Tiny Tigers Day Nursery

A cottage nursery with a large garden, a Mud Kitchen and outings to Blue Bell Railway gives Tiny Tigers its character. Based at Gorse Cottage in East Grinstead, it combines separate stages for babies, toddlers and preschool children with outdoor space for climbing, imaginative play and exploration.

Tiny Tigers takes children from three months to five years and has 63 places in total. At its 13 June 2022 inspection, Ofsted rated it Good overall, while identifying staff interactions supporting communication and language as the area to improve.

Kittens, Tiggers, Cubs and Tigers mark the progression through the nursery, with moves guided by children's development rather than birthdays alone. Attendance includes full days and funded afternoon patterns.

Rooms and Ages

Kittens serves babies up to 18 months, with new experiences planned around their developing movement and interests. Tiggers, broadly 18 months to two years, bridges the move towards confident walking through sensory activities and exploration outside. Cubs, for children around two to three, occupies an area facing the garden and combines sand, water and role-play with support for coordination, social skills and toilet training. Tigers serves children around three to five, bringing together activities initiated by children and those organised by adults as preparation for school.

The age bands are guidelines, with moves based on each child's readiness for the next section.

Learning and Activities

The Early Years Foundation Stage provides the required framework for learning through play, covering communication, physical development, relationships and the other areas of early learning. Staff use observations and children's interests to plan both adult-led experiences and activities children choose themselves.

Multisensory story sacks and games matching pictures with words support early literacy, while painting, cutting, cooking and construction let children practise using their hands. Role-play creates opportunities to talk about feelings and ideas.

In June 2022, children voted on their next activity after snack. Babies copied animal sounds during picture-book reading, and toddlers practised movements needed for later pencil use. Adults sometimes answered before children could think and used less precise words: the language improvement point addressed these interactions.

Outdoor and Community Life

The enclosed garden combines a vegetable patch and herb garden with a playhouse, covered sandpit and Mud Kitchen, where children can explore materials through play. A climbing frame adds a physical challenge.

Older children go on outings connected with their learning, including visits to the library, fire station and Blue Bell Railway. Fire brigade and police visitors also bring community services into the nursery. These experiences connect themes explored in play with people and places beyond the cottage.

The summer Leavers Fun Day includes parents in the farewell celebration. Other themed events explore festivals and cultures across the year, adding shared occasions to the everyday programme.

Relationships and Communication

Each child has a key person and a buddy, providing another familiar contact when the key person is absent. Settling sessions bring together parents and staff to discuss the child's needs, with additional sessions offered where required. An All About Me form captures interests, routines and relevant background, so the relationship begins with information from home.

Tapestry, the online learning journal, gives parents access to observations and development information. Daily handovers cover the child's day, while annual parents' evenings and termly next steps support discussions about progress.

WOW boards display achievements from home for children to share with friends. Parents can also communicate by email or telephone during the day.

Inclusion and Wellbeing

A trained SENCO works with key persons and room staff, with SENCO-trained cover available. Individual Education Plans set out support and targets, are developed with parents and reviewed every six months. With parental permission, staff seek advice from Early Help Services and professionals such as speech and language therapists.

Visual timetables help children understand routines, and sensory equipment and visual aids support participation. The nursery is on the ground floor, with toilet and changing facilities. Staff hold paediatric first aid qualifications; familiar bank staff cover holidays and absences, helping preserve continuity when the usual team is away.

At the June 2022 inspection, Ofsted found safeguarding effective and described support that helped children with SEND access help early and participate alongside other children.

Breakfast, lunch and tea are provided, with children and staff eating together; individual dietary requirements are accommodated. Shared meals also give children practice in social routines and table manners.

Preparation for school includes contact with teachers, school visits with children and photo books showing the next setting. Learning journals and support documents are shared with parental permission. Familiarity is built through role-play involving school clothes, books and lunchtime routines, making the change more concrete for a child before it happens.

Sessions and Attendance

The address is Gorse Cottage, London Road, East Grinstead, RH19 1QF. Opening hours are 7.15am to 6.15pm, Monday to Friday, for 51 weeks of the year, with closures on bank holidays and between Christmas and New Year. The booked full day runs from 8am to 6pm, so opening hours and the standard paid day are different windows.

For entitlement-only attendance, the 15-hour pattern runs from 2pm to 5pm on weekdays during term time. The maximum 30-hour arrangement combines two full days from 8am to 6pm across 50 weeks with one 1.30pm to 5pm session during term time and two weeks at the end of August. This is a mixed attendance pattern, rather than the same funded hours in every week.

Two days a week is recommended to help children become familiar with relationships and routines; it is a recommendation, not a stated compulsory minimum. Priority goes to families requiring full-day sessions. Enquiries can be made by telephone on 01342 303424 or through the contact form, and registration uses the Child Registration Details and parent authorisation documents.

Funding and Paid Extras

Funded entitlement is offered to eligible children from the term after they reach nine months, up to a maximum of 30 hours a week. Funding can be stretched from 38 weeks across 50 weeks, alongside the term-time-only 15-hour afternoon arrangement. Additional private hours are charged separately, and working-family eligibility codes must be kept current by parents.

Meals and snacks are included in private full-day rates, while packages combining fees and funding include meals, snacks and consumables. Entitlement-only attendance has separate meals and consumables charges; those charges are optional for entitlement-only families, who can instead supply their own meals and supplies. The consumables category includes wipes, sun cream and nursery medicines as well as food-related items. A current written quotation should distinguish the chosen attendance pattern and its extras; the fees and funding terms explain the structure.

Registration carries a non-refundable administration charge and a deposit, both waived for entitlement-only attendance. The deposit is normally returned in the month after leaving, but conditions apply if a family does not take up the place, reduces planned days or delays the start by a month; it can also offset unpaid fees. Written notice is required for withdrawal and changes of days, with a specific shorter withdrawal limit for entitlement users leaving before Headcount Day.

• Language interactions. The June 2022 improvement point concerned how adults extend children's communication, including allowing time for answers. During a visit, ask how staff now put that into practice across the rooms.
• The funded timetable. The 15-hour option is afternoon-only in term time, while the maximum 30-hour arrangement mixes full days and an afternoon session across different weeks. Compare that actual timetable with work commitments before choosing a pattern.
• Meals and supplies. Entitlement-only families can provide their own instead of paying the optional charges. Families managing allergies should discuss current meal arrangements and dietary handling before agreeing what to send or purchase.
• Booking and notice. Full-day attendance receives priority, and two days weekly is recommended. Tours are offered Monday to Thursday, with evening visits possible by arrangement; use the discussion to review the deposit conditions and notice terms for the intended booking.

Tiny Tigers suits families who value a cottage setting with substantial outdoor play, a staged progression through named rooms and communication that links home experiences with nursery planning. Full-day care and term-time funded afternoons serve different family routines, while the mixed 30-hour pattern offers another arrangement to weigh carefully.

The garden, community outings and practical school preparation give the offer substance. The June 2022 language interaction improvement remains the clearest question for a visit, alongside the detail of funding, supplies and contractual commitments.