Pennies Day Nursery - Mark Cross

The High Street, Mark Cross, Crowborough TN6 3PJ
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Top 20 award
10 111 Reviews
  • Pennies Day Nursery - Mark Cross, Crowborough
Situated in the beautiful village of Mark Cross, East Sussex, this setting offers childcare close to Tunbridge Wells and Crowborough. Mark Cross is a well-established nursery, with pre-school and kids club facilities.

Mark Cross provides a welcoming home setting, with a very large garden designed to provide space and adventure for every child. This pre-school prepares children for starts in local schools and the bus runs to and from local schools for the kids’ club. Mark Cross was rated Good by Ofsted (August 2023).

Pennies At Mark Cross is situated in the village of Mark Cross in East Sussex and offers exceptional care for children from three months to five-years-old. The nursery offers a large outdoor facility and home-cooked food to support the healthy development of each child.

Pennies at Mark Cross has an excellent team and care facility for all children's needs.
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Type of Service

  • Day Nursery
  • Open all year
  • Full Day Care
  • Sessional Day Care

Group/Owner

Person in Charge

  • Victoria Atkins (Manager)

Number of Childcare Staff

  • 20

Total Places for Children

  • 64

Age Range

  • from 0 years 3 months
  • to 5 years 0 months

Funding & Fees

  • Per day:
    Under 2's £104.50
    2-3 yrs £102.50
    Over 3's £101.50

Opening Times

  • Monday 07:30-18:30
    Tuesday 07:30-18:30
    Wednesday 07:30-18:30
    Thursday 07:30-18:30
    Friday 07:30-18:30

When Closed

  • Bank Holidays & 1 week at Christmas

Pennies Day Nursery - Mark Cross Reviews (111)

10

Pennies Day Nursery - Mark Cross has a Review Score of 10 (9.956) out of 10, based on 19 reviews in the last 2 years.
Over all time Pennies Day Nursery - Mark Cross has 111 reviews.

