Helpston Playhouse and Under Fives
OutstandingTakes funded hoursBirth to 8+Open for decades
A day nursery in Peterborough for from 2 years up to school age, open 07:30 to 17:30, 5 days a week. £5.68 an hour for 2+, and they take the funded hours. Rated Outstanding by Ofsted in November 2021. Open since 1992, with 20 places.
What it costs
Prices change without notice. Treat these as what to ask about, not a quote.
| Age | Session | Hourly | |
|---|---|---|---|
| 2+2y to 5y | £5.68Breakfast Club (aged 2+) | £5.68Out of School Club (aged 2+) | |
| 3+3y to 5y | – | £4.52Out of School Club (aged 3+) | |
| All ages | – | £5.68Pre-School |
Extras
Charged on top of the session rate.
- £2.84 a session Early Bird Breakfast Club (aged 2+)
- £2.26 a session Early Bird Breakfast Club (aged 3+)
- £4.52 a session Breakfast Club (aged 3+)
- £20.00 per 15 minutes Late pick-up feesfirst 15 minutes after 5:30pm
Funded hours
We offer children either 15 or 30 hours of funded childcare per week.
What childcare usually costs in Peterborough
This is not this setting's price. It is the median hourly fee across all providers in Peterborough 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
PE6 7DUWhat 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, 2 November 2021 · read the full report
What it is like to attend
Children thrive at this excellent pre-school. They arrive confidently and are eager to start the day. Children greet staff with beaming smiles and are self-assured as they separate from parents and carers. They hang up their coats and show increasing levels of independence and determination as they remove their shoes and put on their slippers.
Children behave exceptionally well. They know what is expected of them and from the start learn how to use sand timers to fairly regulate turn-taking. Children show high levels of respect for each other, staff and the environment. They eagerly share resources with other children. For example, they explain what they are creating with play dough and give part of it to their friends, so they can join in.
Children are confident talkers who explain their ideas and feelings clearly.
- 2 November 2021Outstanding
- 14 March 2016Good
- 20 March 2009Outstanding
Rated Good or Outstanding at 3 of the last 3 graded inspections.
Still missing for Helpston Playhouse and Under Fives
- 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
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 £5.68 an hour 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.
Day nurseries within a couple of miles
This one is first. Tick it and one or two others to see them side by side.