The Cygnets Milton Pre-School
GoodTakes funded hoursBirth to 5Long established
A day nursery in Cambridge for from 2 years up to 5 year olds, open 08:00 to 17:30, 5 days a week. They take the funded hours. They do not publish prices, so ask. Rated Good by Ofsted in September 2023. Open since 2015, with 45 places.
What it costs
Prices change without notice. Treat these as what to ask about, not a quote.
Funded hours
15 hours funded childcare for eligible 2-year-olds; 15 hours funded childcare for all 3 and 4-year-olds; Up to 30 hours funded childcare for eligible working families with children from 9 months to school age.
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
CB24 6DLWhat 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, 27 September 2023 · read the full report
What it is like to attend
Children arrive happy in this welcoming pre-school. They are eager to start their day and enthusiastically greet staff who respond warmly to them. Children settle quickly at their chosen activity and are keen to explore. They confidently access resources and equipment to investigate a range of stimulating experiences that staff plan. For example, children engage in conversation with staff about various herbs, staff teach them to touch the leaves to release the scent and to snip the leaves with scissors, which they combine to create sensory dough.
Children behave well and listen to staff. They follow simple instructions and enjoy having responsibility for small tasks, such as collecting equipment for friends and watering the garden. Children are keen to do things for themselves. For instance, they self-serve their snack from a variety of healthy options and tidy and wash their dishes when they finish. Children learn to take turns and share equipment.
They form friendships with their peers and seek each other out to share ideas and experiences. Children thoroughly enjoy playing outside, and they have ample opportunity to gain increasing control of their physical movements. For example, they confidently use climbing equipment under staff's supervision and develop their skills as they negotiate space on balance bicycles.
What Ofsted told them to improve
To further improve the quality of the early years provision, the provider should:
- improve the organisation of group times and adult-led activities to ensure that all children are highly engaged and focused.
- 27 September 2023Good
- 14 December 2017Good
- 21 February 2017Needs improvement
Rated Good or Outstanding at 2 of the last 3 graded inspections.
Still missing for The Cygnets Milton Pre-School
- 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.
Day nurseries within a couple of miles
This one is first. Tick it and one or two others to see them side by side.