Sparkling Minds Pre-School and Day Nursery
GoodBirth to 5Open for decades
A day nursery in Bicester for children from birth to 5, 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 They do not publish prices, so that is the first thing to ask.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 June 2023. Open since 2010, with 58 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 Oxfordshire
This is not this setting's price. It is the median hourly fee across all providers in Oxfordshire 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
OX25 3QEWhat 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.
- 17 June 2026 — Concern: actions taken what Ofsted published
Ofsted inspector, 16 June 2023 · read the full report
What it is like to attend
Children thrive in this nurturing and welcoming setting. They build warm and caring attachments with staff and demonstrate they feel emotionally secure. Staff know children well and provide a stimulating learning environment for children of all ages. They identify children's individual next steps in learning and provide activities that promote these effectively. Staff place a high priority in supporting children and their families in readiness for their move on to other settings, such as school.
Children are excited to explore, whether they are playing in the sand pit or demonstrating their understanding of letter sounds. They learn new skills through carefully thought-out activities. For example, staff model how to roll out play dough and make shapes. Children are delighted when they successfully make a star.
Toddlers laugh with delight as they run down paths pushing walkers.
What Ofsted told them to improve
To further improve the quality of the early years provision, the provider should:
- strengthen the existing arrangements for staff supervision and provide more targeted and precise support for staff with younger children, helping them to enhance their teaching skills to the highest level.
- 16 June 2023Good
- 21 November 2017Good
- 4 March 2015Good
Rated Good or Outstanding at 3 of the last 3 graded inspections.
Still missing for Sparkling Minds Pre-School and Day Nursery
- 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.