Windmills Opportunity Playgroup
GoodBirth to 5Open for decades
A day nursery in Maple Drive, Burgess Hill for children from birth to 5, open 8am to 6pm. They do not publish prices, so that is the first thing to ask. Rated Good by Ofsted in April 2024. Open since 1992, with 20 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
RH15 8UAWhat 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, 25 April 2024 · read the full report
What it is like to attend
Children make friendships and enjoy their time at this nurturing and inclusive playgroup. They receive a warm welcome from their friends and the very attentive staff when they arrive. Staff provide effective support to help reassure children throughout the day. This helps children to continually feel settled and secure.
Children are confident to move between the indoor and outdoor space and make decisions about what they play with. For instance, children have great fun developing their balancing skills as they navigate along a low-level climbing apparatus. Staff skilfully encourage the children. They praise them for their efforts and offer their hands to hold. Very soon, children's confidence grows and they show visitors how they can jump off the steps.
Children behave extremely well. Staff help children to share resources and take turns. They use visual aids, such as pictures and timers, to help children understand the expectations for behaviour. When children struggle to regulate their emotions, staff calmly intervene and provide successful support. Children with special educational needs and/or disabilities and those who speak English as an additional language are very well supported. Staff use additional funding effectively and provide a stimulating curriculum. Adaptations are made to ensure that all children are fully included in all activities.
What Ofsted told them to improve
To further improve the quality of the early years provision, the provider should:
- support staff to develop a more consistent approach to extending children's learning when joining in with their play.
- 25 April 2024Good
- 26 June 2018Good
- 10 November 2015Good
Rated Good or Outstanding at 3 of the last 3 graded inspections.
Still missing for Windmills Opportunity Playgroup
- 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.