Overall Experience
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Date Published
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Reviewer Connection to Pennies Day Nursery - Mark Cross
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Total of 111, showing 61-80
Review from Jenny (Mother of Child) published on 28 February 2020 Submitted via Website • Report
Overall Experience 5.0 out of 5
Pennies Day Nursery is a fantastic nursery - Both my sons (1 and 3) plus their cousin (also 3) are very happy at Pennies Day Nursery and are developing well there. My 3-year-old is at the pre-school and loves having tennis lessons and going out in the garden. The manager and her team go that extra mile,
for example, if it’s raining and I’m struggling to get the boys in the car, a staff member will give me a hand (definitely not in the job description!). The staff really makes Pennies Day Nursery what it is. They do fun activities especially around the seasons - my son came home with a shoebox of Christmas crafts last December, he was so proud of what he’d made. Very happy with Pennies Day Nursery.
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Review from Vicky R (Mother of Child) published on 27 February 2020 Submitted via Website • Report
Overall Experience 5.0 out of 5
I don’t know where to start, My little one is so incredibly happy she is currently in the baby room and absolutely loves the practitioners that work in there. She is always so happy to be left if she could push me out of the door she would! The girls have followed her routine perfectly, the communication
is excellent and they always have a friendly smile when they greet you in the mornings. Thank you to every single one of the girls at the nursery, including management that has settled her in great, I cannot thank you all enough.
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Review from Beth N (Mother of Child) published on 10 February 2020 Submitted via Website • Report
Overall Experience 5.0 out of 5
My daughter started at Pennies this January and the staff have been fantastic and so accommodating. She was only 13 months old when she started so I was nervous about how she would settle, but all the staff have been so understanding and caring and my daughter has settled really well.
Every session
she attends there is an effort made to create new, varied and fun activities, even in the baby room, and she is often playing and having fun in their fantastic garden. I wouldn't hesitate to recommend Pennies. Even though it is a drive away from where we live and there are more local nurseries available, it is well worth the journey.
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Review from Jane C (Mother of Child) published on 27 January 2020 Submitted via Website • Report
Overall Experience 5.0 out of 5
This is a really fantastic nursery with a lovely home-from-home feel and kind, friendly staff who care about the parents as well as the children. They do everything possible to make sure you and your child are happy and provide excellent care - brilliant for a teary first-time mum. I couldn't recommend
them highly enough. Thank you Pennies team.
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Review from Lee H (Father of Child) published on 18 October 2019 Submitted via Website • Report
Overall Experience 5.0 out of 5
Simply excellent, a clean friendly environment that my daughter (aged 9) loves. Loads to do always and whenever I pick up there are loads of smiles!
Reply from Natalie Larmour at Pennies Day Nursery - Mark Cross
The smiles spread to our staff when we read a review like this, thank you very much for sharing it!
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Review from H S (Mother of Child) published on 16 October 2019 Submitted via Postal Card • Report
Overall Experience 4.0 out of 5
Pennies have been very flexible to cater for my needs in looking after my son. They also help with dietary needs which have been challenging at times. I appreciate the service Pennies have given me in the past. Email communication is really good, which means you can rely on a contact method when necessary.
Reply from Natalie Larmour at Pennies Day Nursery - Mark Cross
Thank you for posting this review and taking time to comment on a range of the things we do. Areas like looking after dietary needs are always a challenge in childcare and it's great to know when we…read more
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Review from Charlotte B (Mother of Child) published on 14 October 2019 Submitted via Website • Report
Overall Experience 5.0 out of 5
Pennies! I honestly can’t speak highly enough of this nursery. You have gone above and beyond to provide a clean, safe and secure setting for my daughter to start her learning journey. You have been so supportive to me as a parent too, keeping me informed every step of the way and making this step as
a parent as smooth as possible. The range of activities is just fantastic and the time put into them is next to none. Thank you so much for your committed dedication to all aspects of this nursery. Couldn’t ask for a more lovely and safe place to leave my child.
Reply from Natalie Larmour at Pennies Day Nursery - Mark Cross
Thank you so much for such a positve review. We work hard to make sure every child is cared for as they would be in a family and when we read something like "Couldn’t ask for a more lovely and safe…read more
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Review from Linda B (Grandmother of Child) published on 14 October 2019 Submitted via Website • Report
Overall Experience 5.0 out of 5
My Grandson is almost 3 and he loves it at Pennies. The staff are all very friendly and they take time to tell me what he's been up to, and he particularly likes the homemade lunch which he very often has seconds.
Reply from Natalie Larmour, Administrator at Pennies Day Nursery - Mark Cross
Thank you for such a positive review - it's always pleasing to get a good review from a grandparent; and good that we have family members like grandparents involved with our nurseries.
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Review from Victoria B (Mother of Child) published on 14 October 2019 Submitted via Website • Report
Overall Experience 5.0 out of 5
Our children have and do love attending this nursery. The staff are friendly and caring and our children thrive at this nursery.
There is plenty of outdoor space for them to play in with many opportunities for the children to go outside.
When the children have off days and go in with tears the staff
have cheered them up by the time you get to the exit and they always have big grins on their faces when you pick them up at the end of the day.
The children enjoy playing with a variety of toys and have made some firm friendships with other children. The children have been encouraged to grow and learn new things at their own pace. Our children have been given the chance to do drama and tennis, which they have enjoyed.
Reply from Natalie Larmour, Administrator at Pennies Day Nursery - Mark Cross
Thank you for such a detailed review - it's a real boost for our staff to see recognition for the little things they do; like dealing with the children when they are upset.
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Review from Nichola H (Mother of Child) published on 10 October 2019 Submitted via Website • Report
Overall Experience 5.0 out of 5
We are delighted with Pennies and cannot believe how well our daughter has settled in. She had major stranger anxiety issues when she first started settling in at 7 months and I was seriously doubting that she would ever calm down enough to be left there. However, two members of staff, in particular,
were so patient and caring with her that she went from crying at every drop off to launching herself in excitement towards them and cheerily waving me goodbye! She has, since starting, made enormous leaps and bounds forward in her social skills, which I fully attribute to her experience at Pennies.
