Bright Horizons Crawley Day Nursery and Preschool

A working children's kitchen and a garden divided by age give Bright Horizons Crawley Day Nursery and Preschool a practical, hands-on character. Children can prepare food with the onsite chef, while preschool children move freely between their room and garden. These are useful details for families who want learning to involve doing things, rather than simply watching adults demonstrate them.

At its August 2023 inspection, Ofsted rated the nursery Good, judged safeguarding effective and found that individually planned learning supported children with special educational needs and/or disabilities and those learning English as an additional language to make good progress. That is a dated judgement. A later organisational safeguarding notice needs to be weighed alongside it, as explained below.

The nursery accepts children aged 3 months to 5 years and has 92 places in total. Its purpose-built premises are in Maidenbower Business Park, Crawley, with onsite parking.

Learning and Activities

The early years foundation stage sets the framework for children's learning, development and care: in everyday terms, play, conversation and practical activity develop children's skills. Alongside it, the group-wide Nurture Approach brings emotional wellbeing and learning together.

Six rooms serve different developmental stages. Sensory exploration is an emphasis for babies; the under-twos rooms combine creative activity with developing routines; toddlers have their own toilet area for practising potty training; and preschool children have direct access to their garden. That gives each stage a different practical emphasis as children become more independent.

The children's kitchen adds something tangible. With the onsite chef, children learn to make healthy food in a functioning kitchen. Preparing food gives them a task with an actual result, and makes the adult's work part of their own learning.

In August 2023, activities drew on children's interests: babies investigated ice after showing interest in water, while older children explored sea creatures and transferred water between containers. Talking about when a container was full connected play with early ideas about measurement. Children also built towers together, comparing their height and rebuilding after a collapse. These examples show how everyday materials were used for thinking, language and cooperation at that time.

Outdoor and Community Life

The landscaped garden has three play areas separated by age. Preschool children's free access connects indoor activity with independent outdoor play; the age-specific areas also give younger children their own outdoor space.

In August 2023, babies practised moving over steps, a bridge and a slope. Preschool children searched the garden for insects and matched their discoveries to pictures. The physical equipment and insect activity offered different kinds of exploration: movement for the youngest children and close observation for older ones. Crawley also holds the Eco-Schools Green Flag Award.

Relationships and communication were concrete parts of daily practice in August 2023. Staff used knowledge of their key children to plan next steps, and parents received updates about routines, experiences and development through an online system. Today, the group-wide Family app connects parents with their child's experiences and development, making communication part of the care arrangement.

A sleep room provides a separate space for rest. Meals are cooked fresh by the onsite chef, and private fees include meals and snacks; food during funded hours has a separate, non-mandatory charge.

The August 2023 improvement points deserve attention. Some adult interactions did not sustain children's involvement in learning, and younger children's experience of respect was inconsistent: staff sometimes called handwashing instructions across the room, while some nappy checks did not sufficiently respect babies. For parents, these findings make the manner of everyday care as important as the activity itself.

In a notice dated 22 June 2026, Ofsted required Bright Horizons to strengthen organisational safeguarding leadership, oversight, staff training and the handling of concerns and allegations by 1 August 2026, stating that consistent safeguarding across its provision had not been demonstrated and that the actions did not reflect concerns identified at every setting. The latest published position is that notice and its required actions; it should not be read as a finding that each weakness occurred at Crawley.

Sessions and Attendance

The address is Unit 4, Maidenbower Business Park, Balcombe Road, Crawley, West Sussex, RH10 7NN. Opening hours are 7.30am to 6.30pm, Monday to Friday. The nursery operates across the year, closing for bank and public holidays, one inset day and the period between Christmas and New Year. Those closures matter when matching childcare to work commitments.

Funded childcare uses 10-hour sessions beginning when the nursery opens. Additional attendance outside that session is charged separately, but buying extra hours is not a condition of taking a funded place. This distinction matters for families whose working day extends beyond the funded session.

Onsite parking supports journeys by car, and Three Bridges station is a transport connection. Families can contact the nursery directly on 01293 226 919.

Funding and Paid Extras

Both private childcare and funded hours are offered. The funding arrangements include 30-hour entitlements for eligible children from 9 months and at age 2, and 15-hour or 30-hour entitlements for ages 3 to 5. Funding is stretched across 50 weeks rather than delivered solely during term time, spreading the entitlement across more of the year.

Private fees include meals, snacks, nappies and wipes, with formula for babies under 1 year and milk or dairy-free alternatives for older children. For funded hours, food is charged separately and the nursery supplies associated consumables; the food charge is non-mandatory and does not determine access to a funded place.

There is a registration charge, and payment is made monthly by direct debit in advance. Current prices come in the nursery's written quotation. The important budgeting distinction is between funded childcare, additional paid hours and food, rather than treating the funded entitlement as covering the entire attendance bill.

• Organisational safeguarding action. The 22 June 2026 notice required changes by 1 August 2026. Before joining, request an explanation of the response and how oversight, escalation and staff supervision operate at Crawley.
• Respect during routine care. The August 2023 findings included inconsistent adult interactions and insufficiently respectful nappy checks. A personal tour is an opportunity to discuss how these routines and children's engagement are supported now.
• Funded attendance and the family bill. Funding is stretched over 50 weeks, with separate food charges and paid attendance beyond the funded session. Request a written quotation for your intended pattern, including how the non-mandatory food charge is handled.

Crawley suits families seeking childcare across the year, whether using funded sessions or paying privately for attendance. The children's kitchen, age-separated garden and preschool outdoor access give its offer practical substance. Its August 2023 judgement provides a positive historical assessment, but the subsequent organisational safeguarding action is material to a decision today. The best basis for choosing it is a clear understanding of current care routines, safeguarding oversight and the cost of the intended attendance pattern.