Willow Tree Preschool
GoodBirth to 5Long established
A day nursery in Haywards Heath for children from birth to 5, open 08:00 to 17:30, 5 days a week. They do not publish prices, so that is the first thing to ask. Rated Good by Ofsted in October 2023. Open since 2019, with 24 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
RH16 3QNWhat 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.
- 20 October 2021 — Concern: actions taken what Ofsted published
Ofsted inspector, 19 October 2023 · read the full report
What it is like to attend
Children of all ages are settled, confident and happy during their time in the welcoming nursery. For example, even the youngest giggle happily as they play hiding games with staff. Children are keen to join in with the interesting activities that staff carefully plan for them. For example, they engage in a cooking activity, where they prepare and make fruit salad and learn about healthy food. Staff have high expectations of children and plan challenging activities to help them make good progress. Children enjoy bringing their imagination to life. They are excited to act out how jungle animals sound and move. Children enjoy regular trips to the local nature reserve, where they learn about life cycles. For example, they are excited to watch frog spawn grow into frogs.
All staff are positive role models. Children are polite and behave well. They develop good social skills and are kind to each other. For instance, children are excited to share their achievements with each other and are greeted with excited praise and celebratory 'high fives'. Children learn about the importance of healthy lifestyles.
For instance, they talk about the importance of good oral hygiene. Children gain good physical skills and learn to move in different ways. For example, they confidently and safely negotiate climbing and balancing equipment.
What Ofsted told them to improve
To further improve the quality of the early years provision, the provider should:
- develop staff's understanding of how to ensure that children consistently have enough time to think and then answer questions n support staff to be confident in consistently recognising and building on children's interest in mathematics.
- 19 October 2023Good
- 1 November 2022Needs improvement
- 6 May 2022Inadequate
Rated Good or Outstanding at 1 of the last 3 graded inspections.
Still missing for Willow Tree 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.
Day nurseries within a couple of miles
This one is first. Tick it and one or two others to see them side by side.