Cranbrook Independent Nursery and Preschool
GoodTakes funded hours★ 4.6 on GoogleBirth to 8+Open for decades
A day nursery in Crawley for babies from 3 months up to school age, open 8am to 6pm. They take the funded hours. They do not publish prices, so ask. Rated Good by Ofsted in December 2021. Open since 2006, with 84 places.
What it costs
Prices change without notice. Treat these as what to ask about, not a quote.
Funded hours
Government-funded childcare for children from 9 months old, as well as for 2-year-olds and 3 - 4-year-olds.
Worth knowing. These entitlements are provided in line with the criteria set out by the local authority. Eligibility may vary, so please speak with the Nursery Manager at your preferred setting for guidance on the funding options available to you.
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
RH10 7QHWhat 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, 2 December 2021 · read the full report
What it is like to attend
Children are greeted warmly by their key person and enter the provision happily.
They enjoy a good range of activities, indoors and out. Children show high levels of well-being and develop good bonds with their key person. Babies confidently explore their environment and seek out staff for a cuddle. Children choose the activities that interest them and benefit from the encouragement and support from staff. Children behave well and are encouraged to be independent. For example, children as young as 16 months use big spoons to serve their lunch.
Children learn to respect each other and develop good social skills. For instance, the children in the pre-school room understand the idea of taking turns while their friend is being helped by a member of staff. Children who speak English as an additional language, and those with identified speech and language needs, are supported well. The use of props helps them understand and communicate their needs. Overall, children are good communicators. Older children engage in meaningful conversations and staff effectively use language to extend children's vocabulary. For example, at lunch time they talk about the importance of eating healthy food and children use good language to explain why eating vegetables is good for their body. The good progress that children make supports them to move to the next stage of their learning.
What Ofsted told them to improve
To further improve the quality of the early years provision, the provider should:
- support staff to more consistently recognise when children who are not yet speaking are indicating what they would like to do n review the organisation of group times that include the younger children to more fully reflect their development levels.
- 2 December 2021Good
- 19 August 2016Good
- 9 October 2012Good
Rated Good or Outstanding at 3 of the last 3 graded inspections.
Still missing for Cranbrook Independent Nursery and Preschool
- 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.
Day nurseries within a couple of miles
This one is first. Tick it and one or two others to see them side by side.