Parkside Pre-school in Association with YMCA Reading
GoodBirth to 8+Long established
A pre-school in Reading for children from birth to 8+, open 08:30 to 15:30, 5 days a week. They do not publish prices, so that is the first thing to ask. Rated Good by Ofsted in April 2023. Open since 2016, with 36 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 Reading
This is not this setting's price. It is the median hourly fee across all providers in Reading 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
RG30 2DDWhat 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, 26 April 2023 · read the full report
What it is like to attend
Children settle easily on arrival. They are welcomed warmly by the caring and kind staff, who form positive relationships with them. This helps children to feel safe and secure. Staff support new children sensitively, which enables them to quickly understand the expectations and routines. Children gain good independence and self-help skills. They know how to care for their belongings, such as putting their water bottles away. Children learn to take off and put on their shoes, boots and coats by themselves.
Children confidently move between the two playrooms and make their own choices of activities. They engage with enthusiasm in their learning, such as using magnifying glasses to find and identify insects outside. Children develop their concentration skills effectively. For example, they focus well when singing action songs. They receive very effective support for their language development, including their listening skills. Children follow instructions and recall familiar songs and stories very well, such as 'Jack and the Beanstalk'.
Staff have high expectations of all children. They have an in-depth knowledge of each individual child's needs and how to support them. Children, overall, benefit from effective learning experiences and interactions. These positively promote their readiness for the next stage of learning. In particular, children with special educational needs and/or disabilities (SEND) and children who speak English as an additional language make rapid progress from their starting points.
What Ofsted told them to improve
To further improve the quality of the early years provision, the provider should: - build on staff's knowledge and skills to help them challenge children's learning more, in particular to promote their problem-solving skills, to extend their progress even further n provide more opportunities for children to use their own ideas and create their own designs, such as during artwork activities.
- 26 April 2023Good
- 17 April 2018Good
Rated Good or Outstanding at 2 of the last 2 graded inspections.
Still missing for Parkside Pre-school in Association with YMCA Reading
- 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.