The Anchor Nursery and Preschool
Good★ 5.0 on GoogleBirth to 8+Long established
A day nursery in Huntingdon for babies from 3 months up to school age, open 08:00 to 18:00, 5 days a week. They do not publish prices, so that is the first thing to ask. Rated Good by Ofsted in May 2023. Open since 2020, with 48 places.
What it costs
Prices change without notice. Treat these as what to ask about, not a quote.
What childcare usually costs in Cambridgeshire
This is not this setting's price. It is the median hourly fee across all providers in Cambridgeshire 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
PE28 2NHWhat 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.
- 25 September 2025 — Concern: actions taken what Ofsted published
- 14 June 2024 — Concern: actions taken what Ofsted published
Ofsted inspector, 12 May 2023 · read the full report
What it is like to attend
Children arrive confidently, separating from their parent or carer cheerfully. Staff greet children warmly and by name. They know children well and chat with them as they stow their belongings and walk to their room. Staff understand that children need to feel safe and secure before they are ready to learn. They create a welcoming and friendly environment, where each child is valued. Children settle quickly and build strong bonds with their key person and all staff.
Building on what they know about children, staff follow children's lead and interests in play. They adapt the available resources well to ensure children's individual and emerging interests are met. This helps to capture children's attention and leads to sustained interactions with staff, who place a high priority on building children's communication and language skills. Children gain increasing confidence to articulate their ideas and thoughts. Staff encourage them to speculate and try out their ideas. Children as young as two guess that sand may be causing the texture of the paint to feel bumpy. Pre-school children demonstrate a secure understanding of previous learning. They explain the consequences of leaving taps running and why they need to wash their hands. Children routinely hear staff use a rich vocabulary and this is reflected in their discussions. They eagerly describe what happens when they mix colours, knowledgeably using words, such as combined and merged.
What Ofsted told them to improve
To further improve the quality of the early years provision, the provider should:
- help staff to enhance interactions with children to promote an accurate understanding of the information that they introduce.
- 12 May 2023Good
- 16 November 2022Inadequate
Rated Good or Outstanding at 1 of the last 2 graded inspections.
Still missing for The Anchor Nursery and Preschool
- What it costs
- Funded hours
- 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.
- 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.
Day nurseries within a couple of miles
This one is first. Tick it and one or two others to see them side by side.