Disley Under Fives

Former laundry and cookery rooms give Disley Under Fives an unusual home within the grounds of Disley Primary School. Two self-contained rooms and an adjacent, fenced outdoor area make this a preschool with a clear physical identity. It operates as a charity, with parents encouraged to contribute through its committee and fundraising.

At its 17 June 2022 inspection, Ofsted rated Disley Under Fives Good overall. The strongest practical attractions are its school-site setting, individual key-person arrangements and opportunities for outdoor and messy play. Children can attend from age two until they begin school, and the setting has 32 places in total.

Attendance is term-time only, with morning, afternoon and full-day bookings alongside breakfast and additional sessions. That gives families different ways to organise preschool around their week.

Rooms and Ages

The Toddler Room and Preschool Room occupy the former Laundry & School Cookery rooms. These are self-contained spaces within the school grounds. The setting accepts children from two until school entry.

The adjacent outdoor area has fencing and Astro turf. Outdoor play continues across different weather conditions, so suitable clothes are part of the everyday routine. Parents supply boots, seasonal hats and coats, with spare shoes for children who come wearing wellingtons.

Learning and Activities

The early years foundation stage provides the framework for learning, development and care: children build their skills through play, conversation and practical experiences. Here, current activities include painting, playdough, sand and water. These give children different materials to handle and explore; spare clothes make participation easier.

In June 2022, staff used children's interests to shape activities. One example involved freeing toy animals caught in elastic bands, giving children a problem to discuss and tackle together. Role play also gave them reasons to talk with friends. These examples show the kind of small, purposeful challenge that can turn play into learning.

Reading was woven through the day in June 2022. Children planted sunflowers and heard a related story, linking a book with something they were doing themselves. Sound games and singing added another route into early literacy, while older children experimented with writing shopping lists.

Practical work mattered too. In June 2022, children practised using a hammer with wood, rode scooters and trikes in the garden, and mixed and poured sensory materials. The activities called on different movements, from whole-body coordination to careful hand control. This was learning through doing.

Outdoor and Community Life

Local outings are part of the preschool's approach, taking children beyond the setting into the surrounding community. Outings take place as regularly as possible.

Parents can also take part in the organisation itself. The committee runs the group, and families are encouraged to help with fundraising during the year. For parents who want involvement beyond conversations about their own child, this offers a practical role in preschool life.

Relationships and Communication

Each child has a key person as the main contact, while other staff remain available for conversations. That gives families a consistent relationship without making communication depend entirely on one practitioner. The team includes practitioners attached to the Toddler Room and Preschool Room, alongside a deputy manager with the SENCO role.

In June 2022, staff and parents exchanged information through everyday conversations about children's development. Toys and stories helped children talk about emotions, and children contributed to the rules governing how they treated one another. These are concrete examples of communication serving both family relationships and children's daily experience.

Inclusion and Wellbeing

At the June 2022 inspection, Ofsted found safeguarding effective and support for children with special educational needs and/or disabilities helpful to their progress, but identified a need for more precisely targeted staff development to raise teaching quality. Early identification and additional support were strengths at that date; the training recommendation is a useful counterweight to the overall Good judgement.

Children do not need to be toilet trained before attending. Changing facilities are available, and parents provide the nappies their child uses. Sun cream also comes from home. These arrangements make the practical responsibilities clear for families of younger children.

Staff work with Reception teachers to understand expectations for children starting school. Preparation centres on independence and familiarity with the next stage, rather than any promise of admission.

Sessions and Attendance

Disley Under Fives is based at Disley Primary School, Dane Bank Drive, Disley, Stockport, SK12 2BD. Bookings run Monday to Friday during term time.

Morning sessions run from 9am to noon, and afternoon sessions from noon to 3pm; each is also sold as a half day. The full-day booking runs from 9am to 3pm. Breakfast is a separate session from 7.30am to 9am, with additional sessions from 8.30am to 9am and from 3pm to 3.30pm.

Collections and drop-offs must match the booked session boundaries, except during breakfast or additional sessions. For families with changing work commitments, this matters as much as the overall span of the day. Early-session bookings carry the full session charge even when a child attends only part of it.

Enquiries can be made by telephone, email or the contact form.

Getting There

Access is along the ramp beside the CO-OP. This landmark helps distinguish the preschool entrance from the wider school site.

Funding and Paid Extras

Government Funded hours for children aged two, three and four can be booked between 9am and 3pm during term time. Parents provide morning fruit and packed lunches; attendance at breakfast, additional sessions and sessions beyond a child's funded hours incurs session charges. Families should obtain a current written quotation covering their chosen pattern.

Parents provide fruit for morning snack and a packed lunch when attendance includes noon to 3pm; breakfast children receive cereal or toast, and food cannot be heated or reheated. The preschool has a nut-free policy that excludes nuts and nut products.

Nappies and sun cream are supplied by parents, including for children using funded hours. The session times and fees information sets out the attendance and charging structure.

Sharing a site with Disley Primary School does not guarantee a Reception place. Families still apply through the local authority admissions process.

• Session boundaries. Morning and afternoon bookings do not allow mid-session collection or drop-off. Choose a pattern that fits the adults responsible for both ends of the session.
• School-site relationship. A proposal would bring Disley Under Fives into Disley Primary School. During a visit, ask how that proposal affects the preschool's organisation and transition arrangements; it does not itself confer a school place.
• Teaching development. The June 2022 improvement priority concerned the targeting of staff training. Ask how professional development now connects with children's learning in the two rooms.
• Food from home. Fruit and packed lunches are family responsibilities, alongside a nut-free policy. Families managing allergies should confirm current practice when arranging a visit.

Disley Under Fives suits families seeking term-time preschool through morning or afternoon sessions, as well as those wanting a 9am-to-3pm full day with separately booked breakfast or additional time. Its charity structure, key-person contact and school-ground setting give families several concrete reasons to consider it.

The June 2022 Good judgement provides a dated quality assessment, with staff development the clear improvement priority. The decision is practical as well as educational: session boundaries, food from home and the separate Reception application all need to fit family plans.