Smalley Pre-School Playgroup
GoodTakes funded hoursBirth to 8+Open for decades
A pre-school in Ilkeston for from 2 years up to school age, open 08:15 to 14:45, 5 days a week. They take the funded hours. They do not publish prices, so ask. Rated Good by Ofsted in February 2024. Open since 1992, with 24 places.
What it costs
Prices change without notice. Treat these as what to ask about, not a quote.
What childcare usually costs in Derbyshire
This is not this setting's price. It is the median hourly fee across all providers in Derbyshire 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
DE7 6EFWhat 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, 29 February 2024 · read the full report
What it is like to attend
Children make good friendships and enjoy their time at the playgroup. They behave extremely well. Staff are teaching children the skills to cooperate and negotiate during their play. Children demonstrate high levels of independence. They are confident to move between the indoor and outdoor space and make decisions about what they play with. Children are learning to manage their own self-care skills. For example, they use a particular technique that helps them to put on their coat without needing assistance from staff.
Children thoroughly enjoy imaginative play. Staff ensure that activities are well resourced to support this play. Children pretend they are at the hairdressers and take on different self-chosen roles. A member of staff provides very effective support for their learning. She supports one child to take the appointments and record these in the appointment book. As she is having her hair done, she uses very descriptive language to support children's expanding vocabulary. The member of staff skilfully supports a child when she recognises they are not familiar with the correct word for the customers. Children engage in this play for a long period of time and are enthused to tell others what they are doing.
What Ofsted told them to improve
To further improve the quality of the early years provision, the provider should:
- strengthen supervision arrangements to provide children with consistently high levels of challenge in order to help them to make the best possible progress n develop further the partnership working with other settings that children attend to provide consistent support for their learning and development.
- 29 February 2024Good
- 2 May 2018Good
- 14 June 2017Needs improvement
Rated Good or Outstanding at 2 of the last 3 graded inspections.
Still missing for Smalley Pre-School Playgroup
- What it costs
- 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
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.
- What does it cost, all in? 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.