Snowdrop Cottage Preschool
Good★ 4.3 on GoogleBirth to 8+Long established
A day nursery in Chippenham for children from birth to 8+, open 08:00 to 18:00, 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 They do not publish prices, so that is the first thing to ask.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 44 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 Wiltshire
This is not this setting's price. It is the median hourly fee across all providers in Wiltshire 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
SN15 3JWWhat 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, 23 October 2024 · read the full report
What it is like to attend
Children are happy and motivated, and they show a sense of belonging. They form close, trusting relationships with staff who make them feel safe and secure. Staff support children to become independent. They celebrate children's attempts when children try to do things for themselves, giving plenty of positive praise, which helps to raise children's self-esteem and build their confidence. Children say they
'like coming to the pre-school and make good friends'. Children benefit from spending time in the outdoor environment. They are physically active and routinely build strength and precision in the control of their bodies as they balance, climb, crawl and build throughout the day.
Staff deliver an ambitious curriculum that is designed to build on children's confidence, independence and resilience, helping them to prepare for the next stage of their education. They plan a curriculum that closely follows children's own choices and changing fascinations. Children are confident, resilient and curious in their play and are learning through the effective role modelling of the staff team.
What Ofsted told them to improve
To further improve the quality of the early years provision, the provider should:
- allow children time to consolidate their thinking during activities before asking them more questions to help support their listening, attention and understanding even further n ensure that adult-led learning is sharply focused to enable the older children to fully understand what is expected of them and help them to achieve.
- 23 October 2024Good
- 25 February 2019Outstanding
Rated Good or Outstanding at 2 of the last 2 graded inspections.
Still missing for Snowdrop Cottage 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.
Day nurseries within a couple of miles
This one is first. Tick it and one or two others to see them side by side.