Step by Step Children's Nursery Ltd
GoodTakes funded hours★ 4.8 on GoogleBirth to 8+Long established
A day nursery in Eastbourne for babies from 7 months up to school age, open 07:30 to 17:30, 5 days a week. They take the funded hours. They do not publish prices, so ask. Rated Good by Ofsted in January 2025. Open since 2023, with 29 places.
What it costs
Prices change without notice. Treat these as what to ask about, not a quote.
Funded hours
15 hours per week Government funding for 2/3/4 year olds; 30 hours per week for 9 months to 4 year olds. Term time.
Worth knowing. 30 hours can be stretched to 22.5 hours per week over 50 weeks; 15 hours can be stretched to 11 hours per week over 50 weeks; any hours over the stretched amount charged at hourly rate.
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
BN20 8QXWhat 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, 29 January 2025 · read the full report
What it is like to attend
Children enter the nursery happily; they settle quickly and enjoy exploring the activities on offer. The atmosphere is calm, and children are engaged. They have positive relationships with staff and approach them when they need reassurance and comfort, which is regularly offered. This helps children to feel safe and secure.
Staff take account of what interest's the children and organise the environment in a way that supports their needs and next steps in development. For example, babies have their own area in the large nursery space but also enjoy opportunities to spend time with the older children. Older children show perseverance as they keep trying when they want to achieve a set outcome. For instance, when trying to fit peg pieces together, they help each other to build them as high as they can and celebrate their achievement. This helps children to make good progress and develop a positive attitude to learning.
Staff are calm and patient. They demonstrate the positive and respectful behaviour that they expect of children. For example, they use positive language and teach children to say 'please' and 'thank you'. Staff use effective explanations and distractions to help children learn to choose between right and wrong. For instance, they support children to understand why they need to share and take turns with their friends. This approach contributes positively to the way children behave.
What Ofsted told them to improve
To further improve the quality of the early years provision, the provider should:
- support all staff to have a clear understanding of the curriculum intent, so that their teaching is consistently focused on what they want children to learn n strengthen staff practice to promote children's awareness of number and shape during their play, and extend their mathematical learning further.
- 29 January 2025Good Safeguarding: Yes
Still missing for Step by Step Children's Nursery Ltd
- What it costs
- 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.
- What does it cost, all in? 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.