St. Joseph's Playgroup
GoodTakes funded hours★ 5.0 on GoogleBirth to 5Open for decades
A day nursery in Hertford for from 2 years up to 5 year olds, open 09:00 to 15:00, 5 days a week. £7.50 a session for 3+ years, and they take the funded hours. Rated Good by Ofsted in June 2025. Open since 1994, with 20 places.
What it costs
Prices change without notice. Treat these as what to ask about, not a quote.
Term time only, 38 weeks a year, minimum 2 days a week.
| Age | Session | |
|---|---|---|
| 3+ years3y to 5y | £7.50Lunch Club, 1 hrs | |
| 3-4 years3y to 4y | £22.50Afternoon, 2 hrs |
Extras
Charged on top of the session rate.
- £10.00 to £20.00 Extrasper 1/2 term, per child, includes fresh fruit, snacks, planned activities and messy
Where this came from
The outlined line is the one the price was taken from.
Funded hours
2 and 3-4 year old funded children on 15 and 30 hours.
Worth knowing. Lunch Club can be used as part of funded hours; £7.50 per session unless using funded hours.
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
SG14 2BUWhat 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, 13 June 2025 · read the full report
What it is like to attend
Children are confident and demonstrate a love for learning at this inviting playgroup. Staff warmly welcome children as they arrive, helping them to transition well and start their day calmly and settled. Staff provide a learning environment that is inclusive, engaging and tailored to the needs of the children. They thoroughly enjoy a range of engaging learning opportunities. Children participate enthusiastically in warm-up sessions set to music. They listen well to instructions and move their bodies in different ways, marching, galloping and stretching. Staff are highly responsive, and interactions with children are purposeful and rooted in strong knowledge of child development.
Staff promote positive attitudes to learning, encouraging children to use their
'looking eyes', 'thinking caps' and 'indoor voices' to make the most of their experiences. Staff act as positive role models and reinforce respectful, empathetic behaviour. Children are kind and caring towards each other. When their peers are upset, others show genuine concern and offer comfort, promoting positive relationships. Staff help children to have a sense of belonging within the setting.
What Ofsted told them to improve
To further improve the quality of the early years provision, the provider should:
- ensure that focused activities are developmentally appropriate and align with children's age and stage of understanding, to maximise learning n review the duration and structure of group sessions to maintain engagement across all age ranges of children.
- 13 June 2025Good Safeguarding: Yes
- 27 September 2019Good
- 12 November 2018Needs improvement
Rated Good or Outstanding at 2 of the last 3 graded inspections.
Still missing for St. Joseph's Playgroup
- Nappies
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.
- Is £7.50 a session still the rate? 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.
- Do you have a place for a child of my age now? 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.
Day nurseries within a couple of miles
This one is first. Tick it and one or two others to see them side by side.