St. John's Preschool
Good★ 5.0 on GoogleBirth to 5Open for decades
A pre-school in Crowborough for children from birth to 5, open 08:30 to 15:00, 5 days a week. They do not publish prices, so that is the first thing to ask. Rated Good by Ofsted in May 2024. Open since 2001, with 20 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 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
TN6 1SBWhat 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, 8 May 2024 · read the full report
What it is like to attend
Children confidently enter the preschool. They run in eagerly and say 'hello' to the staff. They know the routine and what to expect on arrival which supports children to feel confident and secure as they know what is expected of them. Additionally, staff use strategies such as visual timetables to help children, including those with
English as an additional language and special educational needs and/or disabilities, to understand what is coming next. This helps children to feel safe and secure.
Children are supported well to manage their emotions. Staff talk to them and read stories that help children to understand how they are feeling. For example, while listening to a story about emotions, staff help children to make the connection between feeling 'yellow' and happy. This has a positive impact on children and is reflected in their good behaviour. This prepares them well for future learning.
What Ofsted told them to improve
To further improve the quality of the early years provision, the provider should:
- review and improve arrangements for sharing information with parents about their child's progress and next steps, to fully support home learning n strengthen processes for supervision and staff performance monitoring to help identify training needs of staff to raise the quality of teaching even further.
- 8 May 2024Good
- 11 June 2018Good
- 30 September 2015Good
Rated Good or Outstanding at 3 of the last 3 graded inspections.
Still missing for St. John's Preschool
- 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.
Pre-schools within a couple of miles
This one is first. Tick it and one or two others to see them side by side.