University of Cumbria Pre-School Centre
GoodBirth to 5Open for decades
A day nursery in Lancaster 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 They do not publish prices, so that is the first thing to ask.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 November 2023. Open since 2001, with 86 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 Lancashire
This is not this setting's price. It is the median hourly fee across all providers in Lancashire 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
LA1 3JDWhat 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, 7 November 2023 · read the full report
What it is like to attend
Children are excited to come to this setting. They are greeted warmly by nurturing staff, who know them well. Children demonstrate that they feel happy and safe.
Staff provide a range of exciting learning experiences indoors, outdoors and in the forest-school area. These fuel children's imagination. For example, children dance with delight as they make images of fireworks outdoors by squirting paint and water onto the black tarmac. Staff tune in to children's interests and build their knowledge and understanding from these. They know children well and understand what they need to learn next. As a result, children make good progress in all areas of learning.
Children use good manners and understand the setting's rules. They play well together and generally take turns effectively. If children have disagreements, staff sensitively talk with them about ways to resolve their differences. Children are becoming independent learners who access activities and resources for themselves.
What Ofsted told them to improve
To further improve the quality of the early years provision, the provider should:
- focus more precisely on the implementation of plans for curriculum development that help to raise the quality of education.
- 7 November 2023Good
- 23 November 2017Outstanding
- 8 December 2014Good
Rated Good or Outstanding at 3 of the last 3 graded inspections.
Still missing for University of Cumbria Pre-School Centre
- 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.