Playhouse Pre-school Broadwater
GoodTakes funded hours★ 5.0 on GoogleBirth to 8+Open for decades
A pre-school in Stevenage for babies from 9 months up to school age, open 09:00 to 15:30, 5 days a week. £18.00 a session, and they take the funded hours. Rated Good by Ofsted in June 2022. Open since 2008, with 44 places.
What it costs
Prices change without notice. Treat these as what to ask about, not a quote.
Term time only, 38 weeks a year, price list dated 1st April 2025.
| Age | Session | |
|---|---|---|
| All ages | £6.00can not be used within funded hours £6.25can not be used within funded hours £18.00Morning or Afternoon, 3 hrs £18.75Morning or Afternoon, 3 hrs |
Extras
Charged on top of the session rate.
- £3.00 to £3.12 a session Lunch clubfor children attending a full day
What a funded hour still costs
Funded hours cover the childcare. These are charged alongside them.
- £15.60 a week additional hours chargeOption 2: Monday to Friday 9.00am – 3.30pm (a total of 32.5 hours)
Where this came from
The outlined line is the one the price was taken from.
Funded hours
2 year old Early Education Funding, 3 and 4 year old 15 Hour Early Education Funding and 30 Hour Free Childcare Funding.
Worth knowing. Breakfast Club can not be used within funded hours; if hours exceed 15 hours per week, additional sessions are invoiced; for 30-hour funding, Option 2 has a £15.60 charge per week for additional hours.
What childcare usually costs in Hertfordshire
This is not this setting's price. It is the median hourly fee across all providers in Hertfordshire 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
SG2 8LTWhat 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.
- 7 February 2025 — Concern: actions taken what Ofsted published
Ofsted inspector, 16 June 2022 · read the full report
What it is like to attend
Children are happy and eager to learn when they arrive at the setting. They are confident to explore the wide range of activities in this stimulating environment.
Children settle quickly and happily play alongside their friends. They are developing firm attachments with staff, who are patient, kind and caring in their approach.
Children of all ages enjoy being active. They benefit from plenty of fresh air as they develop and practise their physical skills while exploring the well-resourced outdoor areas and activities. Children have lots of fun as they learn how to make bubbles.
What Ofsted told them to improve
To further improve the quality of the early years provision, the provider should:
- enhance the opportunities for children to increase their independence skills - strengthen communication and information-sharing with parents.
- 16 June 2022Good
- 9 February 2017Good
- 11 March 2013Good
Rated Good or Outstanding at 3 of the last 3 graded inspections.
Still missing for Playhouse Pre-school Broadwater
- 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 £18.00 a session 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.