Victoria Road Pre-school
GoodBirth to 5Open for decades
A pre-school in Reading for children from birth to 5, open 08:30 to 14:30, 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 They do not publish prices, so that is the first thing to ask.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 2001, with 36 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 Reading
This is not this setting's price. It is the median hourly fee across all providers in Reading 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
RG31 5ABWhat 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, 15 December 2023 · read the full report
What it is like to attend
Children are excited to come to this warm and caring pre-school. They are greeted by nurturing staff, who know them well. Children demonstrate that they feel happy and safe as they separate with ease from their parents and carers. Staff provide a range of exciting learning experiences indoors and outdoors. They provide children with real items to touch and smell, such as a small Christmas tree. This develops children's senses and promotes a conversation between the staff and children. Staff use these opportunities to introduce new words such as 'spikey'. This develops children's vocabulary.
Children behave very well in this pre-school and understand the routines well. Staff encourage children to be independent from the outset. For example, young children begin to fetch their coats ready for outside play and skilfully flip them over their head to put on. Older children wash their hands independently before they serve themselves snack. This helps prepare children for school.
The manager and staff have created an effective learning environment. Children have access to a good-quality curriculum which focus on children's social and emotional development. All children, including those with special educational needs and/or disabilities, are planned for effectively based around their interests and engagement. This helps children to develop a good attitude to learning.
What Ofsted told them to improve
To further improve the quality of the early years provision, the provider should:
- strengthen the planning of activities, so that teaching is successfully adapted to maximise the learning opportunities for every child n support staff to more consistently give children enough time to think and respond during conversations, to help further develop children's thinking skills.
- 15 December 2023Good
- 15 March 2018Good
- 29 March 2017Needs improvement
Rated Good or Outstanding at 2 of the last 3 graded inspections.
Still missing for Victoria Road 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.
Pre-schools within a couple of miles
This one is first. Tick it and one or two others to see them side by side.