Duke Street Pre-School
GoodBirth to 8+Long established
A pre-school in Kettering for children from birth to 8+, open 09:00 to 15:00, 4 days a week. They do not publish prices, so that is the first thing to ask. Rated Good by Ofsted in February 2025. Open since 2016, with 21 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 North Northamptonshire
This is not this setting's price. It is the median hourly fee across all providers in North Northamptonshire 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
NN15 5SGWhat 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, 12 February 2025 · read the full report
What it is like to attend
Children arrive happily at this welcoming setting. Staff support children to become independent as children confidently find their pegs to hang up their coats and hats.
Children are confident to seek staff out if they need support or a cuddle. This shows that children feel safe and secure. Children display high levels of engagement as they take part in the planned activities that staff provide. They share prior learning about how birds eat different bugs as they go on a bug hunt.
Staff listen intently as children excitedly talk about the ladybirds they have seen in the garden.
What Ofsted told them to improve
To further improve the quality of the early years provision, the provider should:
- develop the planning to focus more sharply on children's next steps to enable them to practise new skills n support staff to manage children's behaviour in clear and consistent ways so children understand what is expected of them n support children's early reading further by providing opportunities for quality story time, using age-appropriate stories.
- 12 February 2025Good Safeguarding: Yes
- 28 March 2019Good
- 31 October 2018Inadequate
Rated Good or Outstanding at 2 of the last 3 graded inspections.
Still missing for Duke Street 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.
Pre-schools within a couple of miles
This one is first. Tick it and one or two others to see them side by side.