The Ark Pre-School Wantage
GoodTakes funded hoursBirth to 8+Long established
A day nursery in Wantage for children from birth to 8+, open 8am to 6pm. £6.00 an hour for 2 Year Olds, and they take the funded hours. Rated Good by Ofsted in June 2024. Open since 2016, with 24 places.
What it costs
Prices change without notice. Treat these as what to ask about, not a quote.
Term time only, 38 weeks a year.
| Age | Hourly | |
|---|---|---|
| 2 Year Olds2y to 3y | £6.00Additional non-funded sessions | |
| 3 to 4 Year Olds3y to 4y | £5.00Additional non-funded sessions |
Funded hours
All 3 to 4-year-olds in England can get 570 hours of free early education or childcare per year. This is usually taken as 15 hours each week for 38 weeks of the year. You may also be able to get up to 30 hours free childcare (1,140 hours per year) depending on your circumstances. Some 2-year-olds are also eligible for funding.
What childcare usually costs in Oxfordshire
This is not this setting's price. It is the median hourly fee across all providers in Oxfordshire 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
OX12 8BLWhat 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, 5 June 2024 · read the full report
What it is like to attend
Children enjoy taking part in a broad range of activities that are skilfully planned by the consistent and professional staff team. The routines embedded for children set clear boundaries, and children know what is happening throughout the day. The impact of this is that children behave extremely well.
Children become engrossed in their play and learning. They benefit from the strong focus on promoting their communication and language, becoming animated as they listen to stories and sing songs. Staff extend children's learning effectively as they introduce props to embed children's early counting.
The outside space is beautifully set out, and children are encouraged to take risks and seek challenge in their play. Guided by supportive staff, they confidently ask adults for help and feel secure in the knowledge that their needs will be met.
What Ofsted told them to improve
To further improve the quality of the early years provision, the provider should:
- refine further the curriculum planning for younger children to more consistently reflect the precisely targeted support provided for older children n enhance the arrangements to share information between the SENCo and children's key persons.
- 5 June 2024Good
- 4 July 2018Good
Rated Good or Outstanding at 2 of the last 2 graded inspections.
Still missing for The Ark Pre-School Wantage
- 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
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.
- Is £6.00 an hour still the rate? 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.
- 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.
Day nurseries within a couple of miles
This one is first. Tick it and one or two others to see them side by side.