Sutton on the Hill Preschool
GoodTakes funded hoursBirth to 8+Open for decades
A pre-school in Ashbourne for from 2 years up to school age, open 09:00 to 15:00, 5 days a week. They take the funded hours. They do not publish prices, so ask. Rated Good by Ofsted in June 2021, though that is 5 years ago now. Open since 1973, with 26 places.
What it costs
Prices change without notice. Treat these as what to ask about, not a quote.
Funded hours
15 hrs of free funding for all 3-4 years olds.
What childcare usually costs in Derbyshire
This is not this setting's price. It is the median hourly fee across all providers in Derbyshire 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
DE6 5JAWhat 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, 30 June 2021 · read the full report
What it is like to attend
Children demonstrate that they are confident, happy and safe at the pre-school. As they arrive, they take off their jackets and place them on their pegs. They put their lunch boxes in a box and line up at the handwashing station. Children patiently wait their turn while chatting to their friends. They quickly engage in purposeful play and enjoy the range of activities set up. Children use the play dough and a selection of natural materials to create alien characters from their favourite story book. They use their developing mathematical skills to count and arrange small objects into groups of different sizes, colours and shapes.
Children understand what is expected of them and they behave well. They play together and cooperate. For example, they work in a group to make a train track.
Children ask staff to join in with their role play as they embark on a train journey to their favourite holiday destination.
What Ofsted told them to improve
To further improve the quality of the early years provision, the provider should:
- ensure that staff provide opportunities for children to develop the languages that they speak at home in order to support their communication skills n provide children with a rich set of experiences in order to promote their understanding of families and traditions beyond their own - ensure that staff adapt group activities so that all children remain fully engaged and supported.
- 30 June 2021Good
- 7 January 2020Needs improvement
- 23 October 2015Good
Rated Good or Outstanding at 2 of the last 3 graded inspections.
Still missing for Sutton on the Hill Preschool
- What it costs
- 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
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.
- What does it cost, all in? 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.