Abbeymead Under Fives Playgroup
GoodBirth to 8+Open for decades
A day nursery in Gloucester for children from birth to 8+, open 8am to 6pm. They do not publish prices, so that is the first thing to ask. Rated Good by Ofsted in June 2025. Open since 1991, with 48 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 Gloucestershire
This is not this setting's price. It is the median hourly fee across all providers in Gloucestershire 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
GL3 3NSWhat 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.
Ofsted inspector, 6 June 2025 · read the full report
What it is like to attend
Children arrive at the playgroup happy and confident. They separate from their parents or carers with ease and warmly greet staff and their peers. Children display a strong sense of belonging, independently placing their bags and coats on named pegs. Staff support children's early literacy development well. They provide children with familiar pictures displayed on name cards to help them recognise their names.
Children experience a good balance of child-led and adult-initiated play across both the indoor and outdoor areas. Staff prepare engaging activities based on children's interests, helping them to settle quickly and remain focused on their play. For example, children excitedly build towers with magnetic tiles, correctly identifying colours. They use pipettes to fill bottles of various shapes, colours and sizes. This helps them to develop strength in their hands. Staff sit alongside children to support their play. They demonstrate how to submerge and release the pipettes correctly. Children remain focused and use mathematical vocabulary, such as 'more'
and 'full', with growing confidence and accuracy. Staff promote children's communication, listening and attention skills through structured group activities, such as 'bucket time'. Children sit attentively, take turns to speak and remain engaged throughout. Staff ask children questions that give them time to think and respond. For example, they ask children what they think will happen if they blow up the balloon. Children confidently count down from 10 and predict outcomes, developing their numeracy and critical thinking skills.
What Ofsted told them to improve
To further improve the quality of the early years provision, the provider should:
- support staff to make children's individual next steps clear and consistently embed them within the learning intentions of focused activities to better support children's progress n strengthen the organisation of everyday routines to ensure interactions are purposeful and consistently used to extend children's learning.
- 6 June 2025Good Safeguarding: Yes
- 7 November 2019Good
- 13 May 2015Good
Rated Good or Outstanding at 3 of the last 3 graded inspections.
Still missing for Abbeymead Under Fives Playgroup
- 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.