William Older Playgroup
GoodTakes funded hoursBirth to 8+Open for decades
A pre-school in Littlehampton for children from birth to 8+, open 08:50 to 15:00, 5 days a week. £18.00 a session, and they take the funded hours. Rated Good by Ofsted in October 2024. Open since 1992, with 45 places.
What it costs
Prices change without notice. Treat these as what to ask about, not a quote.
Our fees are currently £18 per session - we also accept 30 hours government funding, 2 year old funding for eligible children and 15 hours universal funding for children aged 3 and over.
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
30 hours government funding, 2 year old funding for eligible children and 15 hours universal funding for children aged 3 and over.
Worth knowing. We do not charge any mandatory extra fees but we do ask for voluntary donation towards our daily healthy morning snack.
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
BN16 4LPWhat 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, 1 October 2024 · read the full report
What it is like to attend
Children arrive with excitement and enthusiasm. They confidently wave goodbye to their parents as they receive a warm welcome from friendly staff. Children who have recently started attending the playgroup are given extra comfort and encouragement by key staff. This helps them to settle quickly alongside new friends. Staff thoughtfully plan an array of play experiences and activities that support children's individual learning. Staff ensure that they listen to children's thoughts and ideas, incorporating their current interests into their day. This helps children feel valued.
Staff are positive role models. This enables children to understand what is expected of them as they learn to take turns and play collaboratively. This contributes towards children's good behaviour. Furthermore, staff form strong and nurturing attachments with children. They recognise the positive impact this has on their emotional well-being. In turn, children are confident to seek out staff for play, comfort and support when needed.
Staff ensure that children have an abundance of opportunities to develop their physical skills. The well-equipped and stimulating outdoor areas enable children the freedom to curiously explore in a variety of ways. They delight as they run, climb, balance and manoeuvre their whole bodies. This supports children's core muscle development. Furthermore, staff carefully consider a variety of ways to increase children's small muscle dexterity. For instance, children use chunky tweezers as they carefully practise grasping and releasing pom-poms. This supports children's hand-eye coordination and helps to prepare them for early writing.
What Ofsted told them to improve
To further improve the quality of the early years provision, the provider should:
- support staff to further develop older children's understanding of risk and how to keep themselves safe n refine the organisation of some planned activities to help keep children fully engaged in their learning.
- 1 October 2024Good
- 11 December 2019Good
- 5 October 2015Outstanding
Rated Good or Outstanding at 3 of the last 3 graded inspections.
Still missing for William Older Playgroup
- 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
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 £18.00 a session 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.
- 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.