St Albans Pre-School
GoodTakes funded hoursBirth to 8+Long established
A pre-school in Sutton for children from birth to 8+, open 09:00 to 14:45, 5 days a week. They take the funded hours. They do not publish prices, so ask. Rated Good by Ofsted in September 2022. Open since 2016, with 46 places.
What it costs
Prices change without notice. Treat these as what to ask about, not a quote.
Funded hours
15 hours universal early years funding entitlement for 3 and 4 year olds, 30 hours funding entitlement for children over 9 months, 15 hours Early Learning funding for 2 year olds.
Worth knowing. FOR CHILDREN ACCESSING THEIR FUNDING THERE IS NO ADDITIONAL COST UNLESS YOU GO OVER YOUR FUNDED HOURS. FUNDING AT SCALLYWAGS CAN BE STRETCHED OVER 51 WEEKS (11.18 hours a week for 15 hrs funding & 22.35 hours a week for 30 hours). SPECIAL OFFER IF USING 15 HOURS FUNDING AT ST CLEMENT'S OR FAIRLANDS PRE SCHOOL USE YOUR 15 HOURS OVER 5 SESSIONS AND GET 2 SESSION FREE.
What childcare usually costs in Sutton
This is not this setting's price. It is the median hourly fee across all providers in Sutton 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
SM1 2HDWhat 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.
- 21 April 2022 — Concern: actions taken what Ofsted published
Ofsted inspector, 12 September 2022 · read the full report
What it is like to attend
Children arrive at the pre-school happy and demonstrate that they feel safe and secure. They confidently find their names on the self-registration board and are keen to explore the activities. They have positive relationships with others. Children play cooperatively alongside their friends and are well supported by the caring staff team.
Staff engage children in a varied range of activities to support their learning. This helps them to make good progress from their starting points. Children's interests and ideas inform the curriculum planning. They also learn new things and mathematical concepts through topic work. For example, they learn about growth when planting sunflowers and talk about which one is the tallest. Children spontaneously use mathematical language in their play as they count and compare shape and size.
Children behave well and are supported to manage their feelings. Staff encourage kind and respectful behaviour. Children understand routines, such as helping with tidying up the toys. During circle time, they are supported to listen to others when sharing views and opinions.
What Ofsted told them to improve
To further improve the quality of the early years provision, the provider should:
- develop consistency in staff's teaching of communication and language, to provide more opportunities for children to build their language and thinking skills n review the outdoor learning environment to provide more challenging opportunities for the most able children to develop their physical skills.
- 12 September 2022Good
- 15 March 2022Inadequate
- 7 June 2018Good
Rated Good or Outstanding at 2 of the last 3 graded inspections.
Still missing for St Albans Pre-School
- What it costs
- Youngest age taken
- 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.
- 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.