Little Thetford Acorns Pre-School and Children's Club
GoodTakes funded hours★ 5.0 on GoogleBirth to 8+Open for decades
A day nursery in Ely for from 2 years 3 months up to school age, open 09:00 to 15:00, 5 days a week. They take the funded hours. They do not publish prices, so ask. Rated Good by Ofsted in May 2024. Open since 2010, with 25 places.
What it costs
Prices change without notice. Treat these as what to ask about, not a quote.
Funded hours
Up to 30 funded hours for children 9 months and over; 15 universal hours for all children the term after they turn 3.
Worth knowing. Funding cannot be used for Breakfast club sessions.
What childcare usually costs in Cambridgeshire
This is not this setting's price. It is the median hourly fee across all providers in Cambridgeshire 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
CB6 3HGWhat 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.
- 3 February 2026 — Concern: actions taken what Ofsted published
Ofsted inspector, 14 May 2024 · read the full report
What it is like to attend
Children are happy at pre-school, and they thrive in the spacious learning environment provided. Staff secure warm relationships with both children and parents. Children are socially active with their peers, and staff help nurture friendships. Staff are positive role models, and this has a positive impact on children's development. Staff show children how to wipe their own noses, and children quickly learn to independently use a tissue, put it in the bin and wash their hands.
Children display a real buzz of creativity and have a wealth of resources to support their early mark making. They use paint to make lines and shapes for their own interpretation of the real flowers on display. Staff skilfully extend children's interests from planting seeds and gardening to build on their experiences. Staff support children to use scissors effectively, modelling how to hold them correctly. Children demonstrate focus and attention. They happily play independently and with others.
Staff support children to make choices and help explain what is on offer. Children talk about emotions, and supportive staff help them to manage their behaviour.
What Ofsted told them to improve
To further improve the quality of the early years provision, the provider should:
- build on the already good practice of staff to develop a deeper knowledge and understanding of why and how to extend children's learning further with a focus on communication and language.
- 14 May 2024Good
- 12 September 2018Good
- 7 July 2016Good
Rated Good or Outstanding at 3 of the last 3 graded inspections.
Still missing for Little Thetford Acorns Pre-School and Children's Club
- What it costs
- Meals
- 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.
- What does it cost, all in? 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.