Barkway Preschool
GoodTakes funded hoursBirth to 8+Long established
A pre-school in Royston for from 2 years up to school age, open 09:00 to 15:15, 5 days a week. £6.50 a session, and they take the funded hours. Rated Good by Ofsted in January 2023. Open since 2013, with 20 places.
What it costs
Prices change without notice. Treat these as what to ask about, not a quote.
| Age | Session | |
|---|---|---|
| All ages | £6.50for children in the nursery £8.13Late finish £13.00Late finish or Afternoon, 2 hrs £19.50Morning, 3 hrs |
Extras
Charged on top of the session rate.
- £0.50 mid-morning and mid-afternoon snack
- £0.50 warm snackfor those children staying for extra hours on a Monday or Tuesday
- £3.00 hot school meal
- £4.88 a session Early drop-offfor children in the nursery
Where this came from
The outlined line is the one the price was taken from.
Funded hours
All 3 and 4 year olds are eligible for 15 free hours of childcare per week, starting from the term after their third birthday. For children aged 2, we are able to offer 15 hours funded places if you are in receipt of certain benefits. For working parents, we are able to offer funded places for up to 30 hours, subject to eligibility.
What childcare usually costs in Hertfordshire
This is not this setting's price. It is the median hourly fee across all providers in Hertfordshire 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
SG8 8EFWhat 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, 31 January 2023 · read the full report
What it is like to attend
Children are happy and settle well. They thrive on the thoughtful and patient support that they receive from the pre-school staff. They form strong and beneficial relationships with their key person and the whole staff team. This helps to foster children's confidence and well-being. Children are keen learners and show a high level of self-esteem as they proudly show their artwork to staff. They are beginning to understand and explain how they feel. Whole-group time is a positive experience. Children develop sustained listening and attention skills as staff read books with immense enthusiasm. Children are fascinated with the range of fruit linked to the story and learn how to say and sign new words in context. Children practise their language skills as they eagerly respond to staff questions and describe what they see on the pages.
Children are inquisitive. They thoroughly enjoy laying down outdoors with staff to explore how the trails from aeroplanes cross over each other in the sky. Children show a can-do attitude as staff support them to develop their independence skills.
They serve themselves their snack, pour their drink carefully and conscientiously clear away their items. Outings within the local community enrich children's experiences and build on their understanding of the world. They learn about how the trees change through the seasons during nature walks and explore historical buildings, such as the local church.
What Ofsted told them to improve
To further improve the quality of the early years provision, the provider should:
- continue to support staff to build on children's interests and extend their learning to a higher level n develop partnerships with staff at all other settings that children attend to support children's continuity in their learning and development.
- 31 January 2023Good
- 30 June 2017Good
- 20 January 2014Good
Rated Good or Outstanding at 3 of the last 3 graded inspections.
Still missing for Barkway Preschool
- 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 £6.50 a session 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.