Romsey Mill Pre-school (Hemingford Road)
GoodBirth to 8+Open for decades
A pre-school in Cambridge for children from birth to 8+, open sessions in term time, often mornings. They do not publish prices, so that is the first thing to ask. Rated Good by Ofsted in September 2022. Open since 1992, with 24 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 Cambridgeshire
This is not this setting's price. It is the median hourly fee across all providers in Cambridgeshire 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
CB1 3BZWhat 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, 16 September 2022 · read the full report
What it is like to attend
Children and parents receive a warm welcome on arrival. Staff are nurturing and kind. This helps children to feel valued and secure. Staff make sure they get to know the children and their families well from the first day they start. Children have extended time to settle, and staff support each child's individual needs.
Children show that they are happy as they explore the setting and become engaged in activities. They investigate how to fasten together the train carriages as they play with the train set. Through trial and error, children manage to connect the carriages together and complete a circuit of the track.
Children learn to play alongside their friends. When they struggle to get along, staff help them to understand how their friends might feel. For example, staff talk to children about having 'kind hands'. Children manage their personal hygiene needs well for their age. They have a good understanding of healthy routines, as they practise washing their own hands. Children are growing in independence as they use forks to pick up fruit during snack time. They have free access to their own water bottles and choose between water and milk at snack time.
What Ofsted told them to improve
To further improve the quality of the early years provision, the provider should:
- support staff to act on opportunities to extend children's learning to the highest levels, while allowing children to use their imagination and explore their own play and learning ideas n build on the already good practice and seek further ways to help all staff provide high-quality teaching to consistently support the play and learning experiences for children.
- 16 September 2022Good
- 17 May 2016Outstanding
- 6 March 2012Outstanding
Rated Good or Outstanding at 3 of the last 3 graded inspections.
Still missing for Romsey Mill Pre-school (Hemingford Road)
- 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.