Pied Piper Pre-School
GoodTakes funded hoursBirth to 5Open for decades
A day nursery in Northampton for from 2 years 6 months up to 5 year olds, open 08:45 to 17:00, 5 days a week. They take the funded hours. They do not publish prices, so ask. Rated Good by Ofsted in May 2025. Open since 1999, with 20 places.
What it costs
Prices change without notice. Treat these as what to ask about, not a quote.
Funded hours
We can offer 30 hours to corrospond with the 30 hours funding.
What childcare usually costs in North Northamptonshire
This is not this setting's price. It is the median hourly fee across all providers in North Northamptonshire 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
NN6 0NDWhat 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, 20 May 2025 · read the full report
What it is like to attend
Children thrive at this nurturing and inclusive pre-school. They are greeted warmly by staff as they arrive. Young children settle quickly to play with a wide range of resources that stimulate their curiosity, such as small cogs and wheels. Staff set clear expectations for children as they confidently follow familiar routines. Staff are kind and respectful and form strong bonds with children, whose behaviour is consistently good.
Children enjoy a variety of fun activities outdoors that support their physical development. They run around vigorously with staff while they play games, such as hide and seek, in the secure and inviting garden. Children listen and concentrate when staff read them stories. Children benefit from opportunities to explore the natural environment. For example, staff share their knowledge with children about how to plant seeds and grow flowers and vegetables. This helps support their understanding of where food comes from. Children develop caring skills while they tend growing plants to harvest and taste. This promotes their awareness of healthy food choices.
Staff get to know children well from the start. They use their knowledge of children's interests and abilities to adapt the carefully considered curriculum to meet their needs. Staff provide tailored support for all children, including those with special educational needs and/or disabilities (SEND). This helps ensure that children make good progress from their starting points in learning.
What Ofsted told them to improve
To further improve the quality of the early years provision, the provider should:
- support staff to extend their use of mathematical language during activities to promote children's understanding of early mathematical concepts further.
- 20 May 2025Good Safeguarding: Yes
- 23 September 2019Good
- 1 April 2019Inadequate
Rated Good or Outstanding at 2 of the last 3 graded inspections.
Still missing for Pied Piper Pre-School
- What it costs
- 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.
- What does it cost, all in? 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.
Day nurseries within a couple of miles
This one is first. Tick it and one or two others to see them side by side.