Brierley Playmates Pre-School Nursery
GoodBirth to 8+Open for decades
A pre-school in Barnsley for children from birth to 8+, open 09:15 to 12:15, 5 days a week. They do not publish prices, so that is the first thing to ask. Rated Good by Ofsted in January 2023. Open since 1993, with 25 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 Barnsley
This is not this setting's price. It is the median hourly fee across all providers in Barnsley 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
S72 9HNWhat 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, 16 January 2023 · read the full report
What it is like to attend
Children enjoy their time at this pleasant pre-school. Welcoming staff warmly greet the children as they enter the setting, eager to start their day. Children show how they feel safe as they settle quickly. They explore the activities on offer in the well organised and inviting environment.
Leaders have developed a curriculum that helps children to make good progress in their learning and development. The enthusiastic staff team plan a range of engaging activities and experiences, which the children thoroughly enjoy. For example, children use a range of brushes and rollers to paint a large cardboard box. Children explain that this will be the 'dragon's head' for their upcoming dragon dance. They talk about how they will perform this to celebrate Chinese New Year.
With staff encouragement, children learn important independence skills, which they practise frequently. For example, children serve their own snack, pour their own drinks and put on their own coats. Children behave well. They follow the group agreements that they decide on together and staff gently remind them of the rules.
What Ofsted told them to improve
To further improve the quality of the early years provision, the provider should:
- assign a key person to new children in a timely way, especially those who struggle to settle and feel emotionally secure n review the size of group-time activities to allow all children to participate and fully benefit from the good learning that takes place.
- 16 January 2023Good
- 14 June 2017Good
- 18 February 2013Good
Rated Good or Outstanding at 3 of the last 3 graded inspections.
Still missing for Brierley Playmates Pre-School Nursery
- 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.