Sconce Hills Pre-School Playgroup
GoodBirth to 8+Open for decades
A day nursery in Newark for children from birth to 8+, open 8am to 6pm. They do not publish prices, so that is the first thing to ask. Rated Good by Ofsted in April 2025. Open since 1966, with 26 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 Nottinghamshire
This is not this setting's price. It is the median hourly fee across all providers in Nottinghamshire 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
NG24 4AJWhat 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, 24 April 2025 · read the full report
What it is like to attend
Children receive a warm welcome from the staff team when they arrive at the playgroup. Staff know the children well and provide a range of activities that allow them to follow their interests. For example, staff know children like to play with cars so they support them to roll cars down ramps and measure how far they travel. Children understand the routines in the playgroup and follow them confidently. For instance, children wiggle their fingers and sing songs with staff when it is time to tidy away toys. Children receive praise and encouragement for doing this, to help promote their self-esteem.
Children enjoy spending time outside in the garden. Staff offer encouragement and model how to balance on a beam and climb on larger apparatus. Older children are supported to be safe when they access equipment, for example staff remind them where to place their feet. Staff teach children about the world around them and about nature, as they plant seeds and talk about how plants grow. Staff help older children to remember previous learning, such as the life cycle of plants. Children share their knowledge and tell their friends that the roots of a plant drink water.
Children have opportunities to develop the muscles in their hands in preparation for early writing skills. For instance, younger children are given dough to squash and squeeze in their hands.
What Ofsted told them to improve
To further improve the quality of the early years provision, the provider should:
- gain further information about children's interests and what they already know and can do before they start attending to help plan for their care and learning more precisely.
- develop how staff use their interactions with children to help maintain children's focus and attention during their self-chosen play.
- 24 April 2025Good Safeguarding: Yes
- 9 July 2019Good
- 9 February 2016Good
Rated Good or Outstanding at 3 of the last 3 graded inspections.
Still missing for Sconce Hills Pre-School Playgroup
- 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.
Day nurseries within a couple of miles
This one is first. Tick it and one or two others to see them side by side.