The Avenue Nursery Dronfield
GoodTakes funded hoursBirth to 8+Long established
A day nursery in Dronfield for from 2 years up to school age, open 8am to 6pm. £8.25 an hour, and they take the funded hours. Rated Good by Ofsted in October 2022. Open since 2014, with 48 places.
What it costs
Prices change without notice. Treat these as what to ask about, not a quote.
Cost per hour · £8.25 ·
One published rate. What you pay depends on the days you need and the funded hours you can claim.
Funded hours
Local Authority Early Years Entitlement.
Worth knowing. The only stipulation on funded hours is that 15 hours must be taken over at least 2 days and 30 hours over at least 3 days. Funded hours can be taken between 7:45am and 5:30pm, on Monday to Friday, and during term time only.
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
S18 2LRWhat 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, 6 October 2022 · read the full report
What it is like to attend
Children are happy and settled at this vibrant and welcoming nursery. They develop close bonds with the caring staff and show that they feel very safe and secure. Younger children go to staff for a reassuring cuddle, and older children readily turn to staff when they need help undoing their lunch boxes. Children respond positively to the high expectations of staff. They are active, curious and keen learners. Older children practise counting objects. They display resilience and resolutely try again if they get the wrong number. Younger children show a keen interest in literacy. They happily look at books independently and share stories with adults.
Children are independent, well behaved and choose their own play. They enjoy exploring play dough and learn to roll and shape the play dough in different ways to make a face. Children play in the well-resourced garden. They acquire early writing skills as they make marks in the sand pit, develop their imagination as they explore the mud kitchen, and improve their gross motor skills as they ride on tricycles. Children show curiosity as they explore the natural world. They examine slugs and worms using magnifying glasses and talk about what they can see.
What Ofsted told them to improve
To further improve the quality of the early years provision, the provider should:
- deploy staff consistently so that their time is spent with children and their focus is on children's learning n develop staff interactions to provide greater support for children's communication and language skills as they play and learn.
- 6 October 2022Good
- 6 October 2016Outstanding
Rated Good or Outstanding at 2 of the last 2 graded inspections.
Still missing for The Avenue Nursery Dronfield
- 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 £8.25 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.
- 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.