Bovingdon Pre-School
GoodBirth to 5Open for decades
A pre-school in Hemel Hempstead for children from birth to 5, open 09:00 to 15:00, 5 days a week. They do not publish prices, so that is the first thing to ask. Rated Good by Ofsted in March 2024. Open since 1992, with 46 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 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
HP3 0HJWhat 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 March 2024 · read the full report
What it is like to attend
Children arrive at the setting happy and ready to begin their day. All children have a good understanding of the pre-school routine, which supports their behaviour as they arrive. The staff team create an environment that offers children access to a wide range of activities that they access independently. Staff use children's interests and extend activities through the week. For example, children create butterflies with patterned material. This follows on from an interest in a story about a hungry caterpillar and the creation of caterpillar pictures.
A secure key-person system is in place. This supports the youngest children to build relationships with a specific adult and feel safe in the environment. Staff create a calm learning environment in which children thrive. Individual activity areas are created so children have space to play and learn.
In general, children behave well. They are kind to each other and, at times, seek each other out to play with and socialise. Staff take time to talk to children about the setting rules and support them to explore their emotions. Staff have created a quiet and calm area to support children to self-regulate their behaviour and emotions. This is widely accessed by children, and they often take themselves over to read stories and have quiet time.
What Ofsted told them to improve
To further improve the quality of the early years provision, the provider should:
- develop teaching skills further, especially in relation to strategies to support children with special educational needs and/or disabilities, so that all children make good progress in their learning and development n provide consistent targeted support, training and coaching for staff to help maximise their professional development and meet children's needs to the highest level.
- 6 March 2024Good
- 17 May 2018Good
- 22 September 2014Good
Rated Good or Outstanding at 3 of the last 3 graded inspections.
Still missing for Bovingdon 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.
Pre-schools within a couple of miles
This one is first. Tick it and one or two others to see them side by side.