The Stables Nursery

Private enclosed fields, a den and gardens on both sides of the building give The Stables Nursery a countryside character with plenty of room for outdoor exploration. The main nursery room opens onto the garden, so outdoor play is closely connected to the indoor day. This is an East Grinstead setting where trees and changing seasons have a substantial part in children's learning.

At its August 2024 inspection, Ofsted rated the nursery Good and found safeguarding effective. The current age range is 3 to 60 months. Alongside its outdoor provision, the nursery combines visiting activity leaders, opportunities for siblings to mix and a gradual settling process. Funded attendance includes morning, afternoon and full-day patterns, with conditions attached to each entitlement.

Learning and Activities

The early years foundation stage provides the framework for children's learning, development and care. In everyday terms, that means linking learning with children's play, communication and growing ability to manage things for themselves. Here, activities led by adults sit alongside activities shaped by children's interests; the day is not built entirely around scheduled classes.

Music & Movement brings a Monday class involving instruments, puppet counting, singing and movement with scarves or a parachute. Its cultural emphasis adds another way to explore music. Tuesday's Lingotots sessions introduce French through songs, counting and stories, with a different topic each week and access for all children. These are concrete additions to the ordinary nursery day, rather than curriculum names left unexplained.

Wednesday's Multi-Sports changes the sport each week, including basketball, athletics, hockey and rugby. Little Kickers follows on Thursday, with toddlers and preschool children taking separate 30-minute sessions suited to their age. Ball control, shooting towards a net and moving around cones give the session a clear practical shape. On Friday mornings, Tatty Bumpkin uses stories and music within yoga-inspired routines. The weekly rhythm combines language, music and movement rather than putting all the emphasis on one activity.

Outdoor and Community Life

Forest School adds outdoor exploration throughout the seasons. Daily sessions run from 9am to 3pm, and all children have the opportunity to participate. The den, tree climbing and enclosed fields give this work a physical setting; the emphasis includes noticing seasonal changes and thinking about risk during outdoor play. Cold or wet weather is part of that experience.

In August 2024, children explored plants and insects and watched cows in a neighbouring field, with visits arranged to investigate where milk comes from. Older children also visited a nearby care home to share things they had made. Nursery Council gave children a part in decisions about nursery life. These examples connect learning to people, animals and choices beyond an adult-led activity table.

Relationships and Communication

Settling begins gradually. Every child receives five hours of free settling sessions, starting with a 30-minute meeting and an All About Me form for parents to complete. The length of the next session depends on how that first meeting goes. Bringing a familiar comforter is encouraged, giving the process room to respond to the individual child rather than following a fixed sequence of equal-length visits.

Siblings can spend time together at key points during the day, within an environment arranged to resemble a family home. Activity Bags extend learning beyond nursery: families can borrow resources for early maths, hand control, mark-making and communication, including a story sack. That gives parents something practical to share with their child, rather than simply receiving an account of what happened that day.

In August 2024, home visits formed part of settling, and staff helped families practise specific skills at home, including name writing. Staff also used signs with younger children and provided additional speech and language sessions tailored to individual next steps. Leaders sought counselling and bereavement support for families. These were specific forms of help at that time, rather than a general promise about support for every need.

Inclusion and Wellbeing

Fresh food is prepared each day by the nursery chef, and the nursery's dietary arrangements include catering for particular allergies and dietary requirements. Snacks, lunch and tea are included in private childcare fees; the different position for universal 15-hour and eligible 30-hour sessions matters when comparing attendance options.

School preparation starts in September before children leave for school. Small Group Work consists of daily sessions covering language and communication, early number and shape knowledge, phonics and fine motor skills. The practical emphasis is on building skills children will use in their next stage, rather than suggesting an admissions advantage.

Sessions and Attendance

The address is The Pavilion, Felcourt Road, East Grinstead, RH19 2LF. Opening hours are 7am to 6.15pm on weekdays, across 51 weeks of the year. Bank holidays are closures. Enquiries go through the office manager, by telephone on 01342 836524 or email at office@stablesnursery.co.uk.

For children eligible for universal 15-hour funding, attendance is arranged as three five-hour sessions, either 8am to 1pm or 1pm to 6pm, with at least one afternoon session. Eligible 30-hour attendance consists of three full-day sessions from 8am to 6pm. FEET funding uses three five-hour sessions, with the same morning or afternoon windows. These funded booking patterns are more specific than the nursery's longer opening day.

Funding and Paid Extras

The nursery offers 15 and 30 hours government funding for three-year-olds, together with 15 hours FEET funding, each over 38 weeks. Private childcare is also offered. Current prices come in the nursery's written quotation, and the fees page sets out the attendance and charge structure.

Private fees include daily activities and food, while parents supply nappies and formula when needed. Universal 15-hour and eligible 30-hour sessions carry a separate session charge covering food, consumables and classes. This distinction matters: the funded hours and the costs attached to attending those sessions are separate parts of the arrangement.

• The funded timetable. Universal 15-hour attendance requires three sessions, including an afternoon. Families whose working pattern centres on mornings need to weigh that condition alongside the session times.
• Independence in daily routines. In August 2024, staff sometimes completed manageable tasks for children, reducing their chances to practise self-care and independent learning. At a visit, ask how children now get time to attempt those tasks themselves.
• Outdoor participation. Forest School runs daily and continues through the seasons, with den exploration and tree climbing among the experiences. Discuss how the outdoor day will work for your child's stage and confidence.
• Dietary arrangements. The nursery caters for specific dietary requirements and allergies. Families affected by allergies should confirm the current arrangements for their child before joining.

The Stables suits families looking for regular outdoor exploration alongside a structured weekly mix of French, sport, music and yoga-inspired activity. Its gardens, fields and den give that offer substance, while gradual settling and borrowable learning bags provide practical links between home and nursery.

It serves families using morning and afternoon funded sessions as well as those taking the funded full-day pattern. The afternoon requirement for universal funding and the separate session charges for universal 15-hour and eligible 30-hour funding deserve careful attention. The August 2024 improvement point also keeps the judgement balanced: helping children attempt everyday tasks independently should be part of the conversation about care.