Herons' Preschool Waterbeach
OutstandingTakes funded hoursBirth to 5Long established
A pre-school in Waterbeach for from 2 years up to 5 year olds, open 08:30 to 15:00, 5 days a week. £8.00 an hour for under 3, and they take the funded hours. Rated Outstanding by Ofsted in May 2024. Open since 2022, with 48 places.
What it costs
Prices change without notice. Treat these as what to ask about, not a quote.
Price list dated 2025/26.
| Age | Hourly | |
|---|---|---|
| Under 3birth to 3y | £8.00Children under 3 | |
| Over 33y to 5y | £7.00Children over 3 |
Where this came from
The outlined line is the one the price was taken from.
Funded hours
15 hours a week Preschool funding for children aged 3 and over; certain families may be eligible for 30 hours; some 2 year olds are also eligible for the Preschool funding.
What childcare usually costs in Cambridgeshire
This is not this setting's price. It is the median hourly fee across all providers in Cambridgeshire 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
CB25 9PAWhat 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, 24 May 2024 · read the full report
What it is like to attend
Staff at the pre-school place a high priority on getting to know each family exceptionally well. They truly value the partnerships they have and demonstrate a strong sense of care for each child. Children happily enter the pre-school in the morning, full of enthusiasm and anticipation about the day ahead. They are greeted warmly by staff and show they are confident and extremely secure in their care.
Staff offer an array of excellent activities for children and ensure every child can take part. They spend every moment playing alongside and expertly extend children's knowledge and enthusiasm as they play. For example, staff teach children about growing plants and help them cook their produce during cooking club and forest school activities. Children are exceptionally happy, motivated and busy throughout the day. They are kind to one another and behave exceptionally well. Staff offer sensitive and gentle reminders about what is expected of children, on the rare occasion when this is needed. Children have an excellent knowledge of the routines and are extremely independent. They are developing an awareness of risk and know what to do to protect themselves in certain situations. For example, children always take a sun hat from the box on sunny days and wear helmets when riding bicycles.
- 24 May 2024Outstanding
Still missing for Herons' Preschool Waterbeach
- 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 £8.00 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.
Pre-schools within a couple of miles
This one is first. Tick it and one or two others to see them side by side.