Hillside Pre - School (Chorleywood) Ltd
GoodTakes funded hours★ 5.0 on GoogleBirth to 5Open for decades
A pre-school in Rickmansworth for from 2 years up to 5 year olds, open 09:00 to 15:00, 5 days a week. They take the funded hours. They do not publish prices, so ask. Rated Good by Ofsted in December 2022. Open since 2009, with 18 places.
What it costs
Prices change without notice. Treat these as what to ask about, not a quote.
Funded hours
All 3 and 4-year-olds are entitled to 15 hours of free government funded childcare per week. We accept eligible supported families with 2-year-old children who can access up to 15 hours of government-funded childcare per week. We accept eligible working families with 2-year-old children who can access up to 30 hours per week and eligible working families with 3- & 4-year-old children who can acces.
Worth knowing. As a charity-run pre-school, we recommend a voluntary consumable contribution, which can be discussed further.
What childcare usually costs in Hertfordshire
This is not this setting's price. It is the median hourly fee across all providers in Hertfordshire 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
WD3 5ASWhat 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, 16 December 2022 · read the full report
What it is like to attend
Staff are dedicated to initiating positive parent partnerships to ensure children are supported in their everyday needs. There is an effective key-person system in place that allows children to build secure relationships with trusted adults when they are away from their primary carers. Leaders and managers value the importance of staff getting to know every child well to create a strong sense of belonging and familiarity within the setting
The welcoming and friendly staff build on children's interests and provide an environment that enables them to explore a wide variety of resources. Staff make effective use of the resources, providing learning opportunities to cover all areas of development, including imagination, messy play, construction and storytelling.
There is ample outside space for children to move freely and explore the many learning opportunities on offer, such as gardening and searching for minibeasts through a magnifying glass.
What Ofsted told them to improve
To further improve the quality of the early years provision, the provider should:
- support staff to plan and implement activities more effectively, to ensure that all children remain focused and make continuous progress in their learning and development.
- 16 December 2022Good
- 15 May 2017Good
- 13 May 2015Good
Rated Good or Outstanding at 3 of the last 3 graded inspections.
Still missing for Hillside Pre - School (Chorleywood) Ltd
- What it costs
- 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.
- What does it cost, all in? 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.