The Old Fire Station Nursery
GoodBirth to 5Long established
A day nursery in Reading for children from birth to 5, 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 They do not publish prices, so that is the first thing to ask.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 December 2023. Open since 2017, with 26 places.
What you might pay
This setting does not publish its fees, and no national dataset holds them. This is what childcare costs across the council, as a starting point for the call.
What childcare usually costs in West Berkshire
This is not this setting's price. It is the median hourly fee across all providers in West Berkshire 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
RG7 5ESWhat 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, 11 December 2023 · read the full report
What it is like to attend
Leaders place a strong focus on building children's personal, social and emotional well-being. Staff warmly greet children into the nursery. Children are eager to see their friends and tell staff about their home and family life. Children are listened to and taught how to value, love and respect themselves and others. Children develop strong bonds and trusting relationships with staff. This helps them to settle well, feel safe and secure, and develop a positive attitude towards learning.
Staff provide children with a wide range of learning experiences that promote their overall development. Staff know children well and plan specific activities that target children's learning. All children make good progress from their starting points.
Babies and very young children are supported to be independent in their feeding and show good self-help skills in relation to their age. Older children enjoy learning about numbers, quantities and addition through creative activities. For example, children delight in selecting the correct number of items to complete their snowman and understand that they need two more pompoms to add to the six they have to make eight. Leaders understand the importance of supporting children's love for stories, books and fairy tales.
What Ofsted told them to improve
To further improve the quality of the early years provision, the provider should:
- support staff to communicate clear expectations for children's behaviour to help them understand what is expected of them and to create a calm environment for learning.
- 11 December 2023Good
- 5 September 2019Good
- 30 November 2018Needs improvement
Rated Good or Outstanding at 2 of the last 3 graded inspections.
Still missing for The Old Fire Station Nursery
- What it costs
- Funded hours
- 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
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.
- 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.