Magic Box Pre-School
GoodBirth to 5Open for decades
A pre-school in Bath for children from birth to 5, open 08:00 to 17:00, 5 days a week. They do not publish prices, so that is the first thing to ask. Rated Good by Ofsted in June 2023. Open since 1996, with 20 places.
What you might pay
This setting does not publish its fees, and no national dataset holds them. This is what childcare costs across the council, as a starting point for the call.
What childcare usually costs in Bath and North East Somerset
This is not this setting's price. It is the median hourly fee across all providers in Bath and North East Somerset 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
BA2 8QAWhat 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, 16 June 2023 · read the full report
What it is like to attend
Staff greet children warmly as they enter the pre-school. Children build strong bonds with staff and thrive on the attention that they receive. Parents are very positive about the experienced, caring and friendly staff team. They say that staff genuinely enjoy spending time with the children and children receive amazing emotional support.
Staff form plans from their observations of children, recognising their achievements and working out what they need to learn next. They work together to thoughtfully set up a stimulating and interesting environment, closely linked to children's ages, stages of development and interests. This motivates children successfully. They explore sensory materials outside. They learn about capacity, discussing how full various items are, and explore concepts such as floating and sinking. Children's communication and social skills develop well. Younger children learn new words and begin to share resources. Older children form good friendships and converse well, communicating their needs effectively. Staff support children to have a go and persevere with tasks, developing children's thinking skills and confidence well.
Older children show very good skills as they count, compare and add numbers.
What Ofsted told them to improve
To further improve the quality of the early years provision, the provider should:
- extend the information gained when children first start to get a clearer picture of children's needs and to inform future planning more quickly n enhance the support for younger children during whole-group activities to extend their involvement and learning even further.
- 16 June 2023Good
- 11 December 2017Good
- 15 May 2015Good
Rated Good or Outstanding at 3 of the last 3 graded inspections.
Still missing for Magic Box Pre-School
- What it costs
- Funded hours
- Youngest age taken
- 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
None of this is in any national dataset and this setting has not published it, which is exactly why it is worth asking.
- What does it cost, all in? What is on top: meals, nappies, late pick-up, and what happens if you are late.
- Can I use my funded hours here? 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.
Pre-schools within a couple of miles
This one is first. Tick it and one or two others to see them side by side.