The Nursery School Company

What The Nursery School Company does

The Nursery School Company is a privately held, founder-led group of premium early years nurseries operating four sites across Sussex, England (Worthing, Charlwood, Brighton opened Spring 2024, and Storrington opened Spring 2025). The company delivers all-inclusive nursery care for children aged 0–5, combining an Early Years Foundation Stage curriculum informed by High Scope, Reggio Emilia, and Montessori approaches with specialist Forest School and Beach School outdoor learning programmes delivered by Level 3 practitioners. Bespoke environments are housed in character properties (a Tudor country house on 4.5 acres, 1930s villas) with features such as sensory rooms, outdoor classrooms, and all-weather gardens.

The commercial model rests on subscription recurring nursery fees structured as 51 weeks averaged across 12 monthly payments at full-day rates of £82.50–£102.00 depending on site, plus a £100 registration fee and £200 refundable deposit. Ancillary revenue streams include UK government Early Years Free Entitlement funding (15-hour universal and 30-hour extended), a paid dining package at £27.50 per fully funded day covering chef-prepared meals, and Forest School holiday club sessions at £38–£50.60 per day. Operations are supported by the Famly parent communication app for daily tracking and educator messaging, with marketing driven through location-specific Instagram and Facebook accounts, Mailchimp newsletters, and recurring open morning events. The founder, Catherine Harvey (Ba Hons in Early Childhood Studies, EYPS, DipNEBOSH), brings over 20 years of early years experience including a prior chain of outstanding Midlands nurseries, and the company is registered in England (Company No. 11133826), OFSTED-registered, and entirely bootstrapped with no external institutional investors.

Name

The Nursery School Company

Legal name

The Nursery School Company Ltd.

Website

https://thenurseryschoolcompany.co.uk

Company type

Private

Operating status

Operating

Headcount range

11–50 employees

Short description

The Nursery School Company operates four premium early years nurseries across Sussex (Worthing, Charlwood, Brighton, Storrington) serving children aged 0–5, delivering an all-inclusive EYFS curriculum enriched by Forest School, Beach School, and chef-prepared meals under founder Catherine Harvey.

Ownership category

akta.pro rank

Product category

Early Childhood Education & Nursery Care

NAICS

Child Care Services (62441)

SIC

Services-Child Day Care Services (8351)

akta.pro primary industry

Full-Day Nursery Programs (EDACACAD)

akta.pro secondary industries

Outdoor / Nature-Based Nursery & Forest Playgroups (EDACACAH), Half-Day Nursery Programs (EDACACAC), Nursery School Readiness & Transition Programs (EDACACAL)

Keywords

• Early childhood education
• Nursery childcare services
• Forest school programmes
• Outdoor learning experiences
• Preschool education services

Headquarters

HQ city

Worthing

HQ country

United Kingdom

HQ region

Europe

Offices5 records

Markets served

GTM type

B2C

Offering type

Services

Cost components

Personnel, Operations, Marketing or Sales, Others, Infrastructure

Revenue model

1. Nursery Fees: Monthly recurring fees for nursery care, calculated on 51 weeks per year and averaged into 12 monthly payments. Fees include nappies, formula, forest school, beach school, excursions, and enrichment activities with no hidden costs.
2. Government Funding (EYFE): Revenue from government early years free entitlement funding. The company accepts 15-hour universal funding and 30-hour extended funding for eligible families, plus local authority 2-year-old funding. Funding is stretched over 51 weeks rather than the standard 38 term weeks.
3. Dining Package: Optional add-on at £27.50 per fully funded day covering all meals and snacks. Parents not purchasing this package receive 'FE Only' placement.
4. Forest School Holiday Clubs: Holiday club sessions at Forest School Company sites during school holidays. Charlwood site charges £50.60 per day; Dorset House School charges £38.00 per day with optional early drop-off (£5) and late collection (£10).

Pricing tiers

Go-to-market motion2 records

Distribution channels2 records

Marketing channels5 records

Core offering

The Nursery School Company operates bespoke premium nursery and early years education services for children aged 0–5 across four physical locations in Sussex (Worthing, Charlwood, Brighton, Storrington). The company delivers the Early Years Foundation Stage (EYFS) curriculum through a play-based approach inspired by High Scope, Reggio Emilia, and Montessori methodologies, complemented by Forest School, Beach School, chef-prepared meals, and enrichment activities. Sister sub-brands extend the offering to babies/toddlers (The Little Nursery School Company) and to school-aged children during holidays (The Forest School Company Holiday Clubs).

