NurseryWise Childcare in England
Pre-school in Cheltenham

St Mary's Nursery & Preschool – Charlton Kings

GoodTakes funded hoursBirth to 8+Open for decades

A pre-school in Cheltenham for from 2 years up to school age, open 08:45 to 15:30, 5 days a week. £6.50 an hour, and they take the funded hours. Rated Good by Ofsted in October 2022. Open since 1993, with 28 places.

Call 01242 260080Their website

Cost

What it costs

Prices change without notice. Treat these as what to ask about, not a quote.

AgeHourly
All ages
£6.50outside of the government funding

Extras

Charged on top of the session rate.

  • £8.00 The Music Manvoluntary payment, charged per half term
  • £10.00 Sporting Minisvoluntary payment, charged per half term
  • £10.00 Sunshine Dancersvoluntary payment, charged per half term

Funded hours

We accept government funding for eligible children. Aged 2yrs and upwards. We offer the full 30hrs of funding to eligible parents.

Worth knowing. We offer a flexible approach without placing restrictions on how you use the funded hours.

What childcare usually costs in Gloucestershire

£6.50an hour, typical for a 2 years old
£6.00an hour, typical for a 3 and 4 years old

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.

The basics

Places, hours and the day

Who they take, when they are open, and what a day there includes.

Who they can take
From 2 years, up to school ageRegistered with Ofsted for birth to 8+.
When it's open
08:45 to 15:30, 5 days a weekFrom their Google listing
Funded hours
Takes them
Meals
Not includedA packed lunch will need to be provided along with a healthy snack for the morning and all day session.
Forest school
Yes
How many children
28 placesMedium for England
How long open
33 yearsOpen for decades
Address
Brotherhood Hall, Lyefield Road East, Cheltenham, GL53 8AU

Where it is

GL53 8AU
Ofsted URN 101598On the register since 27 April 1993
Ofsted

What 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 2022 · read the full report

What it is like to attend

Staff are dedicated to initiating a positive parent partnership to ensure children are supported in their everyday needs. There is an effective key-person system in place that allows children to build secure relationships with a trusted adult when they are away from their primary carers. Leaders and managers value the importance of creating a personable approach, where all staff get to know every child well to create a strong sense of belonging and familiarity within the setting.

The welcoming and friendly staff aim to adhere to children's interests, providing an environment that enables children to explore a wide variety of resources. Staff make effective use of the resources, providing learning opportunities to cover all areas of development, including imagination, messy play, construction and storytelling. There is ample outside space for children to move freely and explore the many learning opportunities on offer, such as gardening and searching for minibeasts through a magnifying glass.

Children are succeeding in their communication and language skills and they have an abundance of opportunities to create conversations with staff and peers. Staff ask open-ended questions that allow children time to think about their responses.

What Ofsted told them to improve

To further improve the quality of the early years provision, the provider should:

- embed strategic and rational planning into the sequence of children's learning, to build on their existing knowledge and to support the progression of further development n build upon children's resilience skills and personal development during play, by providing opportunities for children to safely take risks inside and outside of the setting.

  • 3 October 2022Good
  • 13 October 2016Good
  • 7 May 2013Good

Rated Good or Outstanding at 3 of the last 3 graded inspections.

Still missing for St Mary's Nursery & Preschool – Charlton Kings

  • 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.

Before you ring

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 £6.50 an hour 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.
Compare

Pre-schools within a couple of miles

This one is first. Tick it and one or two others to see them side by side.

Holy Apostles Pre-School

Pre-school · Holy Apostles C of E School, Battledown Approach, Cheltenham, GL52 6QZ

GoodBirth to 8+Sessions in term time, often mornings24 placesOpen for decades
1.0 mi
20 min walk
01242 526858

St Christopher's Playgroup

Pre-school · 1 Lincoln Avenue, Cheltenham, GL51 3DD

GoodBirth to 5Sessions in term time, often mornings32 placesOpen for decades
2.2 mi
6 min drive
07914 740022

The Reddings Playgroup

Pre-school · Greatfield Park Primary School, Hulbert Crescent, Cheltenham, GL51 3FZ

Not yet inspectedBirth to 5Sessions in term time, often mornings26 placesNewly opened
2.5 mi
7 min drive
07795992514

Pick two or three to compare.

Everything here comes from Ofsted's published childcare register, under the Open Government Licence. Ratings are quoted exactly as Ofsted gave them, with their dates. Read the full Ofsted reports · How we put this together.

All childcare in Cheltenham