Norton St Philip Pre School
GoodBirth to 5Open for decades
A pre-school in Bath for children from birth to 5, open sessions in term time, often mornings. They do not publish prices, so that is the first thing to ask. Rated Good by Ofsted in May 2025. Open since 2003, with 14 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 Somerset
This is not this setting's price. It is the median hourly fee across all providers in 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 7LUWhat 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, 15 May 2025 · read the full report
What it is like to attend
Staff conscientiously outline their curriculum. The close-knit team of staff work well together to form their observations and assessments of children's development into next steps in their learning. Staff outline targeted opportunities for children. They usefully offer children different ways to extend their skills and differentiate for the younger and older children to ensure that they are challenged specifically and effectively. For example, younger children have great fun making marks with chalks outside on the paving. Staff inspire them skilfully as they draw items and discuss these. Children develop their hand strength effectively as they squash and squeeze play dough and use different tools to form and cut it. Older children explore early writing, forming letters of their names, and staff give them effective tips for their success. Children's curiosity is fostered and channelled very well in carefully thought-out activities. They place items in buckets on large scales, fascinated to see the effects they create as the buckets move. Staff help them explore mathematics concepts, such as counting, quantity and capacity, extending children's thinking and investigation as they encourage children to work out how to make the scales level.
Staff are very caring and patient. Children warm to them readily and build strong bonds with them. Children are sensitively and attentively supported. They are quickly reassured with a hug if they are upset, and they happily join staff in completing a puzzle, forgetting about their little worry.
What Ofsted told them to improve
To further improve the quality of the early years provision, the provider should:
- enhance partnership working, sharing information more regularly with parents and other settings the children attend to support a fully consistent approach to progressing children's skills.
- 15 May 2025Good Safeguarding: Yes
- 10 July 2019Good
- 12 November 2015Good
Rated Good or Outstanding at 3 of the last 3 graded inspections.
Still missing for Norton St Philip 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.