Product overview

The Nursery School Company operates as a unified early years education group offering premium nursery care across four locations (Brighton, Charlwood, Storrington, and Worthing) in Sussex. The portfolio consists of the core Nursery School Company service for children aged 0-5, supported by The Little Nursery School Company sub-brand for babies and toddlers, and The Forest School Company holiday clubs for school-aged children. Educational programmes include Forest School and Beach School outdoor learning modules, Enrichment Activities (sports, music, languages, excursions), and the Dining Package providing chef-prepared meals. The company delivers the Early Years Foundation Stage through a play-based curriculum inspired by Montessori, Reggio Emilia, and High Scope methodologies. All core services share common educational philosophies and enrichment programmes, with the Dining Package being the primary add-on purchase that unlocks all additional services at no extra cost.

Differentiator

Problem solved

Functional benefit

Brands

• The Forest School Company: Bespoke Forest School Holiday Clubs providing outdoor experiences during school holidays at Charlwood and Dorset House School locations.
• The Little Nursery School Company
• The Nursery School Company Food

Products and services

• The Nursery School Company (Core Nursery Care) Bespoke premium early years nursery care for children aged 0–5 years across four Sussex locations (Worthing, Charlwood, Brighton, Storrington), delivering the EYFS curriculum through a play-based approach inspired by High Scope, Reggio Emilia, and Montessori methodologies. Fees are all-inclusive, covering meals, nappies, formula, Forest/Beach School, excursions, uniform, and enrichment.
• The Little Nursery School Company Specialised baby and toddler care for children from birth to 2 years, providing warm home-from-home environments with dedicated key educators, breast milk storage, formula support, and individualised weaning menus.
• The Forest School Company Holiday Clubs Bespoke Forest School holiday clubs for school-aged children (Reception to Year 8) operating during school holidays at woodland sites in Charlwood and Dorset House School in Bury, offering outdoor adventure activities including fire lighting, shelter building, and nature crafts.

Quantifiable outcome

• Ofsted registered provider meeting regulatory standards
• +1 more outcomes

Segments2 records

Ideal customer profiles2 records

Technology focussed No

API detail

Has API

No

API docs

API detail

Core technology

AI maturity

App detail

Integration2 records

Feature2 records

Partnerships

One partnership is on record.

• Dorset House SchoolcoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerDorset House School hosts The Forest School Company holiday club sessions during school holidays on its grounds in Bury, Pulborough. This partnership provides Forest School outdoor learning experiences exclusively to Dorset House School families at this location. The partnership allows the Forest School Company to operate holiday programmes for children from Reception to Year 8.

Scale indicators4 records

Recent moves8 records

Expansion highlights6 records

Broad incumbents

• Grandir UK: European nursery group with UK operations, mixing premium positioning and multi-site rollout — comparable on operator-level scaling strategy.
• Kidsunlimited (Bright Horizons): Premium UK nursery brand now under Bright Horizons; historically targeted affluent families in major cities, directly relevant to The Nursery School Company's premium positioning.
• Partou Childcare: Large UK nursery operator with similar focus on quality-led, multi-site expansion; relevant as a scaled reference point for the same target market.
• Busy Bees Nurseries: UK's largest nursery group with 400+ sites across all price tiers; sets the mass-market competitive benchmark the premium Sussex group differentiates against.
• Bright Horizons Family Solutions: Largest UK premium nursery operator with broad geographic reach and corporate-client contracts; overlaps The Nursery School Company on premium family segment but operates at much larger scale.

Regional players

• Tops Day Nurseries: South of England-focused nursery chain with comparable premium positioning and Ofsted-outstanding reputation; competes regionally in Sussex-adjacent catchment areas.

Direct peers

• Storal Learning: Group of premium UK nurseries focused on outstanding early-years education, curriculum-led staffing, and parent communication apps — directly comparable product, customer, and positioning.
• N Family Club: Premium UK nursery chain operating 30+ sites with affluent positioning, all-inclusive fees, and graduate-led staffing — closely comparable to The Nursery School Company's brand and operating model.
• Monkey Puzzle Day Nurseries: UK nursery franchise with similar mid-premium price band and Forest/Outdoor learning elements, competing head-to-head with The Nursery School Company in suburban family segments.
• London Early Years Foundation (LEYF): Charitable multi-site nursery operator with strong pedagogy focus, comparable graduate-led model, and similar multi-site London/South East footprint.

Market position

Strengths4 records

Weaknesses5 records

Competitive moat4 records

Key risks6 records

Key highlights6 records

Customer concentration

• Facebookfacebook.com/The-Nursery-School-Worthing-110712584390371
• Instagraminstagram.com/thenurseryschoolworthing
• LinkedInlinkedin.com/company/thensc

Compliance1 record

Revenue estimate

Valuation estimate

Number of profiles

Profiles1 record

Subsidiaries3 records

Funding overview

Funding rounds

Investors

Funding detail is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →

M&A

Investments

M&A and investment is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →

Frequently asked questions about The Nursery School Company