St Christopher's Playgroup
GoodBirth to 5Open for decades
A pre-school in Cheltenham 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 They do not publish prices, so that is the first thing to ask.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 2023. Open since 1987, with 32 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 Gloucestershire
This is not this setting's price. It is the median hourly fee across all providers in Gloucestershire 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
GL51 3DDWhat 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, 14 March 2023 · read the full report
What it is like to attend
The manager and her team have warm and caring relationships with the children attending the playgroup. Children quickly settle into play and activities as they arrive in the morning. They confidently leave their parents at the door. Children know where resources are kept. Staff plan and set out a variety of interesting and engaging activities that link to children's interests. Children choose freely to play with their friends and get involved in some planned adult-led sessions to learn specific skills. For example, children draw pirate faces to develop their hand-to-eye coordination and practise concentration. Children show great pencil skills when writing their names on their pictures.
Key persons know individual children well. They regularly observe and assess what children can do and use this to form next steps to build on children's progress. Key persons share this information frequently with parents. Parents comment on the skills that their children develop, such as improved speech and being more confident. They say that their children arrive happy and eager to play. There is good collaborative working, where staff, professionals and parents come together and share their knowledge and experience to promote the development of children attending the playgroup. Children with special educational needs and/or disabilities are well supported.
Children very much enjoy singing. They spontaneously share nursery rhymes together. Children enjoy listening to and singing songs full of rhyme, rhythm and repetition as they sing 'Old MacDonald had a farm'. This is helping to boost children's language, communication skills and knowledge of sounds and words.
What Ofsted told them to improve
To further improve the quality of the early years provision, the provider should:
- improve the system of observation and feedback to progress the professional development of staff to support quality learning experiences for children.
- 14 March 2023Good
- 16 May 2017Good
- 23 April 2015Good
Rated Good or Outstanding at 3 of the last 3 graded inspections.
Still missing for St Christopher's Playgroup
- 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.