Drayton House Day Nursery and Pre-School
Good★ 4.2 on GoogleBirth to 5Open for decades
A day nursery in Guildford for children from birth to 5, open 08:00 to 18:00, 5 days a week. They do not publish prices, so that is the first thing to ask. Rated Good by Ofsted in August 2024. Open since 2022, with 64 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 Surrey
This is not this setting's price. It is the median hourly fee across all providers in Surrey 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
GU1 3NPWhat 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, 27 August 2024 · read the full report
What it is like to attend
Children enter confidently, eager to start their busy day ahead. Friendly staff greet them warmly and children settle quickly at their chosen activity. Staff create a calm and inviting learning environment that inspires children to explore the resources they are interested in. Children form close relationships with their key persons, who know them well. They clearly feel safe and secure. Children benefit from staff's consistent routines across the nursery and from an early age, know what is expected of them. They respond positively to staff's enthusiasm to help them learn, develop and cooperate with others.
Children make good progress and gain the skills they need to prepare them for their eventual move to school. They become independent in their self-care and hygiene routines. For example, babies learn to hold spoons and feed themselves.
Toddlers use a fork and spoon to scoop up vegetables and pre-school children show good control when using a knife to push their food onto the fork. Staff's qualities of kindness and compassion are well matched by children. This is illustrated by how well they care for their nursery pet dog. For example, they understand that he needs regular exercise, food and water to remain healthy.
What Ofsted told them to improve
To further improve the quality of the early years provision, the provider should:
- refine the curriculum to ensure it is well planned and sequenced to build on children's existing knowledge and skills n strengthen the arrangements to monitor the quality of teaching to identify more personalised training programmes for individual staff.
- 27 August 2024Good
Still missing for Drayton House Day Nursery and Pre-School
- 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.
Day nurseries within a couple of miles
This one is first. Tick it and one or two others to see them side by side.