St Gabriel's Playgroup
GoodTakes funded hoursBirth to 5Open for decades
A day nursery in Billingshurst for from 2 years up to 5 year olds, open 08:30 to 16:00, 5 days a week. £6.00 an hour, and they take the funded hours. Rated Good by Ofsted in October 2024. Open since 1992, with 50 places.
What it costs
Prices change without notice. Treat these as what to ask about, not a quote.
Extra Hours are charged at £6.00 per hour, to be agreed by the Manager.
One published rate. What you pay depends on the days you need and the funded hours you can claim.
Where this came from
The outlined line is the one the price was taken from.
Funded hours
15 hours Local Authority funded childcare for 2 year olds and from September 30 hours funded childcare for 2 yr olds of working parents that qualify. We offer 15 hours funded childcare for all 3 and 4 yr olds, and 30 hours funded childcare for 3 and 4 yr olds of working parents that qualify.
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
RH14 9QHWhat 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.
- 6 June 2024 — Concern: actions taken what Ofsted published
Ofsted inspector, 1 October 2024 · read the full report
What it is like to attend
Children are happy and settled at the playgroup. Staff welcome children and allow them the time they need to settle in and say 'goodbye' to their parents and carers.
This helps children to feel safe and secure. Children engage in the activities that staff have organised, such as using scissors to cut out different shapes. This helps children to practise using their fine motor skills. Staff talk to children about the shapes they are cutting out and encourage them to use their letter sounds.
Children take part in a simple blowing exercise, where they pretend to either blow up a balloon or blow out a candle. This helps children to focus and engage as well as supporting their language development.
What Ofsted told them to improve
To further improve the quality of the early years provision, the provider should:
- clarify the roles and responsibilities of those with oversight of the playgroup n support staff to monitor and assess children's progress more effectively to be able to plan activities that help them to make the best possible progress.
- 1 October 2024Good
- 8 May 2024Inadequate
- 12 July 2023Needs improvement
- 27 September 2018Good
Rated Good or Outstanding at 2 of the last 4 graded inspections.
Still missing for St Gabriel's Playgroup
- 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 £6.00 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.