Croft Playgroup
GoodTakes funded hours★ 4.4 on GoogleBirth to 5Open for decades
A pre-school in Swindon for from 2 years 6 months up to 5 year olds, open 08:00 to 16:00, 5 days a week. £10.50 an hour, and they take the funded hours. Rated Good by Ofsted in May 2023. Open since 1972, with 60 places.
What it costs
Prices change without notice. Treat these as what to ask about, not a quote.
This is charged at a cost of £10.50 per hour.
One published rate. What you pay depends on the days you need and the funded hours you can claim.
Where this came from
The outlined line is the one the price was taken from.
Funded hours
Early Years Education funding for the families of two year olds who qualify, along with all three and four year olds.
Worth knowing. Fees are charged for additional sessions outside of the universal and extended government funding entitlements.
What childcare usually costs in Swindon
This is not this setting's price. It is the median hourly fee across all providers in Swindon 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
SN3 1RAWhat 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, 25 May 2023 · read the full report
What it is like to attend
Leaders and staff implement a successful curriculum to suit children's individual interests. Staff promote an approach where children learn in the moment, while supporting them to meet their milestones in all areas of development. Leaders create an ethos for a warm, friendly and welcoming atmosphere with the intent for children and their families to feel valued, safe and happy.
Children are progressing well in their physical development. Staff provide a wide range of garden equipment to support children in developing their large muscles.
These include climbing equipment, such as ropes, frames and ladders on trees, which also helps children to learn about managing risks safely. Children also take part in Latin-inspired dance sessions once a week as part of an exercise regime to live healthy lives, where they learn rhythm and how move their bodies to a beat.
What Ofsted told them to improve
To further improve the quality of the early years provision, the provider should:
- continue to support older children to regulate their emotions and gain an understanding of the feelings of others, to help them in securing friendships.
- 25 May 2023Good
- 27 November 2017Good
- 11 May 2017Needs improvement
Rated Good or Outstanding at 2 of the last 3 graded inspections.
Still missing for Croft Playgroup
- 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 £10.50 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.