Windacre Pre-School

Two pet donkeys, Bob and Brian, and a mascot who spends weekends with children give Windacre Pre-School a character of its own. Caring for animals and sharing stories about Rainbow Ted sit alongside practical independence: pouring drinks, managing coats and helping with meals. These are small experiences with a clear purpose, giving children something to do for themselves and something to talk about together.

At its 18 March 2024 inspection, Ofsted rated Windacre Outstanding overall and across education, behaviour, personal development and leadership. The detail behind that judgement matters: children investigated materials, older children experimented with volcanoes, and staff used questions to extend their thinking. This is a setting where everyday play can become a conversation about how things work.

Windacre has 21 places in total and operates from Windacre House on Mather Road in Bury. Its two main rooms separate younger children from those preparing for school, with two outdoor areas extending the space for play. Flexible session arrangements accompany opening hours of 7.30am to 6pm, Monday to Friday, across 51 weeks of the year.

Rooms and Ages

The under two’s room combines sensory exploration with areas for books, construction, water, sand and pretend domestic play, while singing, dancing and pouring drinks introduce communication and independence. The emphasis is on sensory exploration, early independence and activities adapted to individual interests. Activities are adapted around individual interests through observations and information from parents.

For children aged two to four, the over two’s room combines daily role play, movement, music and messy activities with opportunities to use ICT and take part in PE, while children practise managing their shoes and coats. Preparation for school is woven into ordinary tasks. Being able to organise clothing or join an activity matters alongside the more recognisable early literacy work.

The 21 places are a whole-setting capacity, not a room size.

Learning and Activities

The Early Years Foundation Stage (EYFS) provides the required foundation: children learn through play, with activities supporting language, physical development, relationships, early literacy and mathematics, creativity and understanding their surroundings. Staff observe what children can do, plan experiences and identify their next steps. That gives play an educational purpose while keeping the child’s interests relevant to the planning.

Letters and Sounds develops speaking and listening during the final year before school, preparing children for reading and writing in Reception alongside everyday conversations and role play.

In March 2024, older children made model volcanoes erupt and learnt vocabulary associated with the experiment, including eruption and chemical reaction. Younger children explored materials through touch. Staff adjusted their involvement to the child, using questions to stretch those ready for a greater challenge. The contrast is useful: a shared interest in exploring does not require everyone to undertake the same activity.

Rainbow Ted brings learning between home and nursery. Children take the mascot home at weekends, then talk with friends about what they did together. It creates a familiar starting point for recounting experiences and listening to someone else’s account. Parents also have a concrete way to contribute something from home to the nursery conversation.

Outdoor and Community Life

The two outdoor areas are used daily, with a mud kitchen, a minibeast area, bikes and two Wendy houses giving children different ways to explore and play. Digging and climbing add physical activity; the pretend-play spaces offer another setting for conversation and shared games. Caring for Bob and Brian adds an animal-care experience to this outdoor provision.

Regular outings take children into the surrounding area, including parks and shops. In March 2024, community experiences also included library visits, bus journeys and singing with residents at a local residential home. These were opportunities to encounter places and people beyond nursery, rather than treating learning as something confined to the rooms and garden.

Relationships and Communication

Each child has a key person who acts as the daily contact for parents and attends to their individual needs. This gives families an identifiable person with whom to exchange information, rather than relying only on a general handover. Observations and planning draw on the partnership with parents, so experiences at home can help shape what happens next at nursery.

Termly reports provide a fuller account of development, and parents’ evenings offer individual discussions with the key person. The combination serves different purposes: daily feedback deals with the immediate day, while a scheduled conversation allows more time to consider progress and next steps. Tracking systems help staff identify areas requiring further attention.

In March 2024, information from parents was being incorporated into learning opportunities, with nursery experiences extending what families had shared. Children also took responsibility for practical jobs, including preparing tables and tidying. Clear routines gave these tasks a place in the day. Independence was something children practised, rather than simply an aspiration adults held for them.

Inclusion and Wellbeing

At the March 2024 inspection, Ofsted judged safeguarding effective and found that the curriculum supported exceptional progress from children’s different starting points. Current staff arrangements include safeguarding training, food hygiene training and paediatric first aid qualifications.

In March 2024, children with severe allergies or dietary requirements used their own smaller serving dishes so they could participate in serving food. The important detail is participation: adapting the arrangement allowed children to practise the same independence as their friends. Families managing allergies should discuss how that approach applies to their child during a visit.

Moving on to school receives practical attention. Teachers visit the nursery, and staff complete transition reports when children are preparing to leave for Reception. Combined with Letters and Sounds and the older room’s everyday independence work, this gives the receiving teacher information about the child and makes preparation broader than early reading alone.

Sessions and Attendance

Windacre opens Monday to Friday, from 7.30am to 6pm, for 51 weeks each year. It offers flexible sessions. The opening window describes when the nursery operates; the agreed session arrangement determines a child’s attendance within it.

Visits can be made through an open-door policy, with appointments recommended so a manager can conduct the tour. Enquiries can be submitted through the contact form or by calling 0161 764 3339. This provides a direct route for arranging a visit and discussing the nursery’s flexible attendance model.

Getting There

The address is Windacre Pre-School, Windacre House, Mather Road, Bury, BL9 6RB.

Funding and Paid Extras

Funded places are offered for three- and four-year-olds, alongside places for children qualifying for two-year-old funding; terms and conditions apply to the session arrangements. Private daily rates are also offered, with current prices supplied in the nursery’s written quotation. The parent information and fees page sets out the payment structure.

Breakfast, lunch, high tea and drinks are included in the cost. A deposit equivalent to one week’s fees is retained to cover the final week, and payments are made by standing order in advance, either weekly or monthly. The deposit therefore serves a stated purpose at the end of attendance, while advance payments affect the family’s initial budgeting.

• Flexible attendance. Sessions are flexible within the weekday opening window. Which attendance arrangement would suit your child, and how would funded hours fit into it?
• Outdoor and animal care. Daily outdoor play and caring for Bob and Brian are part of Windacre’s offer. A visit is a useful opportunity to discuss how younger children take part in these experiences.
• Allergies and food charges. Meals and drinks are included in the cost, and children with dietary requirements participated in self-serving during March 2024. Confirm current allergy practice and the treatment of meals and consumables within your proposed funded arrangement.

Windacre suits families seeking flexible sessions and a nursery day built around exploration, conversation and increasing independence. Rainbow Ted, Bob and Brian, daily outdoor play and regular local outings give that day recognisable substance. Letters and Sounds and transition reports add a clear thread towards school.

The March 2024 Outstanding judgement carries weight because its examples connect teaching to what children actually did: experimenting, using more demanding vocabulary and taking responsibility for everyday tasks. For parents, the decision rests on how well the flexible attendance arrangements and this practical, outdoor emphasis match their child and family routine.