She is now 10 months old and attends Pennies for one day a week, yet is as happy there as she is when she is with her grandparents the other four days a week, which I think is a testament to how family-like it is. I'm a teacher and thus have school holidays off, yet I still send her into nursery for her one day a week even when I'm off because I think she'd miss these staff members too much otherwise!
Reply from Natalie Larmour, Administrator at Pennies Day Nursery - Mark Cross
Thank you so much for this detailed review and in particular the "family-like" comment. That's the standard of care we aim for and it's very rewarding for our staff to see reviews that acknowledge us…read more
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Review from Jessie W (Mother of Child) published on 10 October 2019 Submitted via Website • Report
Overall Experience 5.0 out of 5
An amazingly lovely and well-organised nursery.
From the staff to the food and care I can’t fault them. So accommodating when my little girl was settling in and went above and beyond to make it as easy and stress-free as possible!
Reply from Natalie Larmour at Pennies Day Nursery - Mark Cross
Thank you for taking the time to review us - it really boosts all of our staff when people recognise the efforts that we put in.
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Review from Brian P (Father of Child) published on 9 October 2019 Submitted via Website • Report
Overall Experience 5.0 out of 5
Fantastic and friendly staff who made our son feel right at home from the very start 18-months ago. Even at the initial visit when considering nursery options, the staff were so engaged with him which made our minds up that Pennies was the place for him to go!
That care and attention he receives has
continued and I am in no doubt that his development has been greatly enhanced by the fabulous support he receives when at Pennies.
Reply from Natalie Larmour, Administrator at Pennies Day Nursery - Mark Cross
Thank you so much for this review. More than anything the fact families with children at Pennies recognize our staff, being engaged is a real boost to those staff, making them feel valued for the work…read more
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Review from Sarah W (Mother of Child) published on 8 October 2019 Submitted via Website • Report
Overall Experience 5.0 out of 5
A brilliant nursery, with fabulous staff! My child loves the nursery and the friends he has made there. Lots of great daily activities and learning (phonics at age 3) and brilliant holiday club for my other child (Pennies Kids Club Day trips are excellent, she loves them!). Would definitely recommend
this nursery.
Reply from Natalie Larmour, Administrator at Pennies Day Nursery - Mark Cross
Thank you for discussing the nursery and the clubs; it's useful for potential customers to see that we can accommodate families with children at different stages. We appreciate your kind words.
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Review from Grace P (Mother of Child) published on 8 October 2019 Submitted via Website • Report
Overall Experience 5.0 out of 5
Everyone at Pennies has been amazing. So accommodating with my son's transition into nursery. The staff are so kind and caring.
Reply from Natalie Larmour, Administrator at Pennies Day Nursery - Mark Cross
Thank you for recognizing the effort of the staff - it means a lot when we can read reviews like this.
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Review from T F (Mother of Child) published on 7 October 2019 Submitted via Website • Report
Overall Experience 5.0 out of 5
My son continues to be very happy with the breakfast and after school sessions. The staff are absolutely lovely and there is always a very happy atmosphere.
Reply from Natalie Larmour, Administrator at Pennies Day Nursery - Mark Cross
Thank you for the kind words and thank you also, for reviewing the breakfast and after school part of what we do.
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Review from Antonia A (Mother of Child) published on 7 October 2019 Submitted via Website • Report
Overall Experience 5.0 out of 5
Our son has been attending Pennies for the last two months in the babies group and has absolutely loved his time there. It's clear his development has come on leaps and bounds following all the care and attention by staff - from learning to use cutlery to crawling and starting to stand up. Every morning
he is so excited to go in and we very rarely have a difficult goodbye as he is just so pleased to be surrounded by friendly, familiar faces and the expectation of an exciting day ahead. Great to know they also offer him a really varied diet. He loves food and so it is reassuring to know he has access to a wide range of healthy food choices at such a young age. Fabulous staff who really care about his well-being and development. Highly recommended nursery.
Reply from Natalie Larmour, Administrator at Pennies Day Nursery - Mark Cross
Thank you for the detailed review. It's important that parents are involved in all aspects of what we do and we really appreciate the detailed feedback that pays attention to little things like…read more
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Review from Sophie D (Mother of Child) published on 4 October 2019 Submitted via Website • Report
Overall Experience 5.0 out of 5
Our son has been going to Pennies since he was 9 months old. We looked around other settings but knew straight away that we wanted him to go here. The staff are so genuinely lovely and friendly, the setting itself is welcoming and not too overwhelming for the little ones. I love how much my son learns
whilst he is there and have 100% confidence that he is well cared for.
Reply from Natalie Larmour, Administrator at Pennies Day Nursery - Mark Cross
Thank you so much for those kind words and for mentioning so many of the things we do, staff, facilities etc. We really appreciate it.
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Review from Mi R (Father of Child) published on 4 October 2019 Submitted via Website • Report
Overall Experience 5.0 out of 5
My 20-month-old daughter attends full time and my son aged 6 attends the holiday club. I couldn't recommend the team more. The setting is great, the staff are amazing, we fully trust them when dropping off in the morning. They are great at communicating any issues that arise and are fantastic at ensuring
she is engaged and learning. Thanks to all the team, you are brilliant.
Reply from Natalie Larmour, Administrator at Pennies Day Nursery - Mark Cross
Thank you for the kind review and for crediting the fact our care is provided by a "team" the fact that people notice the team effort means a lot to us.
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Review from Nicola P (Mother of Child) published on 4 October 2019 Submitted via Website • Report
Overall Experience 5.0 out of 5
Pennies at Mark Cross is fantastic. My son has been attending since February and after a wobbly first few settling in sessions, he is now very happy going in and spending his time there. This is down to the very calm, happy and caring nature of all the girls that work there. It’s been so lovely to see
him develop in all areas and become a very confident little man. Lots of different activities are available to enjoy and the food provided all sounds nutritious and delicious. I honestly can’t thank all the staff enough for the care and services they provide.
Reply from Dominic Scotton at Pennies Day Nursery - Mark Cross
Thank you for your kind review, Pennies always works to offer the very best.
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Review from Kathryn W (Mother of Child) published on 4 October 2019 Submitted via Website • Report
Overall Experience 5.0 out of 5
We've been delighted with Pennies Mark Cross - the staff are brilliant, supportive and flexible. The garden and outside space has been a huge hit and the team have been brilliant working with us as a family and with an extended team in East Sussex to help support our daughter who has hearing loss. It's
a family environment and the hours they offer are great for working parents.
Reply from Dominic Scotton at Pennies Day Nursery - Mark Cross
Thank you for your kind review, Pennies always works to offer the very best.
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Current Review Score: 10.0 (9.956)

