Willaston Pre-School

Two gardens, a recreation field and visits to older residents give Willaston Pre-School a day that reaches well beyond the church hall. This parent-led charity in Willaston, near Nantwich, combines play chosen by children with stories, movement and village outings. It has 24 places in total for children aged two to five. The emphasis is on the years before school, rather than baby care.

At the 18 September 2025 inspection, Ofsted rated the provision Good, judged safeguarding effective and found that targeted help and work with external agencies supported children with SEND to make good progress. There were also clear priorities for improvement: communication for children learning English as an additional language, engagement in group activities and behaviour during changes of activity.

Morning, afternoon and full-day bookings are offered during term time. That flexibility is useful, but the term-time calendar is an important part of the choice.

Rooms and Ages

Owls practise recognising and writing their names; the Ducks and Swans room builds name recognition through initial sounds. These developmental groupings give adult-led learning different starting points, with Ducks and Swans mainly younger children and Owls working at a later stage.

Children choose rooms and activities during independent play, alongside adult input. Two gardens, a large recreation field and a wildlife garden extend play outdoors; in summer, an entire session may take place outside.

Learning and Activities

The Early Years Foundation Stage (EYFS) provides the common early-years framework: play supports language, physical skills, relationships, early reading and mathematics. Staff observations and children's interests shape activities.

Squiggle uses dance to prepare arm and finger movements for writing and making marks; funky fingers activities develop fine-motor skills. A book of the week shapes small-group work and introduces vocabulary. The aim is at least three stories daily, with children also telling stories or describing pictures. Books shared with the key person go home, connecting family reading with pre-school learning.

Phonics groups follow ability, emphasising phase 1 and introducing phase 2 when children are confident with earlier work. The learning programme connects stories with creative and physical activities, music, counting rhymes and letter, number and shape games.

Outdoor and Community Life

Explorer days build learning around nature and seasonal changes. Village discovery walks, a beekeeper visit and a bus journey to the library bring children into contact with their community.

Visits to Richmond Village, Willaston take place every half-term, with children spending time with older residents. On litter picks, children spot litter, adults collect it and suitable items are recycled: practical participation in village life.

Relationships and Communication

A key person supports settling, plans individual activities and provides the main parent contact. Pairing follows the child's natural connection with an adult. Familiar staff cover the day, including care around core sessions, providing continuity when attendance extends.

Tapestry, the online learning platform, shares progress alongside daily conversations and regular parents evenings. Families can revisit updates at home and discuss them directly with staff.

Parents also help run the charity through a volunteer committee meeting each half-term, giving families a role in its operation.

Inclusion and Wellbeing

The staff structure includes a SENCO, a deputy SENCO and designated safeguarding lead roles. Experience of accessing SEND support and funding is part of the provision. These are specific routes for organising help; families whose children need additional support should consider how those routes fit their own child's needs.

Qualified team members hold paediatric first-aid training. Children can attend while still using nappies, and the setting is equipped for changing and sleep, with support through toilet training. Toilet independence is therefore not presented as a condition of starting.

Lunch can be brought from home or chosen from home-made food cooked on the premises; the snack policy asks families to give full allergy or dietary details and supply an alternative when the snack is unsuitable. This makes sharing individual dietary information an essential part of enrolment.

Moving towards school includes visits from most Reception teachers during the summer term and sharing information about children's learning. The connection is educational: the adults taking over can understand what a child has already been doing and the support they need next.

Sessions and Attendance

The address is St Johns Methodist Church Hall, Wybunbury Road, Willaston, Nantwich, CW5 7JF. Opening hours are 7.30am to 5.30pm, Monday to Friday, during term time. The term-time arrangement suits families whose working year follows school terms, but it requires a separate plan for school holidays.

Morning sessions run from 8.30am to 11.30am; afternoon sessions run from 12.15pm to 3.15pm. Full days run from 7.30am to 5.30pm, and lunch club occupies the interval from 11.30am to 12.15pm. Additional care can extend a session, with individual collection and drop-off arrangements agreed around family needs.

Bookings start at one session a week. Children can begin partway through a term, and changes to an existing booking can be accommodated subject to availability. Children already on the waiting list receive priority when a space arises. This is a flexible booking structure, rather than a requirement to purchase a fixed block of days.

Admissions enquiries go through 07944 208909 or willastonpreschool@gmail.com. The joining process includes the Welcome booklet Sept 2025 and an Expression of Interest Form. These give families a defined starting point for an application.

Getting There

There is on-site parking at the church hall, beside the level crossing on Wybunbury Road and opposite Eastern Road. This is the Willaston near Crewe.

Funding and Paid Extras

Funded attendance is offered during term time, with eligible hours usable across the sessions rather than confined to a particular day. The entitlements include at least 15 hours for three- and four-year-olds, up to 30 hours for those eligible, 30 hours for eligible younger children of working parents, and 15 hours for certain two-year-olds qualifying through other circumstances. The setting starts accepting children at two, so the younger-child funding offer applies within that admission age range.

Private hours are also offered. Hot lunches are charged separately, or parents can provide a packed lunch; snacks and other consumables attract a separate session charge, except for disadvantaged two-year-olds. These extra costs need to sit alongside the funded-hours calculation, rather than being treated as part of the entitlement itself.

Invoices arrive by email at the beginning of each half-term, with payment due by the stated deadline; instalments may be possible depending on circumstances. Current prices come in the nursery's written quotation, and the funding and fee arrangements explain the charge structure. Withdrawal usually requires a month's notice, while families claiming funding must give a term's notice.

Willaston is not affiliated to a primary school. Attendance does not guarantee a Reception place, and families apply through the local authority admissions process. Transition work helps children prepare for their next setting; it does not decide which school they receive.

• Term-time care. Both short sessions and full days follow the term-time calendar. Families working through school holidays will need to plan care for those breaks.
• Group learning and communication. The September 2025 improvement priorities included better-matched group activities and more effective help for children learning English as an additional language. At a visit, ask how these changes work for children with your child's communication and developmental needs.
• Changes of activity. In September 2025, expectations were not consistently clear during transitions such as mealtimes and preparing to go outside. Ask how staff now help children understand their behaviour's effect on others.
• Dietary needs and funded extras. Snack alternatives may need to come from home. Hot lunches are charged separately, at a reduced rate for disadvantaged two-year-olds; the snack and consumables session charge does not apply to those children. Allergy-affected families should confirm current food practice and request a written quotation for their proposed attendance.

Willaston suits families seeking mornings, afternoons or full days during term time. A low minimum booking and familiar staff make attendance adaptable; Squiggle and half-termly Richmond Village visits connect movement and community life with learning.

The Good judgement comes with work to do on group engagement, additional-language communication and behaviour at transitions. Those priorities and the holiday calendar are central to the choice.