Spinney Pre School

One main room, a small playground and capacity for 20 children give Spinney Pre School a compact scale. Its self-contained building stands on the grounds of St Michael with St Thomas Primary School in Widnes, but the preschool operates independently. The appeal is a shared preschool setting with practical early reading work, topic-based activities and opportunities for parents to take part.

At its 27 November 2025 inspection, Ofsted judged achievement, behaviour and routines, welfare and wellbeing, curriculum and teaching, inclusion, and leadership and governance to be at the Expected standard, with safeguarding standards met. Those are separate area judgements rather than an overall grade. Two improvements matter for families: making group teaching more responsive to children's development and giving staff more precise feedback about their individual practice.

Children can join from two years and nine months and attend up to four years old. Term-time attendance includes mornings and a longer day for children using the 30-hour entitlement.

Learning and Activities

The EYFS sets the framework for children's learning and care, covering language, physical development, social skills and early understanding through their experiences and activities. Spinney adds Read Write Inc., a phonics scheme introducing letter sounds, early writing and simple spoken word-building. The preschool version starts with set one sounds and keeps the work simple, with the pace adjusted to the children.

Letter-sound booklets support writing practice and finding objects beginning with each sound at home. Fred Talk introduces oral sounding-out of simple words. Children who do not grasp phonics revisit it in Reception.

In November 2025, conversation introduced vocabulary, songs supported counting and blocks helped children count individual objects. Dough, scissors and chalk exercised hands and fingers, preparing children for writing through play.

The limitation was group work. In November 2025, teaching during larger gatherings was not consistently adjusted to children's developmental stages, and some children lost concentration. Individual adaptations during free play included visual prompts and timers, making the contrast within the day relevant to parents whose children find group activities difficult.

Outdoor and Community Life

A small cloakroom area adds group-work space alongside the main room. Children have access to a secure playground; a ramp and wheelchair-accessible toilet support physical access.

In November 2025, outdoor play included children making structures with bricks and moving one another in crates. Indoor movement also featured dancing and action songs. The day therefore offered physical activity in more than one form, including for children who preferred to remain inside.

Topics give activities a recognisable thread. The Animals plan for January and February 2026 covered habitats and included making soup with vegetables cut using child-friendly knives. Party Central wildlife was invited to bring animals into preschool during that topic. These were planned experiences for that term, rather than a standing weekly programme.

The April and May 2026 Transport plans linked vehicle comparisons and number sorting with journeys: the Mersey Ferry, Liverpool Museum of Life and a train from Hough Green station to Liverpool South Parkway.

Relationships and Communication

Families know their child's key person, colour group and backup contact. Before starting, the All about me leaflet shares interests and abilities so staff can begin getting to know the child.

Communication extends beyond informal conversations. A meeting during the first term gives parents time to discuss progress with the key person, and a final-term meeting takes place before the move to school. Weekly diaries, access to developmental records and opportunities to contribute to shared record-keeping help families follow learning over time.

Parent participation is practical here. Families can contribute their skills and interests to activities, help during sessions and take part in committee discussions. Home Link sheets connect topics with ideas for family activities: the Transport sheet for April 2026 proposed listening for vehicle sounds, discussing journeys and looking at transport books. These are suggestions for home, rather than additional preschool outings.

Inclusion and Wellbeing

At the November 2025 inspection, Ofsted found that children, including those with SEND, made progress, with individual plans reviewed each term alongside parents and outside agencies, and communication boards, visual timetables and objects used to support understanding.

During November 2025, some children were given extra preparation before changes of activity, using objects to help explain what would happen next. Children also learnt signs to communicate with peers who were not yet speaking. This brought adaptations into shared routines and play.

Current arrangements include designated safeguarding lead and deputy roles, SENCO roles and paediatric first-aid training. Families are asked to notify preschool about absences; an unexplained absence triggers contact with parents and then emergency contacts, with escalation to children's social care for advice if staff cannot establish the reason. This is a specific attendance procedure, not a requirement that preschool attendance itself is compulsory.

Sessions and Attendance

The address is Spinney Avenue, Widnes, WA8 8LD. Morning sessions run from 8.30am to 11.30am on weekdays, while children using the 30-hour entitlement can attend from 8.30am to 2.30pm; both arrangements are term-time only. Paid afternoon sessions are also offered to children attending on the 15-hour entitlement.

Enquiries and appointments can be arranged by telephone on 07752911987, by email at spinneypreschool@gmail.com or through the contact form. Admissions have a durable annual timetable: the list for September entry closes on 28 February, is ordered by children's dates of birth, and accepts new admissions from the third week of March after responses to offers have been processed.

Leaving requires four weeks' notice after starting, and fees continue during sickness and holidays. Payment is in advance, weekly or termly, by cash or bank transfer. Current prices come in the preschool's written quotation.

Funding and Paid Extras

The preschool participates in funded nursery education for two-, three- and four-year-olds. Its terms describe the 15-hour entitlement from the term after a child's third birthday, an additional 15 hours for eligible families, and funding for eligible working parents of two-year-olds. The minimum joining age still applies: funding for a younger age band does not mean children can start before two years and nine months.

Funded attendance follows the term-time operation. Parents complete a funding declaration, and eligible children joining part-way through a term can also receive funding. Private sessions are charged where funding does not cover attendance. For families splitting entitlement between two settings, the fee policy requests a share of the funding to sustain the child's place at Spinney.

Lunch comes from home, and the packed-lunch policy includes a nut-free policy and guidance for medical, cultural and sensory dietary needs. For funded attendance, staff-purchased snacks have an optional separate contribution, with families able to provide healthy snacks instead; snacks are included in the paid afternoon session for children using only the 15-hour entitlement.

Non-food consumables, including nappies, wipes and art materials, carry no separate charge. For children attending on the 30-hour entitlement, parents supply their child's sunscreen for afternoon reapplication.

Moving on to School

Sharing grounds with St Michael with St Thomas Primary School does not guarantee a Reception place. Families still apply through the local authority admissions process.

• Group teaching. In November 2025, larger-group activities did not consistently accommodate different developmental stages. At a visit, ask how group work is now adapted, especially if your child needs visual support or finds it difficult to sustain attention.
• Staff development. The November 2025 next steps called for more individual, accurate performance feedback. Ask how staff supervision now turns observations of practice into specific improvements.
• Term-time timetable. Morning attendance ends at 11.30am and the longer funded day at 2.30pm. Consider how those finishes and preschool holidays fit your family's working arrangements.
• Food and allergies. Lunch is parent-provided, while funded snacks involve an opt-in contribution or food from home. Allergy-affected families should confirm current practice under the nut-free policy and discuss their child's individual dietary plan.

Spinney suits families seeking either a term-time morning session or a longer term-time day using the 30-hour entitlement, with paid afternoon attendance another option for children on 15 hours. Its compact shared setting, introductory phonics and topic-linked experiences give it a clear preschool character.

The November 2025 findings support that picture while leaving two practical areas for improvement: adaptation during group teaching and the precision of staff feedback. Parents should weigh those alongside the key-person structure, family communication and the early afternoon finish.