Abbeytown Pre-School Playgroup
GoodBirth to 5Open for decades
A pre-school in Wigton for children from birth to 5, open sessions in term time, often mornings. They do not publish prices, so that is the first thing to ask. Rated Good by Ofsted in November 2022. Open since 1968, with 15 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 Cumberland
This is not this setting's price. It is the median hourly fee across all providers in Cumberland 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
CA7 4RUWhat 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, 9 November 2022 · read the full report
What it is like to attend
Children are safe and flourish in the care of the motivated staff team. They settle quickly as they arrive and are eager to talk to the staff before engaging with a variety of activities. Children play imaginatively in the role-play car, as they pretend to go on a trip to the shops. Staff support children's play by providing a commentary and offering ideas. For example, they say 'we will need to buy a ticket for the car once it is parked'. This extends children's vocabulary.
Children are developing a love for stories and access a wide range of books. Staff read stories with great enthusiasm. This helps children to develop a passion for reading. Outside, children act out events from their favourite stories, which helps to develop their imagination and language skills.
Staff have high expectations of children's behaviour and attitudes towards each other. Children are taught to share and take turns during play. For example, when two children want the same toy, they are encouraged to use the sand timer to wait for their turn. This works very well in practice. Throughout the day, children recite the setting's motto, 'sharing is caring', as they play together with their friends.
What Ofsted told them to improve
To further improve the quality of the early years provision, the provider should:
- focus professional development opportunities more precisely on supporting staff to raise the quality of their teaching to the highest level n share ideas with parents to help extend children's learning at home.
- 9 November 2022Good
- 29 March 2017Good
- 24 April 2014Good
Rated Good or Outstanding at 3 of the last 3 graded inspections.
Still missing for Abbeytown Pre-School 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.