Ickwell Pre-School
GoodTakes funded hoursBirth to 5Open for decades
A pre-school in Biggleswade for from 2 years up to 5 year olds, open 08:00 to 17:30, 5 days a week. £6.50 an hour, and they take the funded hours. Rated Good by Ofsted in June 2023. Open since 1992, with 33 places.
What it costs
Prices change without notice. Treat these as what to ask about, not a quote.
Term time only, 38 weeks a year.
| Age | Session | Hourly | |
|---|---|---|---|
| 2 Year olds2y to 3y | £25.50 | – | |
| 3 & 4 Year olds3y to 4y | £21.00Unfundeds (full-fee paying 3 & 4 Year olds) | – | |
| All ages | £6.50Morning club, 1 hrs | £6.50Twilight club |
Before you start
One-off charges to take a place.
- £10.00 Late payment chargetriggered at 7 days, 14 days and 21 days past due date
- £15.00 Late collection chargeall sessions
- £25.00 Administrative chargenew starters, includes administration costs, settling in sessions
Extras
Charged on top of the session rate.
- £4.50 a session Lunch club
What a funded hour still costs
Funded hours cover the childcare. These are charged alongside them.
- £3.00 to £6.00 a session voluntary sessional fee
Where this came from
The outlined line is the one the price was taken from.
Funded hours
2 year old government funding, three and four year old funding and working funding for two, three and four year olds.
Worth knowing. These children will pay a voluntary sessional fee to cover additional costs that the funded grant does not cover. The sessional fee is £3.00 for a morning session (9:15-12:15) and £3.00 for an afternoon session (12:15-3:15) or £6.00 for a full day (9:15-3:15) any additional sessions are charged as per the fee table above. The session fee charged is voluntary as per the government guidance. Though we must remind you without this the Pre-school will NOT be viable and will close.
What childcare usually costs in Central Bedfordshire
This is not this setting's price. It is the median hourly fee across all providers in Central Bedfordshire 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
SG18 9EEWhat 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, 6 June 2023 · read the full report
What it is like to attend
Children are eager to come to pre-school. They arrive happy, confident, and ready to play. The well planned and interesting activities available, motivate children to learn. For example, children spend a considerable amount of time mixing water and rose petals to make potions. They show good perseverance to draw the water up into a pipette or syringe with their hands and are excited when they manage to achieve this. Children help to make their own play dough and use a range of tools, such as cutters and rolling pins, to make their creations. Activities, such as these, help to strengthen the muscles in children's hands in preparation for early writing.
Children have formed strong bonds with the staff that care for them. This helps them to feel safe and secure when attending the pre-school. Children seek out the staff to read them stories and help them in activities. Staff are kind and nurturing.
They talk to children in a calm and gentle manner and support them with their well-being and emotions. Children actively explore the environment both inside and outside and enjoy playing with their friends. Older children invite younger children to join them in activities. They are a good influence in helping them to understand the rules and expectations of the pre-school, such as tidying away toys and taking turns.
What Ofsted told them to improve
To further improve the quality of the early years provision, the provider should:
- help staff to build on their interactions with children further to ensure they consistently extend and challenge children's learning n monitor staff practice even more closely to raise the quality of teaching to the highest level.
- 6 June 2023Good
- 9 December 2022Inadequate
- 10 May 2017Good
Rated Good or Outstanding at 2 of the last 3 graded inspections.
Still missing for Ickwell Pre-School
- 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 £6.50 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.