Full-day nursery in Leigh-on-Sea, Southend on Sea
Small Friends Children's Day Nursery
15 Rectory Grove, Leigh-on-Sea, SS9 2HA · Getting there
Is it good?
Read the Ofsted reportOfsted inspection, before November 2025
Outstanding
- Quality of educationOutstanding
- Behaviour and attitudesOutstanding
- Personal developmentOutstanding
- Leadership and managementOutstanding
- SafeguardingEffective
What does this mean?
This grade is from before November 2025, when Ofsted replaced single grades with report cards. The nursery's next inspection will give a report card, with a separate grade for each area instead of one overall grade.
Official records
- Ofsted registrationRegistered since May 2002Reference EY152460Ofsted · checked 30 June 2026
- Inspections on record1 inspectionlatest 25 May 2022Ofsted · checked 30 June 2026
- Registered places60 placesthe most children it may care for at onceOfsted · checked 30 June 2026
- Food hygiene rating5 (Very good)inspected 7 August 2026Food Standards Agency · checked 13 November 2026
Fees
Fees, hours and ages: not published yet
Thanks. We count every request and show the nursery how many parents are asking.
Estimate a monthly cost with the council area's typical day rate
Hours and ages
Opening hours and ages: not published yet.
Getting there
15 Rectory Grove, Leigh-on-Sea, SS9 2HA · More nurseries in SS9
Stations
- Leigh-on-Sea13 min walk · 0.5 miles
- Chalkwell20 min walk · 0.8 miles
Buses
9 bus stops within 400 m, including Post Office, Leigh Church and Belton Way East.
Parks and playgrounds
- Leigh Cliffs5 min walk
- Playground1 min walk
NaPTAN, Department for Transport, checked 13 November 2026 · © OpenStreetMap contributors, checked 13 November 2026. Walking times are rough, from straight-line distance.
Places and next steps
Spaces: not published yet. Nurseries often fill months ahead, so ask early.
In Southend on Sea there are about 3.5 children under 5 for every registered nursery place. Places are how many children nurseries may care for, not free spaces, so this is a guide to demand. Source: ONS Census 2021.
What parents say
Reviews on Toddly
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Write a reviewAbout Small Friends Children's Day Nursery
Small Friends Children's Day Nursery is a full-day nursery at 15 Rectory Grove, Leigh-on-Sea, SS9 2HA, in Leigh-on-Sea, Southend on Sea. It is registered for 60 children. Ofsted rated it Outstanding at its inspection in May 2022, before report cards replaced single grades in November 2025. It has a Google rating of 5.0 from 3 reviews (October 2026).
Compare nurseries nearby
| Nursery | Ofsted | Full day from | Hours | Ages | Distance |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Small Friends Children's Day NurseryThis nursery | Outstanding | not shared yet | not shared yet | not shared yet | This nursery |
| LEIGH TREASURES PRESCHOOLSessional pre-school | Not yet inspected | not shared yet | not shared yet | not shared yet | 0.1 miles |
| Smiley Centre For ChildrenSessional pre-school | Good | not shared yet | not shared yet | not shared yet | 0.1 miles |
| Leigh Village Day NurseryFull-day nursery | Good | not shared yet | not shared yet | not shared yet | 0.2 miles |
| Peek A Boo Pre SchoolSessional pre-school | Good | not shared yet | not shared yet | not shared yet | 0.2 miles |
| Phoenix Pre-SchoolSessional pre-school | Good | not shared yet | not shared yet | not shared yet | 0.3 miles |
| Active Academy - Unit 14 Leighcliff BuildingsFull-day nursery | Not yet inspected | not shared yet | not shared yet | not shared yet | 0.4 miles |
A dash means the nursery hasn't published it yet. Distances are in a straight line.
Nearby areas
Schools nearby
- Leigh North Street Primary School Primaryages 5–11Ofsted: Goodinspected March 2022 0.2 miles
- West Leigh Infant School Primaryages 4–7Ofsted: School remains Goodinspected July 2024 0.4 miles
- West Leigh Junior School Primaryages 7–11Ofsted: Report cardinspected April 2026 0.4 miles
- St. Michael's School ages 2–11has a nursery class 0.6 miles
- Darlinghurst Academy Primaryages 3–11has a nursery classOfsted: Improved significantlyinspected January 2025 0.7 miles
- Saint Pierre School ages 2–11has a nursery class 0.9 miles
- Chalkwell Hall Infant School Primaryages 3–7has a nursery classOfsted: School remains Goodinspected March 2023 0.9 miles
- Chalkwell Hall Junior School Primaryages 7–11Ofsted: School remains Goodinspected March 2023 0.9 miles
Straight-line distances. Places depend on each school's admissions rules. From the Department for Education and Ofsted.
Questions parents ask
Got a question? Ask and get an answer straight away.
What is Small Friends Children's Day Nursery's Ofsted rating?
Ofsted rated Small Friends Children's Day Nursery Outstanding at its inspection on 25 May 2022, before report cards replaced single grades in November 2025.
How many children can Small Friends Children's Day Nursery take?
Small Friends Children's Day Nursery is registered with Ofsted for up to 60 children at any one time.
What is the nearest station to Small Friends Children's Day Nursery?
Leigh-on-Sea is the nearest station we know of, 0.5 miles away in a straight line.
How do I contact Small Friends Children's Day Nursery?
You can call 01702 471235 and visit www.theoldstationnursery.co.uk.
Tools for parents in Southend on Sea
- Childcare cost calculatorMonthly cost with funded hours
- Funded hours checkerWhich schemes you qualify for
- Funded hours start dateWhen your child's hours begin
- Tax-Free Childcare calculatorThe 20% top-up on your bill
- Visit checklist for this nurseryPrintable questions, pre-filled
- Cost of nursery in Southend on SeaFees by age in Southend on Sea
About this information
- Registration and inspections: Ofsted · 30 June 2026
- Rating and review themes: Google · 30 October 2026
- Schools: DfE Get Information about Schools · 4 November 2026
- Contains Ofsted data licensed under the Open Government Licence v3.0.
- Contains Department for Education data licensed under the Open Government Licence v3.0.
- Contains Ofsted data licensed under the Open Government Licence v3.0.
- Contains National Statistics data © Crown copyright and database right; contains OS data © Crown copyright and database right.
- Contains Department for Transport NaPTAN data licensed under the Open Government Licence v3.0.
- © OpenStreetMap contributors
- Food hygiene rating from the Food Standards Agency, licensed under the Open Government Licence v3.0.
- Source: Office for National Statistics, Census 2021, licensed under the Open Government Licence v3.0.
- Read reviews on Google
Last checked 30 October 2026 · Ofsted URN EY152460 · Plain-text version · Report a mistake
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