St Matthews Playgroup
OutstandingBirth to 8+Open for decades
A pre-school in Kingsdown 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 They do not publish prices, so that is the first thing to ask.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 Outstanding by Ofsted in July 2021, though that is 5 years ago now. Open since 1992, with 36 places.
Places, hours and the day
Who they take, when they are open, and what a day there includes.
Where it is
BS6 5TBWhat 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, 7 July 2021 · read the full report
What it is like to attend
Children are extremely happy and secure. They eagerly arrive and are excited to see what activities are on offer. Staff provide an inspirational environment. The arrangement of resources and the activities available help to spark children's interests and motivate them to learn. The superb delivery of the curriculum helps children to develop excellent social skills. Children who speak English as an additional language are keen to speak, join in with stories and involve others in their play. Children engage extremely well in their learning and confidently remember what they have previously learned. For instance, they excitedly talk about their favourite stories and giggle as they remember what happens at the end. All children behave exceptionally well. They are highly respectful of each other, listen to each other's ideas and work remarkably well together to solve problems. Staff have high expectations for all of the children. They implement a curriculum that is inclusive and successfully meets all children's needs and interests. Staff use their knowledge of children's family backgrounds and previous experiences extremely well to tailor activities that help children to make rapid progress in their learning. For example, children enjoy stories and learn new vocabulary as the highly skilled staff use books in children's home languages to engage parents in sharing stories with them at home.
Due to the COVID-19 (coronavirus) pandemic, parents are not currently entering the playgroup. Staff recognise how this has an impact on children and parents.
They ensure they take time to speak to parents about their children's day as they drop off and collect their children. Parents are also welcomed in when the playgroup is closed to talk individually with staff about their children's progress.
- 7 July 2021Outstanding
- 8 July 2019Needs improvement
- 3 December 2015Outstanding
Rated Good or Outstanding at 2 of the last 3 graded inspections.
Still missing for St Matthews 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.