Little Crickets Learning Centre
GoodTakes funded hours★ 4.4 on GoogleBirth to 5Open for decades
A day nursery in Northwood for from 1 year up to 5 year olds, open 07:30 to 18:00, 5 days a week. £75.00 a day for 2.5 years to 5 years, and they take the funded hours. Rated Good by Ofsted in February 2024. Open since 2011, with 30 places.
What it costs
Prices change without notice. Treat these as what to ask about, not a quote.
| Age | Full day | Session | Hourly | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2.5 years to 5 years2y to 5y | £75.0008.30-18.00 | £48.00Morning (08.30-13.00), 4.5 hrs £61.00School Day (09.00-15.30), 6.5 hrs | £10.00Breakfast Hour (7.30-8.30) | |
| 12 months to 2.5 years | £84.0008.30-18.00 | £50.00Morning (08.30-13.00), 4.5 hrs £69.00School Day (09.00-15.30), 6.5 hrs | £10.00Breakfast Hour (7.30-8.30) |
Extras
Charged on top of the session rate.
- £2.50 a day Lunch meals
- £20.00 an hour Late Collection Chargereoccurring lateness
Where this came from
The outlined line is the one the price was taken from.
Funded hours
15/30 hours free funded places.
Worth knowing. Any additional hours are charged at the hourly rate. Breakfast, snacks and tea are included. Lunch meals will be charged at £2.50 per day.
What childcare usually costs in Hillingdon
This is not this setting's price. It is the median hourly fee across all providers in Hillingdon 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
HA6 2NPWhat 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, 28 February 2024 · read the full report
What it is like to attend
Children show confidence within the setting. They have positive relationships with staff and feel comfortable within their care. Children show this by independently approaching staff for cuddles. Staff know children exceptionally well. They are aware of their home lives. They speak to children about the people who are important to them. This supports children to feel valued within the setting.
Children behave exceptionally well. For example, older children offer support to others when they struggle to move equipment. Younger children collect toy mops and use these to help clean up the water that has been spilt. Staff reinforce positive behaviour. They use phrases such as 'kind hands'. Children respond well to transitions within the routine because staff prepare children for upcoming transitions by using 'now and then'.
Children enjoy participating in imaginative play. For example, younger children pretend to drive the cardboard bus that they have previously created. Children sing
What Ofsted told them to improve
To further improve the quality of the early years provision, the provider should:
- strengthen techniques used to allow children enough time to process information and develop conversational skills n further develop staff's understanding to ensure children consistently engage in meaningful learning opportunities.
- 28 February 2024Good
- 6 April 2018Good
- 18 August 2015Good
Rated Good or Outstanding at 3 of the last 3 graded inspections.
Still missing for Little Crickets Learning Centre
- 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 £75.00 a day 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.
Day nurseries within a couple of miles
This one is first. Tick it and one or two others to see them side by side.