Soham Playgroup
GoodBirth to 5Open for decades
A pre-school in Ely for children from birth to 5, open 00:00 to 24:00, 2 days a week. They do not publish prices, so that is the first thing to ask. Rated Good by Ofsted in April 2025. Open since 2009, with 25 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
CB7 5AAWhat 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
Staff welcome children into the setting and demonstrate positive relationships with parents. The setting offers all children and families home visits prior to starting and this helps staff to get to know all families very well. Families are offered a graduated approach to sessions, building up the amount of time spent at the setting. This helps children to settle very well and build trusting relationships. Staff understand what children already know and can do and plan meaningful learning opportunities to extend their knowledge and skills from the very beginning. Staff focus on promoting children's well-being, confidence and self-esteem. They use items from home to help children feel welcomed and valued at the setting.
Additionally, this supports children's confidence and helps them to share and talk about items that are familiar to them.
Staff implement consistent boundaries for children to help them understand the expectations at the setting. For example, staff remind children to use their 'kind hands' and provide close interactions to support children's behaviour. Staff plan meaningful and exciting learning opportunities for children to support their concentration and listening skills. Children demonstrate excellent engagement and focus during activities. They listen carefully to instructions and wait with anticipation to find out what is going to happen next.
What Ofsted told them to improve
To further improve the quality of the early years provision, the provider should:
- target training more specifically to raise the standard of teaching across the setting to a higher level.
- 24 April 2025Good Safeguarding: Yes
- 11 June 2019Good
- 12 May 2016Good
Rated Good or Outstanding at 3 of the last 3 graded inspections.
Still missing for Soham 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.
Pre-schools within a couple of miles
This one is first. Tick it and one or two others to see them side by side.