Bar Hill Preschool CIO
GoodTakes funded hours★ 4.2 on GoogleBirth to 5Open for decades
A pre-school in Cambridge for from 2 years up to 5 year olds, open 09:00 to 15:00, 5 days a week. £8.00 an hour for two-year-olds, and they take the funded hours. Rated Good by Ofsted in November 2024. Open since 2024, with 25 places.
What it costs
Prices change without notice. Treat these as what to ask about, not a quote.
| Age | Hourly | |
|---|---|---|
| Two-year-olds2y to 3y | £8.00Two-year-olds | |
| 3 and over3y to 5y | £6.30Children aged 3 and over |
Where this came from
The outlined line is the one the price was taken from.
Funded hours
15 hours of government-funded childcare per week for three-year-olds; Additional funded hours for working families with two- and three-year-olds; The 'Funded Two' scheme for eligible families.
What childcare usually costs in Cambridgeshire
This is not this setting's price. It is the median hourly fee across all providers in Cambridgeshire 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
CB23 8SUWhat 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, 11 November 2024 · read the full report
What it is like to attend
Children demonstrate their enjoyment of spending time at this welcoming setting.
Staff's gentle, nurturing approach and their commitment to understanding each child play a key role in helping children to settle and they quickly build secure, trusting relationships with staff. Staff have high expectations and model inquisitive behaviour. Children frequently mirror this as they play. For example, children work together to build models with large construction blocks, wondering how they can balance these effectively, and confidently trying different methods until they succeed. Daily opportunities such as this aid children in gaining valuable skills that support them when they move on to school.
With sensitive staff support, children are gaining a good understanding of how their behaviour affects others, often resolving minor disputes independently. They help create displays about emotions, referring to these to help describe how they are feeling. Staff take care to ensure that all areas used by children are safe. Their ongoing explanations support children in understanding safety. For instance, children use tools, such as scissors and tape dispensers, safely and effectively.
What Ofsted told them to improve
To further improve the quality of the early years provision, the provider should:
- review daily routines, such as at times of transition, so that all children can remain engaged and have opportunities to continue their play when appropriate.
- 11 November 2024Good
Still missing for Bar Hill Preschool CIO
- 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
Some of this is above, from the setting or from parents, and it can go out of date. The rest is in no dataset anywhere. Either way it is worth ten minutes on the phone.
- Is £8.00 an hour still the rate? What is on top: meals, nappies, late pick-up, and what happens if you are late.
- How do you apply my funded hours? Whether they stretch them over the year, and the minimum days you have to book.
- Do you have a place for a child of my age now? 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.
Pre-schools within a couple of miles
This one is first. Tick it and one or two others to see them side by side.