Little Acorns Day Nursery
GoodTakes funded hours★ 4.3 on GoogleBirth to 8+Open for decades
A day nursery in Eastbourne for children from birth to 8+, open 07:30 to 17:30, 5 days a week. £7.80 an hour for 24-36 months, and they take the funded hours. Rated Good by Ofsted in February 2023. Open since 2008, with 70 places.
What it costs
Prices change without notice. Treat these as what to ask about, not a quote.
51 weeks a year.
| Age | Hourly | |
|---|---|---|
| 24-36 months2y to 3y | £7.8024-36 months | |
| Birth to 24 months2y to 5y | £8.00Birth to 24 | |
| 36 months onwards3y to 5y | £7.5036 months onwards |
Extras
Charged on top of the session rate.
- £2.00 Breakfast
- £2.00 Tea
- £4.00 Lunch
Discounts
- 10% 10% DISCOUNT!Legal guardian must be employee of the above.
Funded hours
15 Hours Free Childcare (known as Universal Early Years Education Entitlement) - All 3 & 4-year olds and eligible 2-year-olds receive funding to support up to 570 hours of childcare each year (15 hours a week x 38 weeks - We also offer stretched funding for those that attend all year round where you can spread the entitlement over 51 weeks). 30 Hours Free Childcare (known as Extended Early Years E.
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
BN21 2ETWhat 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 February 2023 · read the full report
What it is like to attend
Children are extremely confident and happy in this very well-organised nursery.
They benefit greatly from the strong focus on supporting babies' and children's well-being. Each child is nurtured and valued. Older children learn to understand their emotions and express how they are feeling. They follow the role modelling by staff and readily accept other children's differences. Children with special educational needs and or disabilities (SEND) are completely included. Children show exceptional kindness and are keen to help each other. For example, children find resources for others and demonstrate how equipment works. Even the youngest show good manners as they sign please and thank you. Children consistently behave extremely well.
Children quickly find their own choice from inviting play activities in the carefully planned environment. The familiar routines help babies and children feel safe and secure. Children and babies explore a good range of sensory play in their own welcoming spaces. For example, babies feel textured balls and brushes and splash happily in the water tray. Children strengthen their fingers and use their imagination as they mix oats, water and conditioner to make scented porridge in the 'mud kitchen'. They show high levels of engagement and perseverance.
What Ofsted told them to improve
To further improve the quality of the early years provision, the provider should:
- strengthen staff teaching skills, so that they consistently support babies'
emerging speech and language n develop staff understanding of how to use questions to check and extend learning effectively.
- 16 February 2023Good
- 31 May 2017Good
- 8 October 2013Good
Rated Good or Outstanding at 3 of the last 3 graded inspections.
Still missing for Little Acorns Day Nursery
- Youngest age taken
- 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 £7.80 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.
- 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.