Southwater Pre-School
GoodBirth to 8+Open for decades
A day nursery in Horsham for children from birth to 8+, open 08:00 to 18:00, 5 days a week. They do not publish prices, so that is the first thing to ask. Rated Good by Ofsted in July 2023. Open since 2010, with 24 places.
What you might pay
This setting does not publish its fees, and no national dataset holds them. This is what childcare costs across the council, as a starting point for the call.
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 9JHWhat 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, 7 July 2023 · read the full report
What it is like to attend
Children happily arrive at the pre-school. Staff support children to settle well and place a strong focus on their happiness. They provide a variety of learning experiences based on the children's interests and their existing knowledge.
Children make independent choices about the activities they wish to take part in.
For example, all children, including children with special educational needs and/or disabilities (SEND), enjoy mixing ingredients to make dough. Some children competently weigh out the flour and water. They carefully follow an instruction leaflet and discuss the quantities needed. Other children enjoy the sensory experience that the dry and wet ingredients provide. They become deeply engaged in the activity and learn that water makes the mixture go 'runny'. Young children add to their vocabulary as they use new words, such as 'smooth' and 'sticky'.
What Ofsted told them to improve
To further improve the quality of the early years provision, the provider should:
- develop staff's understanding of the curriculum intentions to enable them to focus specifically on what children need to learn next.
- 7 July 2023Good
- 5 January 2018Good
- 26 February 2015Good
Rated Good or Outstanding at 3 of the last 3 graded inspections.
Still missing for Southwater Pre-School
- What it costs
- Funded hours
- Youngest age taken
- 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
None of this is in any national dataset and this setting has not published it, which is exactly why it is worth asking.
- What does it cost, all in? What is on top: meals, nappies, late pick-up, and what happens if you are late.
- Can I use my funded hours here? 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.