Toybox Pre-School
Good★ 4.4 on GoogleBirth to 5Open for decades
A pre-school in Castle Cary 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 They do not publish prices, so that is the first thing to ask.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 October 2023. Open since 1997, 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 Somerset
This is not this setting's price. It is the median hourly fee across all providers in Somerset 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
BA7 7JJWhat 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 October 2023 · read the full report
What it is like to attend
Children arrive happy and settle quickly. The well-planned curriculum ensures they are inquisitive to find out what activities are available that day. Staff enable children to make decisions and choose if they wish to join adult-led activities. For example, half the children decide to go to the communal garden, where they gain an important sense of being part of their community. They recall what the plants need to be able to grow and enjoy filling their watering cans to give the roots water. Back at the pre-school, children are invited to look at the produce they picked, and all the children eagerly engage. Children extend their knowledge and vocabulary, learning the names of more unusual vegetables, such as chard and kale. Staff help children to describe the differences they notice and consider what might have made the holes in the leaves. Even the youngest children are fascinated.
Through effective teaching, children learn about cause and effect. For example, young children explore how far toy cars roll on a slope. Older children describe how the wind blows their hair and say that dry leaves are crunchy and that when they walk downhill, they speed up. Staff engage with children successfully to support their language development. They narrate children's actions, repeat mispronounced words and role model new vocabulary.
What Ofsted told them to improve
To further improve the quality of the early years provision, the provider should:
- deepen older children's understanding of possible risks and how to manage them for themselves n extend the partnerships with other settings children attend when gaining information on children's starting points.
- 11 October 2023Good
- 6 March 2018Good
- 15 December 2014Good
Rated Good or Outstanding at 3 of the last 3 graded inspections.
Still missing for Toybox Pre-School
- 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.