Playtime Preschool
Good★ 5.0 on GoogleBirth to 5Long established
A pre-school in London for children from birth to 5, open 09:00 to 15:00, 5 days a week. They do not publish prices, so that is the first thing to ask. Rated Good by Ofsted in October 2024. Open since 2016, with 28 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 Barnet
This is not this setting's price. It is the median hourly fee across all providers in Barnet 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
N3 1NXWhat 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, 4 October 2024 · read the full report
What it is like to attend
Staff greet children warmly when they arrive at the pre-school. New children are happy and bond closely with staff and their key person. Staff are caring and attentive. They address each child's needs and uniqueness. For instance, they learn vital words in children's home languages and find out about families' cultures and backgrounds. This helps to nurture children's personal and emotional well-being tremendously. Overall, staff plan a range of interesting adult-led activities that promote all areas of the early years curriculum.
Staff encourage children's communication and language development, such as by using visual props during storytelling and in small-group activities. They also support children's speech development by encouraging vocalisation, introducing new words and use of longer sentences. Staff closely monitor children's speech development and provide extra support for children who speak English as an additional language. They also provide children with age-appropriate and consistent behavioural expectations. Older children are familiar with the setting's established daily routines and expectations.
Children are well behaved and listen to staff's instructions. In addition, leaders and staff promote and value diversity, catering to all children and families. This supportings children to learn to respect different cultures and faiths. For example, children hear stories from different parts of the world and learn about various religious events throughout the year. Staff provide an environment that helps children to develop a positive and caring community spirit.
What Ofsted told them to improve
To further improve the quality of the early years provision, the provider should:
- make accurate use of what is known about children in order to plan activities that support their individual next steps more fully n consider more closely how to adapt activities to ensure that all children, in particular older children, fully engage and benefit from the learning opportunities.
- 4 October 2024Good
- 18 December 2018Good
Rated Good or Outstanding at 2 of the last 2 graded inspections.
Still missing for Playtime Preschool
- 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.