Marcham Pre-School Playgroup
GoodBirth to 8+Open for decades
A day nursery in Abingdon for children from birth to 8+, open 8am to 6pm. They do not publish prices, so that is the first thing to ask. Rated Good by Ofsted in June 2023. Open since 2007, with 24 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 Oxfordshire
This is not this setting's price. It is the median hourly fee across all providers in Oxfordshire 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
OX13 6PYWhat 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, 19 June 2023 · read the full report
What it is like to attend
Children are confident and happy and feel secure in the pre-school. Staff provide appropriate support to help them adjust to changes in their environment and routines. Children respond positively to this and explore different spaces, playing with familiar toys and equipment. Children have good social skills, happily talking to others about the volcanoes they are making.
Children benefit from the high expectations that staff have for them. For example, staff know each individual child well and plan focused opportunities to help them with their next steps in learning. Staff support children's physical development particularly well, such as when children learn to step along obstacles. After repeated opportunities to do this with support, children gradually build the confidence and balance to do this on their own.
Children demonstrate good levels of concentration and enjoyment during their play. For instance, they persevere to connect building blocks to make their own house. They explain why they have constructed their model in a particular way to those playing with them and go on to act out storylines in their play. Children enjoy learning about the world around them. For example, when exploring their 'wild patch', staff help them to learn the names of birds, leaves and flowers in their environment.
What Ofsted told them to improve
To further improve the quality of the early years provision, the provider should:
- use opportunities more effectively to extend children's understanding and help them develop essential knowledge and skills to apply to their future learning.
- 19 June 2023Good
- 5 December 2017Good
- 23 June 2015Good
Rated Good or Outstanding at 3 of the last 3 graded inspections.
Still missing for Marcham Pre-School Playgroup
- 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.
Day nurseries within a couple of miles
This one is first. Tick it and one or two others to see them side by side.