Bollington Pre-School

A water wall, guinea pigs and a mud kitchen give Bollington Pre-School a recognisable outdoor character. This charitable, community-based setting combines play in its own grounds with experiences around Bollington, from the library to the recreation ground. Its appeal is concrete: children can build, plant, explore and encounter the neighbourhood beyond their usual play space.

At its 27 April 2022 inspection, Ofsted rated the pre-school Good, judged safeguarding effective and highlighted exceptionally strong support for children with special educational needs and/or disabilities (SEND). Those judgements belong to that visit; a later compliance finding about delayed notification of a serious accident is an important separate consideration for families.

Based at Water Street Centre, the pre-school takes children aged two to five and has capacity for 73 children in total. Attendance is term-time only, with morning and afternoon sessions that can be combined with breakfast and after-school care.

Rooms and Ages

Little Explorers is a named room: in September 2021, its home corner was being refreshed with everyday objects to encourage exploration and imaginative play.

In April 2022, children could also use a sensory room as a quieter place to unwind, while children of different ages shared outdoor play. Younger children had opportunities to learn alongside older children, giving the outdoor space a social role as well as a physical one.

Learning and Activities

The Early Years Foundation Stage (EYFS) sets out children's learning, development and care. Daily activities support learning through play, using resources, interaction with other children and adult support; observations help staff identify areas needing further attention.

Small-group activities are a daily part of preschool children's experience, with an emphasis on listening, sustaining attention and waiting for a turn. These are practical skills for joining conversations and participating in shared activities.

In March 2026, shadow play gave children a direct way to investigate the relationship between sunlight and movement. They watched their shadows change as they moved. A lamb visit in May 2025 offered a different kind of learning: children encountered a young animal, talked about life cycles and practised handwashing alongside careful handling.

Outdoor and Community Life

Outdoor play has substance here. Children can choose where to play through a free-flow arrangement, and the grounds include a climbing wall, bicycles, a den-building area and planting space. A quiet reading area offers another pace. These different spaces allow physical movement, construction and calmer activity to sit alongside one another.

My Nature Play, a programme by Learning through Landscapes, was introduced in April 2026 to help develop the outdoor spaces and staff practice in nature-based play. The accompanying outdoor improvement project seeks a greener, wildlife-friendly area, including plants and sensory planting. This is development work, rather than a claim that every proposed change is complete.

Community experiences extend the setting's play beyond its grounds. Outings include the Library, the fire station and local schools; in September 2024, children visited Bellfield’s bakery and the canal. During another outing that month, Little Explorers played football and explored woodland at The Rec before returning to a related story. The connection between an outing and a book gives the experience something to build on afterwards.

Seasonal activities also have tangible content. For VE Day in May 2025, children made bunting, prepared sandwiches and cakes, and used the water play area for pretend tea pouring. In November 2025, a visit to the Cenotaph involved laying children's own wreaths and discussing remembrance.

Relationships and Communication

Starting is organised around a Stay & Play session, when a child can explore the setting and their parent can meet the key person. That gives the relationship a beginning before regular attendance starts. The key person then observes interests and play, plans activities around development and acts as the family's main contact.

Tapestry is the system used to share children's experiences and record their learning. It brings together photographs, written observations, drawings, assessments and next steps, with space for parents' comments and experiences from home. Communication can therefore connect what happens at pre-school with what matters to a child elsewhere.

Practical independence receives attention too. In April 2022, children were putting on their coats and washing their hands themselves. School preparation also appeared in a June 2023 role-play area where children explored different uniforms ahead of visits to their new schools. The useful emphasis is on familiarity and everyday skills, rather than an admissions advantage.

Inclusion and Wellbeing

In April 2022, the SEND coordinator undertook training and worked with outside professionals and agencies, while staff identified children who needed additional help.

That same April, younger children's mealtimes were an area needing improvement: staff did not consistently use those routines to extend toddlers' conversation and social interaction. For parents of a two-year-old, the point is specific. Care routines can also be learning opportunities, and the quality of adult conversation during them matters.

Current arrangements include a safeguarding lead and deputy, paediatric first-aid training for all staff, and a lead responsible for health, safety and food hygiene. These are roles and training arrangements. Ofsted's compliance outcome dated 15 May 2026 records that the regulatory visit on 14 May found the provider's notification on 5 March of a serious accident to a child had missed the required timescale; the provider remained registered.

Sessions and Attendance

The address is Water Street Centre, Water Street, Bollington, SK10 5PB. Opening hours are 8am to 5pm, Monday to Friday, during term time, so this is an attendance model that follows term-time care rather than covering school holidays.

Breakfast club runs from 8am to 9am, the morning session from 9am to noon, and the afternoon session from noon to 3pm. After-school care runs from 3pm to 5pm. Families can combine sessions to fit their requirements.

Ad hoc bookings are also possible, subject to availability. Enquiries can be made by telephone on 01625 400 128 or by email at info@bollingtonpreschool.org.uk.

Funding and Paid Extras

Government-funded hours can be used across all sessions. The entitlements offered include 30 hours a week for eligible working families from age two to school age, 15 hours for two-year-olds whose families receive additional support, and 15 hours for all three- and four-year-olds. Delivery is term-time, and eligibility conditions still apply to the relevant entitlement.

Hours booked beyond funded entitlement are paid separately. Snacks attract a separate charge during breakfast club, morning and after-school sessions, including funded attendance, with the option of sending a snack from home instead; children staying for lunch bring a packed lunch, and the lunchbox policy asks families to avoid nuts and nut products.

Parents also supply spare nappies and named sun cream. Spare clothes, wellington boots and a sun hat also come from home. Current prices come in the nursery's written quotation.

• Accident notification. The compliance outcome dated 15 May 2026 concerns delayed notification of a serious accident. Ask how the notification process has changed and how accidents are communicated to families.
• Conversation during toddler routines. In April 2022, staff missed opportunities at mealtimes to help toddlers converse and interact with others. During a visit, ask how staff now use lunch and other care routines to encourage conversation.
• Term-time attendance. Morning, afternoon and surrounding sessions can be combined, but the setting is term-time only. Families needing care in school holidays will need an arrangement that covers those periods.
• Food and allergies. Lunch comes from home, while charged snacks can be replaced with a family's own snack. Allergy-affected families should confirm current snack and lunchbox practice, including how individual needs are managed.

Bollington Pre-School suits families seeking morning or afternoon preschool attendance, as well as those combining sessions with breakfast and after-school care. Its outdoor resources, local outings and daily small-group work give children several ways to explore, practise independence and participate with others.

The key-person arrangement and Tapestry provide concrete routes for parent communication. The April 2022 quality judgement is useful historical context, but the May 2026 notification finding deserves direct discussion before joining. For families comfortable with term-time care and packed lunches, there is a clear practical offer to assess alongside those care questions.