Hop Skip and Jump
GoodBirth to 5Long established
A pre-school in Croydon for children from birth to 5, open sessions in term time, often mornings. They do not publish prices, so that is the first thing to ask. Rated Good by Ofsted in October 2024. Open since 2022, with 45 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 Croydon
This is not this setting's price. It is the median hourly fee across all providers in Croydon 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
CR0 5LPWhat 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 October 2024 · read the full report
What it is like to attend
Children at this pre-school are happy, engaged and show that they feel safe and secure. They arrive eager to meet up with friends and are provided with an exciting curriculum. Children are very motivated to learn and persist with activities they enjoy. They have tremendous fun in the well-resourced outdoor mud kitchen. They take on familiar roles as they wash dishes and cook dinner. Children enjoy using their experiences and imagination to create stories with small-world people in the doll's house. They chatter away to friends as they explore features on the doll's house and rearrange furniture.
Children's behaviour is good. Staff are positive role models and clearly communicate to children what is expected of them. This supports children to learn to negotiate and share with one another. Children have daily opportunities to develop their physical skills. For instance, they access wheeled toys, soft-play resources and balls in the large hall. They develop their hand-eye coordination when they play catch with staff and take turns throwing balls into buckets. Children develop strength in their hands and fingers in preparation for handwriting as they access dough. Regular outings and nature walks in the local community further help develop children's physical strength.
What Ofsted told them to improve
To further improve the quality of the early years provision, the provider should:
- improve the information gathered from parents when children first start, to ensure their starting points and interests inform planning.
- 2 October 2024Good
Still missing for Hop Skip and Jump
- 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.
Pre-schools within a couple of miles
This one is first. Tick it and one or two others to see them side by side.