Little Dolphins Pre-School
OutstandingTakes funded hours★ 5.0 on GoogleBirth to 8+Open for decades
A pre-school in Helston for children from birth to 8+, open 08:30 to 15:15, 5 days a week. £6.50 an hour, and they take the funded hours. Rated Outstanding by Ofsted in March 2022. Open since 2004, with 16 places.
What it costs
Prices change without notice. Treat these as what to ask about, not a quote.
For any unfunded hours, we charge £6.50 per hour.
One published rate. What you pay depends on the days you need and the funded hours you can claim.
Where this came from
The outlined line is the one the price was taken from.
Funded hours
Funded places for eligible families.
What childcare usually costs in Cornwall
This is not this setting's price. It is the median hourly fee across all providers in Cornwall 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
TR13 9RBWhat 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 March 2022 · read the full report
What it is like to attend
Children are extremely confident and well behaved. They come in very happy and are eager to see what exciting activities they can explore. Children are very secure as they know that they are valued by the caring and attentive staff. They confidently choose what they want to do and ask for help when needed. Children decide to construct vehicles. They select available instruction cards and staff knowledgeably offer suggestions to help them independently complete the task.
Younger children relish being active in the fresh air. They play at the mud kitchen and delight in the sensory experiences. Staff support their investigation wonderfully and extend their experimentation and learning. Children feel extremely safe. All areas are thoughtfully designed to promote their safety. Staff also very effectively help children to understand risk and to keep themselves safe. Children relish riding trikes down the sloping garden navigating the space safely, and developing their confidence and physical skills very effectively.
Staff have very high expectations for all children, including those with special educational needs and/or disabilities. Children make exceptional progress through the well-sequenced curriculum. Staff skilfully encourage them to share their thoughts, ideas and plans. For example, they ask children what they are building.
- 28 March 2022Outstanding
- 9 February 2015Good
- 9 December 2009Good
Rated Good or Outstanding at 3 of the last 3 graded inspections.
Still missing for Little Dolphins Pre-School
- Youngest age taken
- 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 £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.
- 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.