The Hollies Pre-School

Badger Base, an eco-friendly round building for small-group activities, gives The Hollies a recognisable character beyond its main play spaces. This committee-led charity operates independently on Lower Park School's site in Poynton, combining preschool provision with care for school children. Its school setting brings practical benefits: access to fields, dance in the hall and visits from Reception teachers.

At its September 2025 inspection, Ofsted rated The Hollies Good and judged safeguarding effective. The current whole-setting capacity is 35 children, while preschool entry begins at the start of the half term following a child's second birthday. Holiday care serves children aged 2 to 11.

Rooms and Ages

The indoor layout gives children several ways to play: an art area for creative work, a home corner for imaginative play and a quieter room for books and IT activities. There is also a dedicated space for two-year-olds. That separation matters for families choosing a starting point for a younger child, alongside the setting's rule about joining after their second birthday.

Badger Base provides an additional round, eco-friendly indoor space used by children across The Hollies for activities in smaller groups. The Butterfly room is a separate indoor space for school children. Together, these spaces distinguish the preschool day from the needs of children returning from school, while keeping shared facilities within the same setting.

Learning and Activities

The Early Years Foundation Stage brings together children's communication, physical development, emotional development and early learning. Here, Learning Book links staff observations to those areas through photographs, video and written accounts, with the key person tracking each child's learning. It gives parents a view of experiences beyond the finished painting or craft brought home.

In September 2025, younger children joined action songs during group activities, while older children listened to longer stories and explored unfamiliar ideas. Staff also explained the day's sequence, helping children understand what would happen next. Circle-time mindfulness activities gave children time to attend to their feelings alongside shared songs and stories.

School-age activities have their own rhythm. The Afterschool Club plans activities weekly, including baking, crafts and sport, with participation left to children. Holiday Club activities follow a theme; past examples include Space and Carnival. These are separate offers for different attendance needs, rather than additions automatically attached to every preschool session.

Outdoor and Community Life

A mud kitchen, garden and outdoor seating extend play beyond the indoor rooms. Children can use the outdoor area in different weather, so a waterproof coat belongs in their daily kit. In September 2025, children moved between indoor and outdoor play and used crates for climbing, balancing and building. The practical emphasis was on movement and making choices.

The Hollies describes close links with Lower Park School: hall use normally includes dance once a week, and Reception teachers visit to share stories. Preschool children also watch the school's Christmas performances, while The Hollies stages its own Christmas nativity in the hall. These experiences introduce school spaces and people, but attendance does not guarantee a Reception place; families still use the local authority admissions process.

Relationships and Communication

Learning Book is the online learning journey through which parents can comment on staff observations and contribute photographs and accounts of experiences at home. The key person brings those contributions into the child's learning record. Communication therefore works in both directions, giving staff information about interests and achievements beyond preschool.

In September 2025, families attended a welcome evening before their children started, meeting staff and learning about the daily routine. Children who had recently joined were forming relationships with staff and other children. For parents, the useful detail is the introduction to the adults and routines before the first preschool day.

Inclusion and Wellbeing

A SENCO and deputy SENCO coordinate additional support. When concerns arise, the SENCO and key person observe the child, discuss strategies with parents and coordinate further help; information and records are shared when a child moves to another setting, with visits arranged where needed.

At the September 2025 inspection, Ofsted found that staff made timely referrals and worked with other agencies to support children with SEND, but also asked staff to adapt teaching more consistently to children's existing knowledge and abilities. During spontaneous play, opportunities to follow children's problem-solving were sometimes missed. This is the central teaching issue for families to weigh alongside the care arrangements.

Children can start while wearing nappies or pull-ups, and staff work with parents as toilet learning develops. Families supply spare nappies or pull-ups. Health arrangements include written parental consent and instructions for administering medicine for a medical condition, and a 48-hour sickness exclusion period.

Sessions and Attendance

The address is Lower Park School, Hazelbadge Road, Poynton, Stockport, SK12 1HE. Preschool opening hours run from 7.30am to 6pm on weekdays. Starting preschool is tied to the beginning of a half term after turning two, so the birthday itself is not the joining date.

Breakfast Club serves Lower Park children from Reception to Year 6; Afterschool Club serves Reception to Year 2. Breakfast Club opens at 7.30am, and Afterschool Club collection runs from 3.30pm to 6pm. Staff escort children to school and collect the younger school children afterwards. Both clubs accept permanent term-time bookings and ad hoc bookings where numbers permit.

Holiday Club opens from 8am to 5pm during non-term-time weeks for children aged 2 to 11. Bookings are usually taken two to three weeks before a club starts and payment is due when booking. Preschool families can book the holiday care they need rather than repeat their usual preschool pattern. The club closes between Christmas and New Year and may close other days or weeks if attendance makes opening unviable.

Enquiries can be made through the contact form or by telephone on 01625 850176. Visits can be arranged for families interested in the school clubs or Holiday Club.

Funding and Paid Extras

Funded childcare is offered, with funded hours restricted to 9am to 3pm in term time across 38 weeks. The entitlements include 30 hours for eligible working families, 15 hours for all three- and four-year-olds and 15 hours for eligible disadvantaged two-year-olds; the working-family entitlement begins nationally at nine months, while preschool here starts after two. Hours beyond that funded window and attendance outside term time are privately charged.

For funded attendance, food and milk carry a separate voluntary charge: families opting out supply these items themselves; Breakfast Club breakfast and Afterschool Club snacks are included in their respective prices. Sun cream is also covered by the voluntary funded-attendance charge, with parents supplying it if they opt out, while spare nappies and pull-ups come from home.

Families complete or renew their funding declaration each term, and working-family eligibility codes need periodic reconfirmation. Current prices come in the nursery's written quotation.

• Teaching during spontaneous play. The September 2025 improvement point concerned adapting teaching to what children already knew. During a visit, ask how practitioners now extend a child's own problem-solving rather than redirecting it.
• Funded hours and the working day. Funding applies between 9am and 3pm during term time, while preschool opening hours extend beyond that window. Work out which parts of your intended attendance would be privately charged and whether you will use the voluntary extras charge or supply the items yourself.
• Holiday planning. Holiday Club has an 8am start and a 5pm finish, closes over Christmas and New Year, and can close further days if numbers make opening unviable. Families needing dependable cover across every school holiday should weigh those conditions.
• Starting at two. Entry follows the second birthday at the next half-term starting point. Ask how the dedicated two-year-old space and settling arrangements would work for your child.

The Hollies suits families seeking preschool care alongside term-time Breakfast Club or Afterschool Club, and those who want separately booked holiday care. Badger Base, the outdoor play spaces and access to Lower Park facilities give the setting substance beyond its opening hours. Learning Book and the SENCO arrangements provide concrete routes for communication and support.

The balance rests on practical fit and teaching responsiveness. Funded hours occupy a narrower window than preschool opening hours, holiday provision has closure conditions, and the September 2025 teaching improvement deserves attention.