Welcome to:

The Acorn Nursery School

(& Forest School)

Church Lane

Cranleigh

Surrey

GU6 8AR

(Just a few minutes walk from the village centre.)

We are an independent term-time nursery for children aged 20 months-5 years.  We feed into all the Cranleigh primary schools and many outlying village schools, both state and independent.  We are a traditional nursery school, with all our learning through play.

We are open Monday to Friday from 8:00 for Breakfast Club, if thre is sufficient take-up, or 8:30 or 8:45 for Early Bird drop-off.  Nursery starts at 9:00 for 3, 4, 5 or 6 hours.  We aim to be as flexible as possible to suit you and your child.  We also currently offer an After School Club on Tuesday and Thursdays.  We offer from 6 to 30 flexible hours each week.

We accept Funded Early Education for Two-year olds (FEET), working parent entitlement and universal entitlement for three and four year olds.  Currently our self-funded fees are £7.50 per hour.

We have been judged 'Outstanding' for four consecutive Ofsted inspections (2011, 2015, 2019, 2025).  At a recent Surrey Early Years audit for Emotional Health and Wellbeing we were hightly praised and described as a Flagship nursery.  We use the Thrive Approach to support Social and Emotional Wellbeing.

We offer Forest School sessions for all our pre-school children. Children take part in PE sessions, music and movement and Yoga.

All our Practitioners have a minimum of level three childcare qualification with three of our team qualified Early Years teachers.

Please use the Contact Us page to request more information or to arrange a visit.  We are happy to accept enquiries for September 2025 and beyond.

Do check out our Facebook page for some weekly updates.

Owner Pauline Crowder says "Our amazing Early Years team and wonderful children in our care were very happy to show our 'Outstanding' setting off to the Ofsted inspector at our recent inspection.  We're particularly delighted with one of the comments made "Children are highly motivated learners and demonstrate exceptional levels of inquisitiveness.  They thrive in the well-resourced and stimulating environment where staff offer a wealth of exciting opportunities to explore and investigate."  The inspector also commented "Children are excited to learn and are extremely well prepared for the move to school.""

For School Year Dates and Ofsted Reports check out About Us.