St Paul's Walden Preschool

Seeds growing in the garden, weekly cooking and books travelling home give this Whitwell preschool a recognisable character. Learning is built around things children can handle, discuss and try for themselves. Parent involvement extends beyond conversations about a child's day: a management committee helps run the setting and makes decisions about policies and fees.

St Paul's Walden Preschool welcomes children aged two to five and has capacity for 26 children. It occupies separate, self-contained premises adjoining St Paul’s Walden Primary School, with access to the school's hall, playing field and gardens for some activities. That gives children experiences beyond their own nursery space.

At its October 2024 inspection, Ofsted rated the preschool Good and found safeguarding effective. The practical offer is term-time care, with morning, afternoon and all-day bookings, plus combinations that include Lunch Club.

Learning and Activities

The EYFS frames a day of conversation, movement, stories, creative play and growing independence. Staff use observations of children's interests and development to plan activities within the curriculum.

Individual pegs, shoe boxes, self-registration and making choices help children manage everyday tasks. Circle time, turn-taking and problem-solving games encourage conversation. Weekly cooking, songs, rhymes and sorting introduce counting; yoga, music and movement support expression. Accessible creative materials and small-world resources encourage pictures, models and imaginative games.

Through the SHARED READING SCHEME, children choose a book each week with their key worker to enjoy at home. Families can add reading-record comments, and repeat choices are welcome. Page-turning and exploring pictures and print introduce how books work.

In October 2024, exploring a sunflower's texture encouraged vocabulary, while songs and simple signing supported communication. Drawings of pumpkins and bats let children develop and explain their ideas.

Outdoor and Community Life

The garden is part of the normal timetable in both morning and afternoon, with outdoor play continuing in most weather. Children sow seeds, grow vegetables and water what they have planted. Watching those changes gives them a practical way to explore living things and care for them over time.

In October 2024, outdoor experiences included a sensory wagon and ride-on vehicles, with children practising control as they pedalled in different directions. Sand play involved experimentation: children worked out how packing a bucket changed the shape they could make. Community outings also widened the experiences they could draw on in play.

The preschool describes established links with St Paul’s Walden Primary School's children and staff, alongside access to its hall, playing field and gardens.

Relationships and Communication

A key person takes particular responsibility for each child and works with parents on their needs and interests. The settling policy allocates that adult before the child starts, with responsibility for family induction, developmental records and ongoing communication. For parents, this creates a clear person to speak to about both everyday care and changes at home.

Settling is planned with the family. In October 2024, staff offered home visits and adjusted settling sessions to individual children. The policy expects a parent, carer or close relative to stay at the beginning of the first settling session, but encourages them to leave within the first half-hour; the approach is discussed with the family. The important practical point is that the start is a process, rather than a single handover.

Parents can take part in nursery life through stay-and-play opportunities and committee involvement. The committee handles administration and decisions about fees and policies, while practitioners carry out the daily work with children. Families who enjoy contributing to a village organisation have a route to do so beyond their own child's activities.

Inclusion and Wellbeing

A deputy manager/SENCO role provides a point of responsibility for additional needs. Support policy uses an assess, plan, do and review cycle, with parents involved in decisions and external agencies brought into the process where appropriate. The cycle allows support to be reviewed and adjusted to individual needs.

At the October 2024 inspection, Ofsted found that collaboration with families and other professionals helped children with SEND progress from their individual starting points, and that additional funding supported their needs well. That is useful evidence of practice at the time, alongside the current SENCO role.

Toilet training is supported by staff, with families supplying nappies or pull-ups, wipes and spare clothing. Easy-to-manage clothes and shoes are encouraged so children can practise dressing themselves. Independence is approached through small daily tasks, not simply preparation for a future classroom.

Two points required development in October 2024. Staff needed to gather fuller information from parents at the start and offer ideas for continuing learning at home; children also needed more effective help understanding expectations during routines such as handwashing and returning indoors. These are specific issues for families to explore, even alongside the positive overall judgement.

Sessions and Attendance

The address is Bendish Lane, Whitwell, SG4 8HX, at St. Pauls Walden Junior School. Opening hours are 9am to 3pm, Monday to Friday, during term time; school holidays are closures.

Morning runs from 9am to noon, Afternoon from 1pm to 3pm and All Day from 9am to 3pm. Lunch Club runs from noon to 1pm, allowing a Morning & Lunch Club booking from 9am to 1pm or Lunch Club & Afternoon from noon to 3pm. Those combinations make the offer useful for families seeking either a shorter session or a day spanning both morning and afternoon.

Session changes require at least four weeks' notice. Fees are paid in advance, with rate changes notified in writing at least a month beforehand. Late collection can attract a charge.

For 2026/27, each term's final day ends at 1pm; training days also affect attendance. The online enquiry form has a term-time response aim of 48 hours, and the registration form records requested days and sessions.

Funding and Paid Extras

The preschool offers the Two-Year-Old Free Place Scheme subject to its eligibility criteria, 15 hours of funded childcare for three- and four-year-olds, and 30 Hours Funding for eligible families. The 15-hour entitlement is delivered over 38 term-time weeks, starting in the term after the third birthday, and can be spread across days and include afternoon sessions or lunch clubs, subject to the sessions available. The 30-hour arrangement requires an eligibility check, a code and attention to application deadlines and changes in family circumstances.

Private sessions are also offered. Current prices come in the nursery's written quotation; the sessions and fees page explains the attendance combinations and payment structure.

Families supply packed lunches for bookings that include Lunch Club, including funded attendance, and the nursery has a nut-free policy. Parents also supply nappies or pull-ups and wipes when needed; this applies to the child's care rather than depending on how the hours are paid for.

Moving on to School

Children move on to different schools in the area. The links with adjoining St Paul’s Walden Primary School do not guarantee a Reception place; families still apply through the local authority admissions process.

• Term-time planning. School holidays are closures, and the last day of each 2026/27 term finishes at 1pm. Families need childcare arrangements that accommodate both breaks and shortened days.
• Settling and expectations. The October 2024 improvement points concerned information gathered from parents, learning ideas for home and children's understanding of routines. At a visit, ask how the initial conversation informs activities and how staff now support handwashing and transitions indoors.
• Packed lunches and allergies. Lunch Club bookings require food from home, and the nursery operates a nut-free policy. Allergy-affected families should confirm current practice and discuss their child's individual requirements.
• Additional support. A SENCO role and a staged support process are in place. Families considering a place for a child with additional needs can use a visit to discuss how that process would work for their child and how parents take part in reviews.

St Paul's Walden Preschool suits families seeking morning, afternoon or all-day term-time sessions who value practical learning and involvement in village nursery life. Growing vegetables, cooking, shared reading and neighbouring school spaces give it character; the parent committee gives families a role in running it.

The October 2024 Good judgement sits alongside development points around starting information and everyday expectations.