Highfield Pre-School
GoodTakes funded hoursBirth to 8+Open for decades
A pre-school in Kingsthorpe, Northampton for from 2 years 6 months up to school age, open 09:15 to 12:15, 5 days a week. £14.50 a session, and they take the funded hours. Rated Good by Ofsted in June 2022. Open since 2006, with 24 places.
What it costs
Prices change without notice. Treat these as what to ask about, not a quote.
Fees are £14.50 per session for non funded children, invoiced at the beginning of each term.
One published rate. What you pay depends on the days you need and the funded hours you can claim.
Funded hours
Up to 15 universal hours each week; 2 year funding may be available.
Worth knowing. A funded place entitles your child for up to 15 universal hours each week depending on availability.
What childcare usually costs in West Northamptonshire
This is not this setting's price. It is the median hourly fee across all providers in West 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
NN2 8PNWhat 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, 22 June 2022 · read the full report
What it is like to attend
Children arrive at this inclusive pre-school happy and excited for the session ahead.
They have close relationships with the adults that care for them. Children with special educational needs and/or disabilities (SEND) enjoy cuddles and gentle oneto-one interactions with their key person. Staff help to raise children's confidence and self-esteem. Children make their own choices about their play. Outside, children tell staff when they want to paint. Staff willingly set up an easel and paint for children to explore their creativity. Children thrive on staff's high expectations of them. When children are unsure of the name of a dinosaur, staff encourage them to ask their friends. Children share their knowledge as they proudly explain the dinosaur is a mixture of several dinosaurs.
Children behave well and show kindness to their friends. They work together to create a bridge for their car track. When one child hands another a car they say,
What Ofsted told them to improve
To further improve the quality of the early years provision, the provider should:
- support staff to further develop their teaching skills to extend and challenge all children's learning through their play experiences.
- 22 June 2022Good
- 12 March 2015Outstanding
- 7 March 2011Good
Rated Good or Outstanding at 3 of the last 3 graded inspections.
Still missing for Highfield Pre-School
- Meals
- Nappies
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 £14.50 a session 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.