Chapel Grange Montessori Nursery

Real plates, shared serving duties and children helping to clear the table give Chapel Grange Montessori Nursery a practical character. Everyday responsibilities form part of its Montessori Practical Life curriculum: children participate in the work of mealtimes rather than simply waiting to be served. For parents who value growing independence, that is a concrete expression of the approach.

At its January 2024 inspection, Ofsted rated the nursery Good and judged its safeguarding arrangements effective. The setting has capacity for 32 children and accepts ages 12 to 59 months, at Chapelstead on Dean Row Road in Wilmslow. Its scale and emphasis on everyday tasks are useful starting points for families considering the nursery, alongside the improvement priorities discussed below.

Three day patterns run from an 8am start, with finishes at 4pm, 5pm or 6pm.

Learning and Activities

The early years foundation stage sets the requirements for children's learning, development and care. Here, the January 2024 examples included listening to stories, handling small objects, pouring water and exploring animals outdoors: play and daily routines supplied opportunities to practise language, movement and independence.

Montessori Practical Life adds a clear current example. Children organise table settings, use real crockery, serve one another and help with clearing up. These are purposeful tasks with an immediate result. They also make the social side of eating part of the day, with children taking responsibility for themselves and their companions.

In January 2024, Grace and Courtesy meant learning considerate behaviour and taking responsibility for shared routines. Children chose daily jobs and helped put chairs away after meals. The appeal is straightforward: being helpful has a visible place in nursery life, rather than being confined to reminders about behaviour.

Books and hands-on materials also featured in January 2024. Children requested stories, while books representing home languages were part of the provision. Younger children handled rice and dry pasta; pouring coloured water between jugs supplied another practical activity. These examples show the detail beneath the Montessori name, including opportunities to listen, manipulate objects and make choices.

Outdoor and Community Life

In January 2024, outdoor experiences connected learning with nearby farm animals. Children saw chickens and a cockerel and counted sheep in a farmer's field. These experiences gave children opportunities to observe animals directly and practise counting.

Large outdoor apparatus gave older children opportunities to climb in January 2024. The balance across ages needed attention, however: younger children and babies had fewer opportunities to build coordination and strength through movement. That distinction matters for parents choosing care for the youngest children, rather than judging the outdoor offer solely by what older children could do.

Everyday routines were recognisable to children in January 2024. Younger children moved to the sleep room after lunch, and children used a mirror when cleaning their faces. Older children reminded younger companions about running outdoors. Rest, self-care and shared expectations were woven into the day.

Independence extended to eating in January 2024, when children helped themselves to breakfast and dealt with their plates after lunch. The current Practical Life arrangements continue to give mealtimes a clear educational purpose. This makes care and learning closely connected through ordinary tasks.

Communication needs a more qualified assessment. In January 2024, parents received developmental updates, but information that would help them extend learning at home was not shared consistently. Staff training also needed sharper attention to individual development and to putting curriculum intentions into practice. During some group activities, plans were insufficiently adjusted to individual children's needs, leaving some children less engaged.

A further January 2024 finding concerned a significant event that had not been notified to the regulator as required; the failure had no effect on children's welfare, safety or learning. These points belong alongside the Good judgement, rather than disappearing behind it.

Sessions and Attendance

The address is Chapelstead, Dean Row Road, Wilmslow, SK9 2BU. Since January 2026, the attendance choices are School Day A, 8am to 4pm; School Day B, 8am to 5pm; and Full Day, 8am to 6pm. The different finishes provide a practical choice between a shorter day and later collection.

The nursery operates across the year, with a Christmas closure lasting one week. That closure week is uncharged, while bank holidays are chargeable. Absence through illness or holidays does not reduce fees, so families should consider the cost of their booked pattern across the year, rather than only the days attended.

Funding and Paid Extras

Funded childcare includes working-parent funding, universal funding for children aged three and four, and support for eligible two-year-olds. The 30-hour entitlement is stretched to 22 funded hours weekly across the year; the universal 15-hour entitlement becomes 11 hours weekly. Entitlement hours and the length of a booked day are separate considerations: additional hours are paid privately.

Food and hygiene supplies are covered by a separate Essentials and Extras charge, including on private and combined funded/private attendance. On funded attendance, families can opt out under the fully funded Monday and Friday arrangement and supply their own meals and hygiene items instead. Opt-outs are chosen termly, require 30 days' notice before the term begins, and cannot be alternated between opt-in and opt-out days.

The nursery's in-house service supplies freshly prepared food, sometimes incorporating produce grown by children. Families using packed meals must follow its food policy and send insulated bags with freezer blocks, because food cannot be refrigerated or reheated at nursery.

The opt-out hygiene bag includes nappies or pull-ups, wipes, gloves, aprons, nappy bags, nappy cream and seasonal sun cream; missing supplies attract an additional charge. The usual Essentials and Extras package also covers activities and Montessori equipment, while the opt-out alternative excludes the additional activities. A refundable deposit is returned once final fees have been settled, and current prices should come in the nursery's written quotation.

• Movement for the youngest children. In January 2024, babies and younger children needed more opportunities to develop strength and coordination. On a visit, ask how their movement experiences differ from older children's climbing activities.
• Individual learning and home support. January 2024 priorities included more precise staff development, better adaptation of group activities and more consistent guidance for parents. Ask for an example of how an individual child's next steps shape both nursery activities and information sent home.
• The funded-day alternative. Opting out of Essentials and Extras means using fully funded Mondays and Fridays and bringing food and hygiene supplies under the nursery's policy. Weigh that preparation against the separate charge and the attendance pattern your family needs.

Chapel Grange suits families drawn to practical independence, shared responsibilities and Montessori learning expressed through everyday tasks. Across the year, it serves families choosing a school day (School Day A, 8am to 4pm, or School Day B, 8am to 5pm) or a full day (Full Day, 8am to 6pm). The January 2024 Good judgement provides a dated quality assessment; the younger children's movement offer and consistency of individual learning support deserve close attention. Funding is useful, but the choice between charged extras and parent-supplied essentials has a real effect on family routines.