St Mary's Nursery School
GoodTakes funded hoursBirth to 5Open for decades
A pre-school in Crowborough for from 2 years 6 months up to 5 year olds, open 08:30 to 15:30, 5 days a week. £7.70 an hour for under 3s, and they take the funded hours. Rated Good by Ofsted in October 2023. Open since 2001, with 20 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.
| Age | Hourly | |
|---|---|---|
| Under 3sbirth to 3y | £7.70Our | |
| 3-4 year olds3y to 4y | £7.30Our |
Before you start
One-off charges to take a place.
- £25.00 booking fee
Extras
Charged on top of the session rate.
- £15.00 a term voluntary contribution
Funded hours
15 hours per week of Early Years Education Entitlement (EYEE) funding from the term after they turn 3; 15 hour funding offer extended to eligible working families with 2 year olds from April 2024.
Worth knowing. Unable to offer 30 hours fully funded; voluntary contributions requested; snacks charged at 75p per session.
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 2LBWhat 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, 19 October 2023 · read the full report
What it is like to attend
Staff provide a warm and welcoming environment which helps children to feel safe and secure. Children arrive with a smile on their faces and confidently say goodbye to their parents/carers. They are excited to see their friends and quickly settle into the routines of the day. For example, they hang up their coats and eagerly join in a dance activity which helps enhance their physical skills.
Staff use a range of strategies to help children learn about equality and diversity.
Children understand about people who are different from themselves. They enjoy playing with small world figures that represent different cultures, ethnicities and abilities. This helps children to respect others which prepares them well for modern life. Children's unique qualities, such as their culture, heritage and family backgrounds, are celebrated, which promotes children's emotional well-being.
What Ofsted told them to improve
To further improve the quality of the early years provision, the provider should:
- develop the outdoor environment to ensure that children who prefer to play outside are fully supported to learn across all areas of the curriculum n improve teaching to ensure that staff consistently support younger children to develop their social skills and independence.
- 19 October 2023Good
- 9 March 2018Good
- 27 February 2015Good
Rated Good or Outstanding at 3 of the last 3 graded inspections.
Still missing for St Mary's Nursery School
- 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 £7.70 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.
Pre-schools within a couple of miles
This one is first. Tick it and one or two others to see them side by side.