Little Lions Pre-School & Nursery
GoodTakes funded hours★ 5.0 on GoogleBirth to 8+Long established
A pre-school in Hatfield for from 1 year up to school age, open 09:15 to 15:30, 5 days a week. £22.00 a session for 2-4 years, and they take the funded hours. Rated Good by Ofsted in November 2022. Open since 2015, with 38 places.
What it costs
Prices change without notice. Treat these as what to ask about, not a quote.
Morning sessions: 9:15-12:15pm Monday-Friday £22 per session
One published rate. What you pay depends on the days you need and the funded hours you can claim.
Funded hours
Nine-month working families funding, two-year supported families funding, two-year working families funding, three-year funding, and the 30-hour funding for eligible families.
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
AL10 8NAWhat 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, 10 November 2022 · read the full report
What it is like to attend
Children are curious learners. They are excited to join in with singing their favourite nursery rhymes and add actions enthusiastically. Children are encouraged in their interests and have opportunities to make choices, share and apply their own ideas in play. Staff's high-level support extends opportunities for children to develop their communication and language. For example, staff use visual prompts and sign language to support children to know what is happening now and next.
Children show love and care through role play. For example, they dress baby dolls, button their clothes and rock them gently to sleep. Children prepare to go outside by changing their shoes for wellies and putting on their hats and coats independently. They like to explore a discovery area in the garden where they plant fruits and talk about what they are doing and what might happen next.
Children have settled well into pre-school and have established strong bonds with staff, in particular their key persons. Children enjoy exploring physical play where they experiment with assault courses and bouncing balls. They have opportunities to count what objects they use and share with their peers as they demonstrate turn taking. Staff take steps to support children with their fine motor skills. For example, children are encouraged to make snips with scissors as they follow designs. They show a positive attitude to learning.
What Ofsted told them to improve
To further improve the quality of the early years provision, the provider should:
- develop the management of group times so that children enjoy high levels of engagement in the learning opportunities provided.
- 10 November 2022Good
- 7 March 2017Good
Rated Good or Outstanding at 2 of the last 2 graded inspections.
Still missing for Little Lions Pre-School & Nursery
- 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
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 £22.00 a session 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.
Pre-schools within a couple of miles
This one is first. Tick it and one or two others to see them side by side.