 1999, with 45 places.
What it costs
Prices change without notice. Treat these as what to ask about, not a quote.
| Age | Full day | Session | Hourly | Weekly | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Under 3birth to 3y | £66.008-4 £72.008-6 | £44.008-12 or 1-5, 4 hrs £49.008-1 or 1-6, 5 hrs | – | £360.00Full Time | |
| OVER 33y to 5y | £62.008-4 £70.008-6 | £39.008-12 or 1-5, 4 hrs £44.008-1 or 1-6, 5 hrs | – | £350.00Full Time | |
| All ages | – | – | £7.00stand-alone hourly | – |
Extras
Charged on top of the session rate.
- £2.00 Breakfastincludes cereal and choice croissant/toast/crumpet
- £2.00 Snackincludes choice of fruits and toast/ muffin
- £2.00 Tea
- £2.75 hot two course tea from Zebedee's
- £3.50 Zebedee's lunch
- £4.00 a session Early birds (breakfast club)
What a funded hour still costs
Funded hours cover the childcare. These are charged alongside them.
- £4.00 a session provision feenot mandatory, optional, includes Breakfast, Snack, Tea, forest school, wipes and
Where this came from
The outlined line is the one the price was taken from.
Funded hours
30 hours of FREE childcare to all eligible 3 year olds. We also offer 15 hours for all eligible two and three-year olds.
Worth knowing. We charge a provision fee (this is not mandatory) of £4 per session. A session is either a morning or an afternoon. A full day constitutes 2 sessions. Parents do not have to pay the provision fee, this is optional. You can provide your child with breakfast before coming into nursery and provide all your own food (snacks, lunch, tea) and have no charge for attending your funded hours. Any hours taken up in excess to funding will be charged at the above rates.
What childcare usually costs in East Sussex
This is not this setting's price. It is the median hourly fee across all providers in East Sussex from the Department for Education's 2025 provider survey. No national data holds what an individual nursery charges, so ring and ask.
Places, hours and the day
Who they take, when they are open, and what a day there includes.
Where it is
TN38 9LFWhat the inspector found
One grade is one visit. A run of them tells you whether it has been good for years or has only just got there.
- 24 September 2026 — Concern: actions taken what Ofsted published
Ofsted inspector, 20 September 2024 · read the full report
What it is like to attend
Leaders have mastered the provision of a stimulating curriculum for all at this fun and exciting nursery. They consider what children already know and can do and enhance children's understanding by supporting them to use their knowledge and skills in their future experiences. For example, children take part in walks to the local environment, where they engage in growing their own food and flowers. Staff then provide activities in the nursery where children learn to further their knowledge of the subject. Staff skilfully extend children's understanding by providing older children with tools to further investigate. They question children about what they are finding out and encourage them to make links with what they already know and can do. Children show that these activities help them to be intensely curious. Staff consistently provide high-quality opportunities to practise what they have learned and to ensure skills are fully consolidated.
Children's behaviour at this nursery is impeccable. As a result of the careful deployment of staff, the environment is calm and children show an awareness of others around them. They are respectful to one another and learn how to take turns and consider the needs of their friends. Staff encourage children to be active learners by providing them with a safe and secure environment, where their emotional and physical well-being are always prioritised.
- 20 September 2024Outstanding
- 14 January 2020Outstanding
- 21 February 2014Outstanding
Rated Good or Outstanding at 3 of the last 3 graded inspections.
Still missing for Carousel Nursery School
- Youngest age taken
- Waiting list
No dataset holds any of this. Two parents telling us the same thing puts it on the page for whoever looks next.
What to ask them
Some of this is above, from the setting or from parents, and it can go out of date. The rest is in no dataset anywhere. Either way it is worth ten minutes on the phone.
- Is £66.00 a day still the rate? What is on top: meals, nappies, late pick-up, and what happens if you are late.
- How do you apply my funded hours? Whether they stretch them over the year, and the minimum days you have to book.
- Is there a place for my child's age? Baby rooms fill first and waiting lists are common.
- Who would my child's key person be? And how long have the staff been there. No dataset holds this and it matters more than anything above.
- Can I visit at a busy time? Mid-morning on a weekday tells you far more than an empty room after hours.
Day nurseries within a couple of miles
This one is first. Tick it and one or two others to see them side by side.