Ashdene Independent Pre-school

Three flower beds at The Temp community garden give Ashdene Independent Pre-school a practical connection to Wilmslow beyond its classrooms. Children tend the beds and watch their planted bulbs develop. Back at pre-school, two large classrooms and a spacious outdoor play area provide the setting for play, conversation and growing independence.

This is an independent, not-for-profit pre-school on the same site as Ashdene Primary School, with capacity for 48 children. The current day offer is aimed at children from two and a half to five. At its July 2022 inspection, Ofsted judged the provision Good, found safeguarding effective and reported good learning progress, including for children with special educational needs and/or disabilities (SEND).

Term-time attendance combines sessional and full-time places with breakfast and after-pre-school clubs. The important distinction is between the core pre-school day and the separately paid clubs around it.

Learning and Activities

Play provides the starting point for the EYFS, the framework covering children's communication, physical development, relationships and other areas of early learning. A key person observes each child's development and plans activities accordingly. Weekly planning responds to children's ages and stages, while termly and yearly plans give the learning a longer structure. For parents, that means children's interests can influence activities within a planned programme.

The phonics work uses letters and sounds, with listening and speaking developed through games and everyday play. Children drum with sticks outdoors, listen to instruments and clap the syllables of their names. A toy-based activity groups objects by their starting sounds; children who are ready can practise blending and separating sounds through purposeful writing, such as a shopping list. The progression starts with hearing differences, rather than rushing straight to written letters.

Bookstart rhyme challenge gives families a weekly rhyme to practise together. The Pre-School library lets children take books home and exchange them as often as they wish, keeping reading part of home life.

Outdoor and Community Life

The outdoor area is part of the ordinary play routine. Children can move between their room and outside, choosing from adult-planned activities and play they initiate themselves. This gives outdoor activity a place within the day, alongside classroom experiences.

At The Temp, caring for the flower beds gives children an ongoing task with changes to notice over time. Visits from the fire brigade, police community support officers and small animals bring other experiences into pre-school. The combination connects children's learning with growing things, animals and people whose work they can encounter locally.

Dance, Singing and Minisports are separately charged regular activities. The current costs schedule places Dance on Tuesday afternoons, Singing on Wednesday mornings and Minisports on Thursday afternoons. Families choosing particular sessions should consider how those activities fit their child's attendance, because the three offerings fall at different points in the week.

In July 2022, children used a large outdoor chalkboard for early writing and had room to run and climb. Counting and comparing objects' weights also featured in their day. These examples give substance to the older assessment: early literacy and mathematics were part of practical play, rather than confined to a table-based task.

Relationships and Communication

Parents can view photographs in an online learning book and share home interests to help their key person plan activities. Meetings and telephone conversations cover ways to support learning at home.

Borrow bags make that connection tangible. Each contains an activity linked to an area of learning, such as mark making or sounds, and the key person may send one home to support a child's development. Magic moments is the invitation for parents to share learning noticed during ordinary play and daily life. It gives families a way to contribute observations, rather than relying solely on scheduled discussions.

The daily routine includes small-group time with the key person and a rolling snack arrangement. Children choose when to join the snack table and receive help with tasks such as pouring drinks, peeling fruit and spreading butter. Independence is practised through manageable actions, with an adult alongside the children to support conversation and participation.

Inclusion and Wellbeing

SEND support involves identifying children's individual needs and working with parents and other agencies. This is a practical partnership mechanism, rather than a promise that every child will need the same support. Nappy changes and toilet-training reminders also sit within the routine, with changes made whenever needed as well as at the scheduled point.

In July 2022, reassurance included comforting children who were worried by a blender's noise during smoothie making. Work with The Colour Monster helped children talk about feelings and consider ways to comfort one another. The same visit identified a weakness around transitions: waiting for other children to finish lunch sometimes led to restlessness, and reducing unnecessary waiting was the improvement requested.

Current safeguarding arrangements include designated lead roles, regular staff training and enhanced DBS checks with update-service membership. Collection procedures require authorised adults to be recorded and a password supplied. These are concrete arrangements families can understand; the dated inspection judgement remains the assessment of effectiveness.

Sessions and Attendance

The address is Thoresway Road, Wilmslow, Cheshire, SK9 6LJ. Opening hours are 8am to 5pm during term time. The main pre-school window runs from 8.45am to 3.15pm, with sessional and full-time attendance offered. A breakfast club runs from 8am to 8.45am, and the after-pre-school club from 3.15pm to 5pm. These clubs extend attendance beyond the core day and are paid separately.

Registration uses a form returned by email or post and places a child on the holding list. Invoices are issued before each half term. Show-rounds can be booked by telephone; enquiries go to info@ashdenepreschool.com. Staff roles include practitioners, a senior supervisor, office administration and lunch cover.

Funding and Paid Extras

Funded childcare includes the universal entitlement for three- and four-year-olds from the term following their third birthday, eligible working-parent funding and funding for eligible two-year-olds from non-working families. Delivery is term-time, and funded hours apply only to the core sessions between 8.45am and 3.15pm. Eligibility for a funding entitlement does not change the pre-school's admission age.

Snacks are included in paid core-session charges, with snack charges alongside funded attendance; Dance, Singing and Minisports also have activity charges. Before- and after-pre-school clubs are payable, and families who would struggle with additional charges can discuss the fully funded core-session arrangement. Current prices come in the nursery's written quotation, with the times and costs page setting out the charge structure.

At some points in the year, children can eat in the school canteen, choosing a hot school meal or bringing a packed lunch from home. The shared site offers an opportunity to become familiar with that setting, but attending pre-school does not guarantee a Reception place; families still use the local authority admissions process.

Getting There

Families are asked to avoid parking on Thoresway Road beside the school's main entrance, where pedestrian traffic becomes busy at peak times. Considerate parking around the site matters for neighbours and for children's visibility when crossing.

• Term-time attendance and paid extensions. Funded hours cover the core day, while breakfast and after-pre-school clubs are payable. At a show-round, discuss how sessional or full-time attendance would fit your week and which activities your child would attend.
• Lunch transitions. In July 2022, waiting at lunchtime sometimes unsettled children. Ask how lunch and changes between activities are organised now, especially if your child finds waiting difficult.
• Registration terms. The admissions and times-and-costs pages give different registration-payment arrangements. Obtain one written breakdown of the payment, administration element and refund conditions before registering.
• Starting age and personal care. The day offer starts at two and a half, while funded entitlement information also covers younger children. Discuss your child's proposed start date, settling arrangements and the items you should supply for personal care.

Ashdene suits families seeking term-time sessional attendance as well as those wanting a full-time pre-school pattern with breakfast or afternoon extensions. Its appeal rests on concrete habits: tending beds at The Temp, taking library books and borrow bags home, and practising independence during the day.

The July 2022 Good judgement provides a dated assessment of quality, with lunchtime waiting the clear improvement point. For a family comfortable with term-time care and the separation between funded core sessions and paid additions, this is a practical, community-connected choice.