The Friendly Fish Nursery
GoodBirth to 5Long established
A day nursery in Littlehampton for children from birth to 5, 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 They do not publish prices, so that is the first thing to ask.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 September 2024. Open since 2023, with 61 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
BN17 5NHWhat 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.
- 14 August 2026 — Concern: actions taken what Ofsted published
Ofsted inspector, 24 September 2024 · read the full report
What it is like to attend
Children settle quickly in the nursery, where there is a clear community atmosphere. The kind and caring staff team makes good use of local amenities to enhance children's experiences. For example, they visit the beach and have discussions with the lifeguard and also go fruit picking, taking their harvest back to the nursery to bake with the chef. Children also learn about caring for their environment, such as through litter picking. Children share their opinions and views. For example, older children attend the pre-school council meeting where they help to decide on new equipment and resources.
Children thoroughly enjoy being in the garden. They mix with children from the other age groups, enabling siblings to play together. Children show great skill in balancing on the beams and confidently ask for help. Toddlers delight in exploring the sand in the 'sandy shed', understanding that their pot containing the sand is
'heavy'. Babies become animated during singing sessions and show that they have learned the actions. For example, they readily point to the parts of their body when singing 'Head, Shoulders, Knees and Toes'. Pre-school children conduct experiments and notice the changes to resources. For example, they observe what happens when they add dried herbs to the yellow play dough. They recognise that the herbs turned the dough green.
What Ofsted told them to improve
To further improve the quality of the early years provision, the provider should:
- build on the sequence of learning to enhance children's independence skills even further n strengthen staff's awareness of the importance of young children's ability to view staff's facial movements to enhance their early communication skills.
- 24 September 2024Good
- 10 May 2024Inadequate
Rated Good or Outstanding at 1 of the last 2 graded inspections.
Still missing for The Friendly Fish Nursery
- 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.