The Reddings Playgroup
GoodBirth to 5Open for decades
A pre-school in Cheltenham for children from birth to 5, open sessions in term time, often mornings. They do not publish prices, so that is the first thing to ask. Rated Good by Ofsted in November 2024. Open since 2000, with 32 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 Gloucestershire
This is not this setting's price. It is the median hourly fee across all providers in Gloucestershire 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
GL51 6RFWhat 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 November 2024 · read the full report
What it is like to attend
Children are warmly welcomed into the playgroup by the kind and caring staff, who know the children and their families well. The children quickly settle into their chosen play. Each day, staff prepare the learning environment around children's individual needs and the curriculum intentions. They place a strong focus on supporting skills for future learning, such as promoting children's independence and communication and language skills.
Children enjoy looking at books and display positive attitudes during group story sessions. Staff provide children with individual mats to sit on. This helps them to sit comfortably and supports their listening and attention skills. Staff engage them in meaningful discussions as they explore the illustrations in the book. Children recall the story and make connections with their play. They quickly recognise that the gingerbread man's buttons match the colours of traffic lights.
As children grow in independence, staff encourage them to take on small responsibilities. They learn healthy habits, such as washing their hands before snack time. Children collect their plates and cups before sitting down at the table.
What Ofsted told them to improve
To further improve the quality of the early years provision, the provider should:
- support staff to plan even more precise next steps for children's learning to help them make the best possible progress in their learning and development n build on procedures for monitoring the quality of the provision to ensure recent improvements are sustained and the playgroup continues to develop, ensuring the best possible outcomes for children.
- 27 November 2024Good
- 28 February 2024Needs improvement
- 18 April 2018Good
Rated Good or Outstanding at 2 of the last 3 graded inspections.
Still missing for The Reddings Playgroup
- 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.
Pre-schools within a couple of miles
This one is first. Tick it and one or two others to see them side by side.