Waterbeach Community Playgroup
GoodTakes funded hours★ 5.0 on GoogleBirth to 5Open for decades
A pre-school in Cambridge for from 2 years up to 5 year olds, open 09:00 to 15:00, 5 days a week. £8.00 an hour for 2 years, and they take the funded hours. Rated Good by Ofsted in January 2025. Open since 1992, with 26 places.
What it costs
Prices change without notice. Treat these as what to ask about, not a quote.
Minimum 2 days a week, price list dated 2026-27.
| Age | Hourly | |
|---|---|---|
| 2 years2y to 3y | £8.00Children aged 2 years | |
| 3 years and over3y to 5y | £7.00Children aged 3 years and over |
Before you start
One-off charges to take a place.
- £7.00 Book bag
- £9.00 T-shirt
- £14.00 Sweatshirts
Where this came from
The outlined line is the one the price was taken from.
Funded hours
15 and 30hrs funding accepted; All children qualify for Cambridgeshire County Council Early Years Funding from the term commencing after their third birthday. This provides 15 hours of funding per child. For eligible families, we also offer 30 funded hours under the Extended Entitlement. Some families may be entitled to claim 15 hours funding from the term following their child’s 2nd birthday too.
Worth knowing. We do not charge for any activities or for snack, nor do we charge top-up fees on funded sessions. We do ask families to provide packed-lunches, nappies, wipes and sun-cream for their child.
What childcare usually costs in Cambridgeshire
This is not this setting's price. It is the median hourly fee across all providers in Cambridgeshire 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
CB25 9JUWhat 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, 9 January 2025 · read the full report
What it is like to attend
This is a friendly and welcoming setting. Staff work with parents to support children settle in. They warmly greet and engage with children as soon as they arrive. This helps children to settle quickly to their play. Staff follow children's interests when planning their learning environment. They set up an inviting environment with a range of interesting learning opportunities each morning. Children also choose to add their own resources. This enhances their engagement and concentration.
Children are confident to engage in a wide variety of activities. Children from disadvantaged backgrounds make good progress with their development.
Staff develop close relationships with their key children. Children eagerly approach staff to play with them. The setting implements a flexible routine. This helps children to feel emotionally safe and secure. Staff manage children's behaviour positively. They support children to understand the boundaries of the setting.
What Ofsted told them to improve
To further improve the quality of the early years provision, the provider should:
- guide staff to support children's developing independence consistently n consider developing the reading area so children are motivated to access books by themselves.
- 9 January 2025Good Safeguarding: Yes
- 13 March 2019Good
- 9 July 2015Good
Rated Good or Outstanding at 3 of the last 3 graded inspections.
Run this setting? Claim this page and keep these details right.
What to ask them
Some of this is above, from the setting or from parents, and it can go out of date. The rest is in no dataset anywhere. Either way it is worth ten minutes on the phone.
- Is £8.00 an hour still the rate? What is on top: meals, nappies, late pick-up, and what happens if you are late.
- How do you apply my funded hours? Whether they stretch them over the year, and the minimum days you have to book.
- Do you have a place for a child of my age now? 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.