St Catherines C of E Private Nursery
GoodTakes funded hours★ 3.5 on GoogleBirth to 5Open for decades
A pre-school in Hoddesdon for children from birth to 5, open 08:30 to 15:00, 7 days a week. They take the funded hours. They do not publish prices, so ask. Rated Good by Ofsted in October 2024. Open since 1994, with 26 places.
What it costs
Prices change without notice. Treat these as what to ask about, not a quote.
Funded hours
15 to 30 hours free childcare.
What childcare usually costs in Hertfordshire
This is not this setting's price. It is the median hourly fee across all providers in Hertfordshire 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
EN11 8HTWhat 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, 3 October 2024 · read the full report
What it is like to attend
Children are happy and demonstrate a sense of security and belonging. This is because staff prioritise children's emotional well-being. Children and staff display secure and trusting relationships due to the effective key-person system. Staff help children to develop friendships with their peers. Children show kindness and empathy with their friends. They celebrate successes together, offering praise, for instance, when they have tidied away their toys.
Leaders have developed a clear and ambitious curriculum that helps children to build secure foundations for learning. Children show active listening and respond positively to instruction from staff. Children show high levels of engagement in the wide range of learning experiences available. They behave well and staff support children to manage conflict peaceably through positive intervention. This helps children to learn how to manage future conflicts by themselves.
Leaders recognise the ongoing challenges since the COVID-19 pandemic. They support children to develop strong friendships and play together socially. For example, children work together in the 'doctor's' to make each other feel better.
What Ofsted told them to improve
To further improve the quality of the early years provision, the provider should:
- help staff to recognise when to provide children with more time to manage tasks by themselves, enabling them to develop their independence.
- 3 October 2024Good
- 29 November 2018Good
- 18 June 2015Good
Rated Good or Outstanding at 3 of the last 3 graded inspections.
Still missing for St Catherines C of E Private Nursery
- What it costs
- 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
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.