St. Philips Pre-School
GoodBirth to 8+Open for decades
A pre-school in Finchley 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 They do not publish prices, so that is the first thing to ask.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 January 2022. Open since 2004, with 30 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 Barnet
This is not this setting's price. It is the median hourly fee across all providers in Barnet 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
N3 3RJWhat 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, 12 January 2022 · read the full report
What it is like to attend
Children are happy to come into this warm and nurturing environment. They are all made to feel welcome and are greeted with smiles. Staff have good relationships with parents and take the time to speak with them, meaning the children transition from home to nursery with ease. Parents speak very highly of the staff at this setting. They are impressed with how well the children settle and how much their children want to come to nursery each day.
The environment is well organised and the children have good relationships with adults. When they need comfort or reassurance, they approach staff for cuddles.
Children enjoy a whole-group time each morning. All children are welcomed and they sing the 'I love you' song to their friends, smiling and joining in enthusiastically. Children are confident at singing and learning new songs. They are immersed in song throughout the day, with many opportunities to sing their own healthy eating song, familiar rhymes on the boat, or the alphabet song during small-group time.
What Ofsted told them to improve
To further improve the quality of the early years provision, the provider should: - provide more staff support to improve interactions, making sure that questioning and conversation extends learning and strengthens children's knowledge and understanding even further.
- 12 January 2022Good
- 20 September 2016Good
- 24 October 2012Good
Rated Good or Outstanding at 3 of the last 3 graded inspections.
Still missing for St. Philips Pre-School
- 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.