Cygnets Pre-school
GoodTakes funded hoursBirth to 5Open for decades
A pre-school in Bicester for from 2 years up to 5 year olds, open 08:45 to 15:30, 5 days a week. £61.75 a day, and they take the funded hours. Rated Good by Ofsted in January 2025. Open since 2003, with 16 places.
What it costs
Prices change without notice. Treat these as what to ask about, not a quote.
Price list dated April 2026.
| Age | Full day | Session | Hourly | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| All ages | £61.75day | £28.50am or pm 3-hour, 3 hrs | £9.50Standard Hourly |
Extras
Charged on top of the session rate.
- £0.50 an hour voluntary contribution for extra-curricular activities
Where this came from
The outlined line is the one the price was taken from.
Funded hours
15-hour funded children can attend either a morning or an afternoon session, accessing 3 hours per day. 30-hour funded children may attend: Monday to Thursday: 8:45am – 3:15pm, Friday: 8:45am – 12:45pm.
Worth knowing. If parents would like their child to attend further sessions, these can be added as an extended session, charged at our standard hourly rate. If parents would like their child to attend on Friday afternoon, this can be added as an extended session, charged at our standard hourly rate.
What childcare usually costs in Oxfordshire
This is not this setting's price. It is the median hourly fee across all providers in Oxfordshire 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
OX26 6SXWhat 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 2025 · read the full report
What it is like to attend
Children flourish in the care of the dedicated and attentive staff team. They have formed close attachments with staff, who provide warm and nurturing care. This helps children to settle quickly and feel safe and secure. Staff have carefully sequenced the curriculum to support children to build on their knowledge and skills. They consider the interests and needs of each child so that they all make good progress.
Staff plan imaginative activities and experiences For example, as they create fake snow, children quickly become engrossed, listen to instructions and watch attentively. They use pipettes carefully to suck up water as they mix the 'snow'.
Children express astonishment as the mixture expands. They excitedly touch the snow and discuss what it feels like, using words such as 'squishy' and 'soft'.
What Ofsted told them to improve
To further improve the quality of the early years provision, the provider should:
- strengthen teaching strategies to more consistently promote children's early number and mathematical skills n ensure the correct language and pronunciation are modelled accurately, to fully support children's developing language skills.
- 16 January 2025Good Safeguarding: Yes
- 15 May 2019Good
- 28 June 2018Needs improvement
Rated Good or Outstanding at 2 of the last 3 graded inspections.
Still missing for Cygnets Pre-school
- Nappies
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 £61.75 a day 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.