St Joseph's Pre-School
GoodTakes funded hoursBirth to 8+Long established
A pre-school in Watford for from 2 years up to school age, open 09:00 to 15:00, 5 days a week. £10.00 a session, and they take the funded hours. Rated Good by Ofsted in March 2024. Open since 2016, with 24 places.
What it costs
Prices change without notice. Treat these as what to ask about, not a quote.
Fees are £10.00 per session.
One published rate. What you pay depends on the days you need and the funded hours you can claim.
Funded hours
15 hours free per week during term time to entitled 2 and 3 year olds; limited number of free 30 hour term time places for eligible working parents of 2-4 year olds.
Worth knowing. This is only for children doing the full 30 hours in our setting. Children must do the full 30 hours in St. Joseph's Pre-school to obtain a 30 hour funded place.
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
WD19 7SWWhat 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 March 2024 · read the full report
What it is like to attend
Children are excited to arrive at the pre-school and remain deeply engaged in meaningful play throughout the day. They confidently explore a wealth of exciting learning opportunities, demonstrating a deep sense of security and well-being in their environment. Staff support children to start their day with a positive attitude to their learning. They conduct a circle-time activity at the start of each session, where children welcome one another and visitors. Children play an active role in planning the day. They discuss the activities they wish to explore and the rules they follow in their pre-school.
Children develop close bonds with one another and are observed supporting their friends in tasks. For example, children help each other put on coats and gloves before going outside. Children form equally close relationships with the nurturing staff. They chat to them confidently about their families and home life, and seek staff out for affection when tired. The manager fosters these close relationships well by establishing a highly effective key-person system. Key staff have a deep understanding of children's unique circumstances. They provide care based on this knowledge as well as drawing from their own personal experiences. This wellconsidered approach enables children to settle well and feel safe in their new environment.
What Ofsted told them to improve
To further improve the quality of the early years provision, the provider should:
- enhance children's understanding of appropriate behaviour and implement strategies to enable them to manage conflict better in their play n establish robust methods of coaching and mentoring to support staff to identify areas to enhance their practice and consistently provide high-quality teaching opportunities.
- 13 March 2024Good
- 23 April 2018Good
Rated Good or Outstanding at 2 of the last 2 graded inspections.
Still missing for St Joseph's Pre-School
- 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.
- Is £10.00 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.
Pre-schools within a couple of miles
This one is first. Tick it and one or two others to see them side by side.