Dingley Family & Specialist Early Years Centres (Reading Centre)
GoodBirth to 5Open for decades
A pre-school in Reading 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 They do not publish prices, so that is the first thing to ask.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 July 2025. Open since 2011, with 20 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 Reading
This is not this setting's price. It is the median hourly fee across all providers in Reading 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
RG1 3GDWhat 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.
- 8 September 2025 — Concern: actions taken what Ofsted published
Ofsted inspector, 10 July 2025 · read the full report
What it is like to attend
Children are warmly welcomed into this caring and nurturing provision for children with special educational needs and/or disabilities (SEND). They develop strong, secure attachments to their key person, who greets them with excitement and enthusiasm.
Children make independent choices about their play and learning from a wide range of resources. For instance, children ride on tricycles while others pour and transfer water from the water tray. Children develop practical life skills such as pouring their own drinks at snack time and helping to mop up spills. Some children enjoy carrying their plates to the kitchen when they have finished. This supports children's independence and self-confidence.
Staff consistently support children's behaviour. They know the children well and have strong strategies in place to help children regulate their emotions. Staff quickly step in and use the children's interests to redirect any negative behaviours before they intensify. They provide calming spaces where children can retreat and provide comfort and reassurance when they become overwhelmed or dysregulated.
What Ofsted told them to improve
To further improve the quality of the early years provision, the provider should:
- prepare activities more precisely to help children sustain focus and engagement. Centre)
- 10 July 2025Good Safeguarding: Yes
- 21 November 2019Good
- 23 April 2015Outstanding
Rated Good or Outstanding at 3 of the last 3 graded inspections.
Still missing for Dingley Family & Specialist Early Years Centres (Reading Centre)
- 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.