Sessional pre-school in Leigh-on-Sea, Southend on Sea
Smiley Centre For Children
The Salvation Army, Glendale Gardens, Leigh On Sea, SS9 2AR · Getting there
Is it good?
Read the Ofsted reportOfsted inspection, before November 2025
Good
- Quality of educationGood
- Behaviour and attitudesGood
- Personal developmentGood
- Leadership and managementGood
- 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
Fees
Fees, hours and ages: not published yet
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Estimate a monthly cost with the council area's typical day rate
Hours and ages
Opening hours and ages: not published yet.
Getting there
The Salvation Army, Glendale Gardens, Leigh On Sea, SS9 2AR · More nurseries in SS9
Stations
- Leigh-on-Sea15 min walk · 0.6 miles
- Chalkwell21 min walk · 0.8 miles
Buses
8 bus stops within 400 m, including Glendale Gardens, Post Office and Leigh Church.
Parks and playgrounds
- Leigh Cliffs8 min walk
- Bonchurch Park11 min walk
- Playground5 min walk
- Bonchurch Park Play Area playground11 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
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Write a reviewAbout Smiley Centre For Children
Smiley Centre For Children is a sessional pre-school at The Salvation Army, Glendale Gardens, Leigh On Sea, SS9 2AR, in Leigh-on-Sea, Southend on Sea. It is registered for 40 children. Ofsted rated it Good at its inspection in April 2023, before report cards replaced single grades in November 2025. It has a Google rating of 5.0 from 4 reviews (October 2026). It is run by The Salvation Army Trustee Company.
Run by The Salvation Army Trustee Company (charity), which runs 6 nurseries.
Compare nurseries nearby
| Nursery | Ofsted | Full day from | Hours | Ages | Distance |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Smiley Centre For ChildrenThis nursery | Good | not shared yet | not shared yet | not shared yet | This nursery |
| Leigh Village Day NurseryFull-day nursery | Good | not shared yet | not shared yet | not shared yet | under 0.1 miles |
| LEIGH TREASURES PRESCHOOLSessional pre-school | Not yet inspected | not shared yet | not shared yet | not shared yet | 0.1 miles |
| Small Friends Children's Day NurseryFull-day nursery | Outstanding | not shared yet | not shared yet | not shared yet | 0.1 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 | 0.2 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 0.3 miles
- West Leigh Junior School Primaryages 7–11Ofsted: Report cardinspected April 2026 0.3 miles
- St. Michael's School ages 2–11has a nursery class 0.5 miles
- Darlinghurst Academy Primaryages 3–11has a nursery classOfsted: Improved significantlyinspected January 2025 0.6 miles
- Chalkwell Hall Infant School Primaryages 3–7has a nursery classOfsted: School remains Goodinspected March 2023 0.8 miles
- Chalkwell Hall Junior School Primaryages 7–11Ofsted: School remains Goodinspected March 2023 0.8 miles
- Our Lady of Lourdes Catholic Primary School Primaryages 2–11has a nursery classOfsted: Goodinspected September 2022 0.8 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 Smiley Centre For Children's Ofsted rating?
Ofsted rated Smiley Centre For Children Good at its inspection on 25 April 2023, before report cards replaced single grades in November 2025.
How many children can Smiley Centre For Children take?
Smiley Centre For Children is registered with Ofsted for up to 40 children at any one time.
Who runs Smiley Centre For Children?
Smiley Centre For Children is run by The Salvation Army Trustee Company, which runs 6 nurseries.
What is the nearest station to Smiley Centre For Children?
Leigh-on-Sea is the nearest station we know of, 0.6 miles away in a straight line.
How do I contact Smiley Centre For Children?
You can call 01702 478092 and visit www.salvationarmy.org.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
- 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 EY487003 · Plain-text version · Report a mistake
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