Antrobus Pre-School Nursery

Chickens, woodland and vegetables grown for snack give Antrobus Pre-School Nursery a recognisable countryside character. Its Little Woodland is part of everyday preschool learning, while music, football and outings extend children's experiences beyond the play space. This is a setting where the outdoor offer deserves as much attention as the indoor arrangements.

At its March 2022 inspection, Ofsted judged the nursery Good and safeguarding effective, while identifying a need to help staff carry learning intentions more consistently through the day. That judgement provides a useful starting point, with a specific teaching priority alongside the positive overall assessment.

Based at Frandley Meeting House on Sandiway Lane, Northwich, CW9 6LD, the nursery accepts children from six months to five years. Caterpillars, Butterflies, Acorns and Oaks organise the day by developmental stage, with opportunities for younger and older children to spend time together. Term-time attendance is one of the patterns used here.

Rooms and Ages

Caterpillars is the baby group, with a maximum of six babies together and two key people; reading, exploration and physical activity give this small group its daily learning experiences. For parents considering care for a baby, that stated group limit is a useful detail: it describes the youngest children's immediate setting rather than the size of the nursery as a whole.

Butterflies develops toddlers' language, thinking and emotional regulation, with two consistent key people and regular exploration of the Little Woodland Area. Acorns emphasises younger preschool children's independence, combining daily Little Woodland experiences with time alongside older children and the preschool teacher. Oaks brings older preschool children into a teacher-led curriculum, using the Little Woodland daily for investigation, movement, communication and learning to negotiate.

These are age groups rather than a promise of separate rooms throughout the day. Younger and older children mix for part of their time. In March 2022, two principal playrooms accommodated age-based groups, and the youngest babies had an area partitioned from the wider play space. Older babies could observe toddlers and join their activities, while preschool children practised consideration towards younger children.

Learning and Activities

The early years foundation stage provides the framework for children's learning, development and care: play and everyday experiences support communication, physical skills and growing independence. Antrobus adds concrete activities to that foundation. Its learning offer includes Popcats, a regular specialist-led music and movement session, and Mini Dribblers, a regular football session delivered by a specialist.

Yoga and breathing exercises introduce ways to manage emotions and look after wellbeing. These sit alongside energetic activities rather than replacing them. In March 2022, staff combined children's immediate interests with unfamiliar ideas, using assessments to plan what to teach next. Songs involved babies in actions and props, while stories became starting points for construction and problem-solving.

Outdoor and Community Life

Little Woodland gives children practical things to do: build dens, climb, investigate nature and make mud pies. They also grow vegetables, then prepare and eat them for snack. That sequence connects outdoor discovery with something tangible children can handle and taste.

Both Acorns and Oaks explore locally and have a planned excursion further afield each term. Across the nursery, outings include walks nearby and organised trips beyond the immediate area. Visiting firefighters and police officers introduce people with different community roles; a local farmer sometimes brings a tractor for children to sit in.

Family occasions include Mothers Day Cream Tea, Fathers Day Treats and Christmas Parties. The Summer Fete Parade connects the nursery with village celebrations. These experiences give families opportunities to share nursery life and children something to anticipate beyond their usual activities.

Relationships and Communication

Continuity is clearest in the youngest groups: Caterpillars has two key people, and Butterflies also works with two consistent key people. The practical value lies in familiar adults learning how a child communicates, responds to experiences and manages the day. Mixing between age groups also means relationships can extend beyond one stage of development.

In March 2022, parents received updates through an online system, together with guidance about learning at home, sleep and behaviour. Staff used activities to teach cooperation, and children were becoming more independent. These are dated examples of how care and learning worked together, rather than a description of today's communication system.

Inclusion and Wellbeing

At the March 2022 inspection, Ofsted found that children with special educational needs and/or disabilities received effective support, including assessments, educational plans and access to additional funding before school, and that staff understood additional care requirements for children with complex medical needs. The mechanisms matter: support included planning and securing help, rather than relying only on reassurance.

Outdoor experiences also involved adults thinking carefully about supervision. In March 2022, staff took precautions around mixed-age activities, while children practised manageable physical challenges such as balancing and climbing low branches. Caring for chickens and guinea pigs added another kind of responsibility, with children collecting eggs that they subsequently ate.

Sessions and Attendance

Opening hours are 7.45am to 5.30pm, Monday to Friday, with an all-year opening schedule. Some children attend during term time only. Families therefore need to distinguish the nursery's opening calendar from the attendance arrangement they choose.

Enquiries can be made by telephone on 01606 892323 or by email to antrobusnursery@gmail.com. The nursery is at Frandley Meeting House, Sandiway Lane, Northwich, CW9 6LD, with its countryside surroundings forming part of children's outdoor experiences.

Funding and Paid Extras

Funded childcare is offered. The universal entitlement for three- and four-year-olds provides 15 hours each week over 38 weeks; eligible working parents of children in that age group can claim an additional 15 hours over 38 weeks. Funding requires parental application before the relevant term begins, so the timing of that application is part of planning attendance.

The funding information also covers children of eligible working parents from nine months old and describes an increase to 30 hours from September 2025. Eligibility conditions remain important: the working-parent entitlement should not be read as applying automatically to every family.

• Mixed-age time. Children spend some of the day with younger or older groups. On a visit, discuss how mixed-age time works for your child's stage, how baby spaces are arranged now and how shared activities are supervised.
• Outdoor participation. Daily Little Woodland experiences for Acorns and Oaks include physical exploration, and preschool excursions further afield take place termly. Consider how your child responds to climbing, getting muddy and spending time outside.
• Teaching through the whole day. In March 2022, the improvement priority was more consistent use of learning intentions across daily activities. A useful visit discussion is how practitioners now extend children's learning during both planned play and ordinary routines.
• Funding and attendance together. Term-time attendance and funded childcare are both part of the offer. Ask for a written attendance and funding quotation covering the intended hours, meals, non-food consumables and any additional charges.

Antrobus suits families who want countryside experiences to be a substantial part of early childhood, alongside small baby-group arrangements and opportunities to mix across ages. Little Woodland, Popcats and Mini Dribblers give that proposition practical substance: nature, music and movement each have a place.

It also merits consideration for families seeking term-time attendance within a nursery with an all-year opening schedule. The March 2022 judgement was positive, but the teaching-development priority remains useful context. The strongest fit is a family comfortable with mixed-age moments, regular outdoor exploration and preschool excursions, rather than one choosing on opening hours alone.