Abacus Day Nursery and Pre-School
GoodBirth to 8+Open for decades
A day nursery in Newbury for children from birth to 8+, open 07:30 to 18:00, 5 days a week. They do not publish prices, so that is the first thing to ask. Rated Good by Ofsted in July 2024. Open since 1992, with 70 places.
What you might pay
This setting does not publish its fees, and no national dataset holds them. This is what childcare costs across the council, as a starting point for the call.
What childcare usually costs in West Berkshire
This is not this setting's price. It is the median hourly fee across all providers in West Berkshire from the Department for Education's 2025 provider survey. No national data holds what an individual nursery charges, so ring and ask.
Places, hours and the day
Who they take, when they are open, and what a day there includes.
Where it is
RG14 1XBWhat the inspector found
One grade is one visit. A run of them tells you whether it has been good for years or has only just got there.
- 14 October 2024 — Concern: actions taken what Ofsted published
Ofsted inspector, 30 July 2024 · read the full report
What it is like to attend
Children show they are excited and happy at the nursery. Effective key-person arrangements are in place to ensure children are well supported. Children separate from their parents at the door with ease and happily go to their base rooms. Staff are kind and attentive to the children. They provide them with a wide range of activities that support their interests and help them to build on their prior knowledge and skills. For example, in the baby room, babies enjoy water activities on table-top surfaces, which encourages them to stand to build the muscles in their legs. Older children have many opportunities to expand their dexterity in their hands ready for writing as they enjoy exploring with media and materials, such as dough and sand.
Children behave well and they are learning how to be kind and considerate to each other. Staff support children's self-confidence successfully as they praise children for sharing, listening and turn-taking. Overall, staff support children's communication and language purposefully. They sing songs together and encourage children to develop a love of stories. This helps children to build on their vocabulary and understanding as they hear words used in a variety of contexts.
What Ofsted told them to improve
To further improve the quality of the early years provision, the provider should:
- support staff to strengthen their understanding of how to support children's early language development and broaden their vocabulary n develop further the systems for coaching and mentoring of staff to raise the quality of education.
- 30 July 2024Good
- 30 August 2018Good
- 5 January 2016Good
Rated Good or Outstanding at 3 of the last 3 graded inspections.
Still missing for Abacus Day Nursery and Pre-School
- What it costs
- Funded hours
- Youngest age taken
- Meals
- Nappies
- Waiting list
No dataset holds any of this. Two parents telling us the same thing puts it on the page for whoever looks next.
What to ask them
None of this is in any national dataset and this setting has not published it, which is exactly why it is worth asking.
- What does it cost, all in? What is on top: meals, nappies, late pick-up, and what happens if you are late.
- Can I use my funded hours here? Whether they stretch them over the year, and the minimum days you have to book.
- Is there a place for my child's age? Baby rooms fill first and waiting lists are common.
- Who would my child's key person be? And how long have the staff been there. No dataset holds this and it matters more than anything above.
- Can I visit at a busy time? Mid-morning on a weekday tells you far more than an empty room after hours.
Day nurseries within a couple of miles
This one is first. Tick it and one or two others to see them side by side.