River Meadow Pre-School
GoodTakes funded hoursBirth to 8+Open for decades
A day nursery in Newport Pagnell for from 2 years up to school age, open 07:30 to 15:00, 5 days a week. £46.00 a day for 2-4 years, and they take the funded hours. Rated Good by Ofsted in September 2023. Open since 2005, with 40 places.
What it costs
Prices change without notice. Treat these as what to ask about, not a quote.
| Age | Full day | Session | |
|---|---|---|---|
| 2-4 years2y to 4y | £46.00Pre School All Day | £23.00Pre School Morning or Pre School Afternoon, 3 hrs | |
| All ages | – | £6.50Breakfast club, 1 hrs £23.00Pre School, 6 hrs |
Extras
Charged on top of the session rate.
- £3.00 a session Early starter session
- £3.00 a session Early Starters
Funded hours
15 hours of Government funding for 2-4 year olds of eligible working parents, in some cases 30 funded hours, and 'Time for Twos' funding.
What childcare usually costs in Milton Keynes
This is not this setting's price. It is the median hourly fee across all providers in Milton Keynes 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
MK16 9DSWhat 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, 11 September 2023 · read the full report
What it is like to attend
Children are happy learners. They develop close bonds with their key person and they begin to explore their learning environment with increasing confidence. This demonstrates that they feel safe and secure. Staff know each child very well and they encourage investigative play linked to their interests. For example, as children explore oranges with their senses, they are excited to smell their scent and squeeze them in their hands to remove their pips.
On the whole, children demonstrate positive attitudes to learning. They become absorbed in their self-chosen play, such as when they use flower petals to create their own potions. Younger children enjoy water play and explore cause and effect as they repeatedly fill and empty jugs, observing the effect of moving water.
Children respond less positively to large-group learning, where expectations for these times are not clear.
What Ofsted told them to improve
To further improve the quality of the early years provision, the provider should:
- strengthen the organisation of large-group activities, ensuring that staff are deployed more effectively and children know what is expected of them n support staff and help them to recognise and use opportunities to teach children new knowledge and skills more effectively.
- 11 September 2023Good
- 16 January 2018Good
- 20 November 2014Good
Rated Good or Outstanding at 3 of the last 3 graded inspections.
Still missing for River Meadow Pre-School
- 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 £46.00 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.
Day nurseries within a couple of miles
This one is first. Tick it and one or two others to see them side by side.