NurseryWise Childcare in England
Day nursery in Cheltenham

Playhouse Day Nursery

GoodTakes funded hours★ 5.0 on GoogleBirth to 8+Open for decades

A day nursery in Cheltenham for babies from 3 months up to school age, open 08:00 to 18:00, 5 days a week. £88.00 a day, and they take the funded hours. Rated Good by Ofsted in February 2023. Open since 2010, with 29 places.

Call 01242 253212Their website

Cost

What it costs

Prices change without notice. Treat these as what to ask about, not a quote.

AgeFull daySessionWeekly
All ages
£73.00Short Day
£88.00
£48.00Afternoon, 5 hrs
£49.00Morning, 5 hrs
£380.00Full time weekly

Before you start

One-off charges to take a place.

  • £60.00 Registration fee
  • £100.00 Retainer
  • £130.00 Booking fee

Funded hours

Funding For 2, 3 and 4 Year Olds; funding information for 9mths, 2yr, 3yr and 4yr olds.

What childcare usually costs in Gloucestershire

£6.50an hour, typical for a 2 years old
£6.00an hour, typical for a 3 and 4 years old

This is not this setting's price. It is the median hourly fee across all providers in Gloucestershire from the Department for Education's 2025 provider survey. No national data holds what an individual nursery charges, so ring and ask.

The basics

Places, hours and the day

Who they take, when they are open, and what a day there includes.

Who they can take
Babies from 3 months, up to school ageRegistered with Ofsted for birth to 8+.
When it's open
08:00 to 18:00, 5 days a weekFrom their Google listing
Funded hours
Takes them
Settling in
They offer settling sessions
Outdoor space
Yes
Google rating
5.0 out of 5From 18 Google reviews. NurseryWise has none of its own.
How many children
29 placesMedium for England
How long open
16 yearsOpen for decades
Address
287 Hatherley Road, Cheltenham, GL51 6HT

Where it is

GL51 6HT
Ofsted URN EY420840On the register since 30 December 2010
Ofsted

What 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 February 2023 · read the full report

What it is like to attend

Children excitedly arrive at the setting, and they confidently separate from their parents to explore the nursery environment. This reassures parents that their child is happy and well looked after. Staff communicate well with parents to include details about their child's developmental progress and provide opportunities to continue learning at home. This enables children to further progress and become confident learners.

Children have access to a wide range of activities that are scheduled around their interests and developmental needs. This is demonstrated in their deep engagement to learn independently and as a group. Younger children contently explore various resources in the sensory room, such as moving lights that develop their visual focus and textured resources to develop their small-hand muscles. Older children have exceptional focus. They explore letters and sounds as they dig through flour in a group activity. They discuss which letter they have found, say the sound, and have a go at writing it in the flour. This is developing confidence in recognising letters that will initiate the start of reading and writing.

Children are extremely positive and cheerful during play and demonstrate impeccable respect for one another. They support their peers and cheer each other on when they notice they are facing challenges during activities. This encourages children to keep trying and promotes confidence and security in social situations.

What Ofsted told them to improve

To further improve the quality of the early years provision, the provider should:

- extend the support for children who speak English as an additional language to encourage two-way communication with staff and children.

  • 15 February 2023Good
  • 20 June 2017Good
  • 16 February 2015Good

Rated Good or Outstanding at 3 of the last 3 graded inspections.

Still missing for Playhouse Day 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.

Before you ring

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 £88.00 a day 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.
Compare

Day nurseries within a couple of miles

This one is first. Tick it and one or two others to see them side by side.

Playhouse Day Nursery

Day nursery · 287 Hatherley Road, Cheltenham, GL51 6HT

GoodTakes funded hours£88.00 a dayBirth to 8+Babies from 3 months08:00 to 18:00, 5 days a week★ 5.0 Google, 1829 placesOpen for decades

Foxcubs Day Nursery

Day nursery · Chapel House, Old Reddings Road, Cheltenham, GL51 6SA

GoodTakes funded hours£95.00 a dayBirth to 8+Babies from 9 months08:00 to 18:00, 5 days a week★ 5.0 Google, 2150 placesOpen for decades

Little Smarties

Day nursery · Two Cedars, Fairmount Road, Cheltenham, GL51 7AQ

Report card Feb 2026Takes funded hoursBirth to 5Babies from 9 months08:00 to 18:00, 5 days a week72 placesOpen for decades
1.0 mi
20 min walk
01242 577581Their website

Puddles Nursery

Day nursery · Hesters Way Community Resource Centre, Cassin Drive, Cheltenham, GL51 7SU

GoodBirth to 8+08:00 to 18:00, 5 days a week38 placesOpen for decades
1.1 mi
23 min walk
01242 527545Their website

Pick two or three to compare.

Everything here comes from Ofsted's published childcare register, under the Open Government Licence. Ratings are quoted exactly as Ofsted gave them, with their dates. Read the full Ofsted reports · How we put this together.

All childcare in Cheltenham