Overview of Review Score

The Review Score of 10 (9.956) out of 10 for Pennies Day Nursery - Mark Cross is based on a) the Average Rating and b) the number of positive Reviews.

  1. The Average Rating is 5.0 out of 5 from 19 Reviews in the last 24 months.
  2. The score for the number of positive Reviews is 5.0 out of 5 from 19 positive Reviews in the last 24 months.

Detailed Breakdown of Review Score

The maximum Review Score for a Day Nursery is 10, which is made up from the Average Rating of Reviews (maximum of 5 points) and the Number of Reviews (maximum of 5 points) in the last 24 months:

  1. 5 Points are available for the Average Rating from all Reviews in the last 24 months. The Average Rating of 4.956 for Pennies Day Nursery - Mark Cross is calculated as follows: ( (218 Excellents x 5) + (10 Goods x 4) ) ÷ 228 Ratings = 4.956
  2. 5 Points are available for the number of Positive Reviews in the last 24 months. A Positive Review is defined as any Review with an 'Overall Experience' of '4' or '5' (out of a max rating '5'). The 5 Points relating to the number of positive Reviews for Pennies Day Nursery - Mark Cross is based on 19 positive Reviews in the last 24 months and is calculated as per below:

    The 5 points available are broken down as follows:

    1. 4 points are available for the first 10 Positive Reviews in the last 24 months; 3 points for the first Positive Review, and then 0.125 Points for each of the next four Positive Reviews and then 0.1 Points for the next five Positive Reviews. (1st = 3.000, 2nd = 0.125, 3rd = 0.125, 4th = 0.125, 5th = 0.125, 6th = 0.100, 7th = 0.100, 8th = 0.100, 9th = 0.100, 10th = 0.100) 3 + 0.125 + 0.125 + 0.125 + 0.125 + 0.1 + 0.1 + 0.1 + 0.1 + 0.1 = 4
    2. 1 point is available for the number of Positive Reviews reaching 20% of the number of registered child places in the last 24 months. If this number is partially reached, then that proportion of 1 point is given. eg a Day Nursery registered for a maximum of 50 child places has to reach 10 Positive Reviews to receive 1 point, if it has 7 reviews it will receive 0.7 points. 20% of the 64 number of registered child places is 12.8, which has been reached with 19 Positive reviews. Points = 1
  3. When a Review is submitted by someone who has previously submitted a Review, only the latest Review will count towards the Review Score.
  4. If a Day Nursery does not have a review in the last 24 months, then it will not have a Review Score.

Child Vacancies

Please contact us for latest vacancies.

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Awards / Recognitions (4)

Meet the Team (2)

Victoria

Victoria Atkins

Job Title: Nursery Manager Joined: 2016

My childcare career began 10 years ago when I started working in the Mark Cross setting. There, I gained my Level 3 qualification in 2010, in which I developed my experience in becoming the Under Two’s Supervisor before being promoted as the Deputy Manager of this nursery.


When Pennies took over the company, I received the great privilege to be able to lead such a good team of childcare practitioners. In continuing my personal aspirations and being an active learner, I keep up to date with all childcare issues and have, since being Manager, completed a variety of management training courses.

Rebekah

Rebekah Waterhouse

Job Title: Deputy Manager Joined: 2016

I began my childcare journey in 2007, leading to completing my NVQ Level 3 in Childcare, learning and development in 2009 whilst working with young children. I have worked in a variety of roles during my career, therefore developing my role as a leader. I joined Pennies in July 2017 and I love being within a positive and inspiring team!


I work in the office but still on the nursery floor to support staff, children and parents. I completed my Foundation Degree in July 2019, and remain to be a consistent active learner throughout my childcare career, in addition to being one of the Designated Safeguarding Leads.

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