Medstead Pre-school and Nursery
GoodTakes funded hoursBirth to 8+Open for decades
A pre-school in Alton for from 2 years up to school age, open 08:00 to 15:00, 5 days a week. £10.00 an hour for 2-4 years, and they take the funded hours. Rated Good by Ofsted in May 2024. Open since 1992, with 38 places.
What it costs
Prices change without notice. Treat these as what to ask about, not a quote.
| Age | Hourly | |
|---|---|---|
| 2-4 years2y to 4y | £10.00Extended Provision | |
| All ages | £10.00 |
Funded hours
Up to 15 hours free care for all children aged 3 & 4 years, and those aged 2 years with an acceptance letter. We are also able to offer 30 hours of funding for those who meet the eligibility criteria for extended funding.
Worth knowing. Funding hours can be used to cover all childcare between 9.05am and 3.05pm.
What childcare usually costs in Hampshire
This is not this setting's price. It is the median hourly fee across all providers in Hampshire 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
GU34 5LGWhat 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.
- 16 October 2025 — Concern: actions taken what Ofsted published
- 9 September 2025 — Concern: actions taken what Ofsted published
- 2 December 2022 — Concern: actions taken what Ofsted published
Ofsted inspector, 2 May 2024 · read the full report
What it is like to attend
Children arrive confident and ready to start their day. They hang up their belongings and receive a warm welcome from staff. They quickly scan the environment before immersing themselves in one of the many play experiences on offer. Staff carefully plan a variety of purposeful activities that support children's individual learning. They know children's uniqueness well. Staff pride themselves in providing personalised care and learning for children, including those with special educational needs and/or disabilities (SEND). Children's interests are valued and fully incorporated into their day. This supports children to sustain interest in their play, behave well and have positive attitudes to learning.
Children delight in their freedom to investigate the great outdoors. Older children regularly access their own forest school. Here, staff capture and extend children's curiosities of the natural world around them. For instance, they teach children what they need to build their own bug hotels following an interest in bugs. Staff extend these activities, using books to reinforce new information. Children listen intently as they learn about new animals such as 'velvet mice'. In addition, children have opportunities to assess their own risk. For example, staff teach children about hazards in the forest. Children retain and recall this information. They place poles with red flags on in the ground to make the hazard known. Learning opportunities such as these enable children to become curious and confident learners.
What Ofsted told them to improve
To further improve the quality of the early years provision, the provider should:
- support staff to extend their awareness of how to promote good hygiene and develop young children's self-care skills n enhance the curriculum to provide opportunities to support children's understanding of how to keep themselves safe online.
- 2 May 2024Good
- 16 September 2019Good
- 23 April 2015Outstanding
Rated Good or Outstanding at 3 of the last 3 graded inspections.
Still missing for Medstead Pre-school and 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 £10.00 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.
- 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.