Castle Pre-School Ltd
GoodBirth to 5Open for decades
A pre-school in Portsmouth 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 They do not publish prices, so that is the first thing to ask.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 January 2024. Open since 2008, with 16 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 Portsmouth
This is not this setting's price. It is the median hourly fee across all providers in Portsmouth 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
PO6 2PPWhat 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, 3 January 2024 · read the full report
What it is like to attend
Children happily come into the setting and quickly settle. They have strong bonds with staff and seek reassurance from them as and when needed. Staff have high expectations for children's behaviour. They have created the rules of the setting with the children's input. For example, they have agreed that they will use their
'listening ears' and follow instructions. Children remember these rules as they confidently tidy up at the end of the session.
Staff develop children's love of books and read stories to children regularly.
What Ofsted told them to improve
To further improve the quality of the early years provision, the provider should:
- develop staff's understanding of how to help children resolve conflicts n support staff to recognise when to allow children to continue with their play without frequent interruption.
- 3 January 2024Good
- 23 February 2023Needs improvement
- 8 May 2017Good
Rated Good or Outstanding at 2 of the last 3 graded inspections.
Still missing for Castle Pre-School Ltd
- 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.