Headstart-On-The-Hill Nursery & Pre-School
GoodBirth to 8+Long established
A day nursery in Chester for children from birth to 8+, open 8am to 6pm. They do not publish prices, so that is the first thing to ask. Rated Good by Ofsted in June 2023. Open since 2012, with 102 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 Cheshire West and Chester
This is not this setting's price. It is the median hourly fee across all providers in Cheshire West and Chester 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
CH1 2DWWhat 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, 6 June 2023 · read the full report
What it is like to attend
Children thoroughly enjoy the time they spend at this exciting nursery. Staff provide rich opportunities that ignite curiosity and allow children to explore using their senses. For example, as children show an interest in a pineapple, staff provide knives and supervision to allow them to cut open the fruit and smell and taste it.
Children shout 'cold' as they feel ice and attempt to 'save the dinosaur' that is inside. They use hammers to crack the ice and keep on trying when it becomes tricky. Children make good progress in their learning.
Children are confident and secure in their relationships with staff and each other.
What Ofsted told them to improve
To further improve the quality of the early years provision, the provider should:
- make more use of the strategies already in place to further staff's teaching skills to a consistently high level.
- 6 June 2023Good
- 10 January 2019Outstanding
- 18 January 2016Good
Rated Good or Outstanding at 3 of the last 3 graded inspections.
Still missing for Headstart-On-The-Hill Nursery & 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.