Coolham Montessori Nursery School
GoodTakes funded hoursBirth to 5Open for decades
A pre-school in Horsham for from 2 years up to 5 year olds, open 08:30 to 15:00, 5 days a week. £56.55 a day for under 3's, and they take the funded hours. Rated Good by Ofsted in June 2023. Open since 2005, with 26 places.
What it costs
Prices change without notice. Treat these as what to ask about, not a quote.
Term time only, 38 weeks a year.
| Age | Full day | Session | Hourly | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Under 3'sbirth to 3y | £56.55Monday to Thursday) 8.30 am - 3 pm | £26.10Afternoon (Monday to Thursday) 12 pm - 3 pm, 3 hrs £30.45Morning (Monday to Thursday) 8.30 am - 12 pm, 3.5 hrs £34.80Morning (Friday) 8.30 am - 12.30 pm, 4 hrs | £8.70 | |
| Over 3's3y to 5y | £40.56Monday to Thursday) 8.30 am - 3 pm | £18.72Afternoon (Monday to Thursday) 12 pm - 3 pm, 3 hrs £21.84Morning (Monday to Thursday) 8.30 am - 12 pm, 3.5 hrs £24.96Morning (Friday) 8.30 am - 12.30 pm, 4 hrs | £6.24 |
Before you start
One-off charges to take a place.
- £75.00 Depositredeemable against the first term's fees, not refundable
Where this came from
The outlined line is the one the price was taken from.
Funded hours
15 hours free entitlement a week, plus an extended 30 hours if you qualify; 2-year-old funding for eligible children.
Worth knowing. Any hours used above the 15 hours will be charged at the hourly rate as stated above.
What childcare usually costs in West Sussex
This is not this setting's price. It is the median hourly fee across all providers in West 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
RH13 8QNWhat 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, 15 June 2023 · read the full report
What it is like to attend
Children receive a warm and friendly welcome from staff when they arrive at the nursery. After finding their name card, children settle quickly at their chosen activities. Staff play alongside, giving prompts and ideas to help children to focus and extend their learning. For example, staff encourage children to persevere to make a ball with sand. They show children how to shape the sand and suggest that they squeeze it very hard to make a ball.
During play, staff teach children to share and take turns. They role model good manners and encourage children to be kind to each other. This helps children to develop good social skills and play cooperatively with their peers. Children enjoy story time. They listen well and concentrate on the book. Children help to turn the pages and point to pictures. Staff listen to what children have to say and repeat their words clearly. This supports their developing speech and language skills.
Staff provide stimulating activities, which help to promote children's curiosity for learning. For example, children relish playing with sea creatures in the water tray.
What Ofsted told them to improve
To further improve the quality of the early years provision, the provider should:
- strengthen parent partnerships, making sure that all parents are aware of and build relationships with their child's assigned key person.
- 15 June 2023Good
- 20 November 2017Good
- 18 November 2014Good
Rated Good or Outstanding at 3 of the last 3 graded inspections.
Still missing for Coolham Montessori Nursery School
- 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.
- Is £56.55 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.
- 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.