Kookaburra Playgroup
GoodTakes funded hoursBirth to 8+Open for decades
A day nursery in Horsham for from 1 year up to school age, open 08:30 to 15:30, 5 days a week. £10.50 an hour for 1-2 years, and they take the funded hours. Rated Good by Ofsted in November 2022. Open since 2008, with 30 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, price list dated September 2025.
| Age | Hourly | |
|---|---|---|
| 1-2 years12m to 2y | £10.50extra hours outside of funded hours | |
| 2-3 years2y to 3y | £9.00extra hours outside of funded hours | |
| 3-5 years3y to 5y | £8.00extra hours outside of funded hours |
What a funded hour still costs
Funded hours cover the childcare. These are charged alongside them.
- £3.50 to £6.00 a week Consumable charge3 sessions, includes Snack, Cooking Activities and Wet wipes for after
Where this came from
The outlined line is the one the price was taken from.
Funded hours
9 month funding, 2- year funding, Working families 2 year funding, 3 and 4 year universal 15 hour funding, 30 hour funding.
Worth knowing. We do not charge for a lunch club so you can use your government funded hours in a continuous break. We do charge a weekly consumable charge which covers food and additional services such as: Snack, Cooking Activities and Wet wipes for after meals. Parents have the option to opt in or opt out of the consumables policy. If you choose to opt out you will be required to provide you own snack and wipes for each session your child attends, in line with our healthy eating policy.
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
RH12 1TZWhat 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, 30 November 2022 · read the full report
What it is like to attend
Children arrive at the playgroup happy, settled and ready for their day. Children show that they enjoy their time at playgroup. For instance, they excitedly seek out their friends and staff to pretend they are going on a picnic and making cups of tea. Younger children settle quickly and happily use switches on toys to turn them on and off. Children show positive attitudes to their learning and make good progress. Staff skilfully organise the environment to promote children's natural curiosity and eagerness to learn. Children benefit from a good range of experiences that prepare them well for their future success. For example, they learn to recognise and name 3D shapes as they build vehicles out of magnetic shapes in their play. Staff enhance children's mathematical language when they add in words, such as 'empty' 'half' and 'full', as children pour their own drinks from jugs at snack times.
Staff are positive role models and reinforce their expectations of children's behaviour well. They use a fair and gentle approach. For example, staff talk to children about how to behave at mealtimes. As a result, children are well behaved and follow the playgroup routine well. Staff recognise children's efforts and offer lots of praise when they succeed. Children respond to these positive reinforcements. This helps to boost children's confidence and self-esteem.
What Ofsted told them to improve
To further improve the quality of the early years provision, the provider should: - support staff to enhance the organisation of larger group activities, to reduce transition time and maximise learning time n build on staff's understanding of how to model language and further support children's communication and language skills.
- 30 November 2022Good
- 23 May 2017Good
- 1 June 2015Good
Rated Good or Outstanding at 3 of the last 3 graded inspections.
Still missing for Kookaburra Playgroup
- 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 £10.50 an hour 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.
Day nurseries within a couple of miles
This one is first. Tick it and one or two others to see them side by side.