St Mary's Playgroup
GoodBirth to 8+Open for decades
A pre-school in Gloucester for children from birth to 8+, 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 They do not publish prices, so that is the first thing to ask.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 2024. Open since 1992, with 24 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
GL3 1HUWhat 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, 18 March 2024 · read the full report
What it is like to attend
Children are keen to attend this friendly and welcoming playgroup. Children are confident to separate from their parents and chat with staff and their friends, showing they feel safe and secure. Children show they know the routines and follow the rules of the group. They sit together and chat with staff while they get ready to go outside for their daily walk and physical play. Children line up, hold hands, and walk around the track together before going into the play area.
The manager has improved the curriculum since the last inspection. She knows what skills and knowledge she wants the children to gain to help them prepare for their move to school. Staff know the children well and monitor their progress carefully. They work with parents and outside professionals to put in place support where there are any possible gaps in children's development. All children make progress from their varying starting points and any gaps in children's learning are closing well overall.
Children show a positive attitude towards their learning and spend a long time engaged in activities. They persevere when peeling cabbage leaves and Brussel sprouts, when practising using screwdrivers and when colouring in their pictures.
What Ofsted told them to improve
To further improve the quality of the early years provision, the provider should:
- help staff use more effective questioning to give children more time to think and respond to extend their language even further n improve support for those children with possible gaps in their learning so it is tailored more closely to their individual needs to help them move on more quickly.
- 18 March 2024Good
- 19 April 2023Needs improvement
- 12 September 2017Good
Rated Good or Outstanding at 2 of the last 3 graded inspections.
Still missing for St Mary'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.