Sparkles Pre-School
Good★ 4.5 on GoogleBirth to 8+Open for decades
A day nursery in Croydon for children from birth to 8+, open 09:30 to 14:30, 5 days a week. They do not publish prices, so that is the first thing to ask. Rated Good by Ofsted in July 2022. Open since 2006, with 27 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 Croydon
This is not this setting's price. It is the median hourly fee across all providers in Croydon 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
CR0 8TBWhat 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, 1 July 2022 · read the full report
What it is like to attend
Children are happy and secure. They arrive for the morning session and rush inside. Practitioners speak fondly of children. Children develop strong bonds with their key persons and look to them for reassurance. Children are well behaved and play together well. Older children make up their own games. For example, they take turns throwing balls into tyres in the garden. Children quickly make friends.
Younger children choose to play alongside each other. They giggle excitedly as they enjoy games of peekaboo together. Older children seek out their friends as they arrive in the mornings and enjoy chatting over lunch.
Children make good progress across the seven areas of learning. Practitioners have focused on supporting children's social and language development following the
What Ofsted told them to improve
To further improve the quality of the early years provision, the provider should: - strengthen partnerships with other settings, to identify children's starting points more accurately and to further enhance the planning for their individual needs n enable children to move comfortably from one area to another in the garden n ensure that the organisation of the environment consistently inspires awe and wonder for all children.
- 1 July 2022Good
- 28 April 2016Outstanding
- 27 September 2010Outstanding
Rated Good or Outstanding at 3 of the last 3 graded inspections.
Still missing for Sparkles Pre-School
- 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.