Catsfield Pre-School
GoodTakes funded hoursBirth to 8+Open for decades
A pre-school in Battle for from 2 years up to school age, open 09:00 to 15:00, 4 days a week. They take the funded hours. They do not publish prices, so ask. Rated Good by Ofsted in January 2024. Open since 1994, with 24 places.
What it costs
Prices change without notice. Treat these as what to ask about, not a quote.
Funded hours
2 year old funding - We are registered for two year old funding. If your family situation matches the current government criteria on income/circumstance then you may be entitled to 15hours free childcare for your two year old - to apply visit www.gov.uk/free-early-education 3 year old funding - All children, regardless of household income, are currently entitled to 15 hours free pre-school educa.
Worth knowing. If your child attends Catsfield Pre-school with Government funded hours you can be reassured that there are NO hidden costs.
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
TN33 9DPWhat 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.
Ofsted inspector, 16 January 2024 · read the full report
What it is like to attend
Children thrive in this welcoming pre-school. Parents describe the staff as
'amazing'. The new manager has made many positive changes to the provision since she started. Although she has only been in post for a short time, the improvements to children's learning are notable. Activities are now planned purposefully so that children's next steps and interests are taken into full consideration. Children thoroughly enjoy the activities. They show sustained focus and concentrate well, working things out for themselves and showing increasing levels of independence.
Funding is used particularly effectively to take account of what individual children need. Staff fully recognise the long-term consequences of the COVID-19 pandemic and the emotional impact this has on some children when they first start. Staff have worked hard to help children learn to understand their different emotions with the use of stories, such as 'The Colour Monster'. These creative strategies are effective. Children who were previously unsettled now arrive at pre-school with excitement and enthusiasm for the day.
What Ofsted told them to improve
To further improve the quality of the early years provision, the provider should:
- develop the staff team to ensure teaching is consistently good or better.
- 16 January 2024Good
- 23 March 2018Good
- 15 July 2014Good
Rated Good or Outstanding at 3 of the last 3 graded inspections.
Still missing for Catsfield Pre-School
- What it costs
- Meals
- Nappies
- 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.
- What does it cost, all in? 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.
- Do you have a place for a child of my age now? 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.
Pre-schools within a couple of miles
This one is first. Tick it and one or two others to see them side by side.