St Andrew's Pre-School
GoodBirth to 5Open for decades
A pre-school in Dronfield for children from birth to 5, open sessions in term time, often mornings. They do not publish prices, so that is the first thing to ask. Rated Good by Ofsted in March 2022. Open since 1992, with 30 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 Derbyshire
This is not this setting's price. It is the median hourly fee across all providers in Derbyshire 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
S18 8ZQWhat 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, 2 March 2022 · read the full report
What it is like to attend
Children arrive at pre-school eager for their day to begin. They confidently leave their parents at the door and settle quickly. Children demonstrate positive attitudes to learning and eagerly join in with planned activities. For example, children are keen to engage in story time. They excitedly compare the size of the stick people, which they take turns to hold. Staff encourage children to use mathematical language such as 'taller than' and 'shorter than'. Children remember the story and confidently fill in the gaps which staff purposely leave out. Children behave well and are polite and respectful to each other. For example, they independently put a small step in front of the sink. Children tell staff that this is because they know that smaller children will not be able to reach the sink without it. They beam with pride as staff thank them for being kind.
Children are developing their small-muscle skills. For example, children enjoy making marks as they write letters to people. They carefully use pencils to draw lines and circles as they attempt to write their names. Children work together to fold the paper carefully and fit it into an envelope. They develop social skills as they talk with each other about how to use a hole puncher. Children persevere until they get the paper in the correct way. They show delight as they successfully punch holes in their letters. This activity supports children's early writing skills.
What Ofsted told them to improve
To further improve the quality of the early years provision, the provider should:
- improve staff's skills in how to implement the curriculum to ensure all children are supported to learn as much as they can.
- 2 March 2022Good
- 15 July 2015Good
- 3 February 2011Good
Rated Good or Outstanding at 3 of the last 3 graded inspections.
Still missing for St Andrew's 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.
Pre-schools within a couple of miles
This one is first. Tick it and one or two others to see them side by side.