Evergreen Early Years, Fulwood

A two-tier outdoor area, a sensory garden and access to an all-weather pitch give Evergreen Early Years, Fulwood plenty of scope for active play. This purpose-built nursery serves children aged two to four on the grounds of Queen’s Drive Primary School in Preston, with capacity for 40 children in total. The school setting brings useful outdoor space, but nursery attendance does not guarantee a Reception place.

At its August 2025 inspection, Ofsted rated the nursery Outstanding, highlighting learning shaped around individual children and strong support for communication. The practical choice is between shorter and longer days, with both term-time and all-year attendance.

Learning and Activities

The EYFS provides the framework for children’s learning, development and care: play and everyday activities become opportunities to practise language, movement, social skills and early mathematical ideas. Alongside that framework, the group-wide Evergreen Way applies across funded and paid places, with children sharing access to resources and learning opportunities.

In August 2025, learning took recognisable, hands-on forms. Children built a robot using recycled materials, working through construction problems with adult help. Cooking brought mathematical language into weighing ingredients, while gardening prompted conversations about plants breaking down and water being absorbed. These were opportunities to investigate rather than simply follow instructions.

Language also received deliberate attention that August. Staff used an assessment tool to establish children’s understanding and plan what came next; during play, they added vocabulary, talked through children’s actions and used questions to extend their thinking. For parents, the useful distinction is the combination of assessment and everyday conversation. Support was woven into activities rather than confined to a separate exercise.

Mathematics appeared in several contexts. In August 2025, board games involved counting and recognising numbers, stories introduced positional language, and watering plants opened discussions about volume and measurement. Children could encounter the same ideas through different experiences, helping connect words and numbers with things they could handle and observe.

Outdoor and Community Life

The indoor layout is a large double room arranged as an open-plan space. Outside, the two-tier area and smaller sensory garden offer different settings for exploration, while access to the school’s field and all-weather pitch adds room for physical activity. This is a substantial part of Fulwood’s character: outdoor play has several spaces to draw on.

In August 2025, staff had collaborated with people studying at a local college on a sensory garden and bug hotel. Children explored these features and tackled obstacle courses that involved judging space and controlling their movements. Together, these outdoor experiences supported observation, movement and spatial awareness.

The surrounding community includes a library, leisure centre and shops, with local walks also within the nursery’s visiting area. These give outings an everyday context, connecting children’s experiences with places beyond the nursery rather than treating outdoor learning as something confined to its garden.

In August 2025, familiar home experiences were reflected in play materials. Prayer mats and packaging carrying different home languages helped connect the home corner with children’s own families. Staff also spent quiet moments watching clouds with children and talking about their shapes. These examples show how conversation could make space for both family identity and slower, individual exchanges.

That August, families could take part in frequent stay-and-play sessions, with workshops addressing language development and toilet training. The subjects were practical: parents and practitioners could work on the same everyday skills, giving children more consistent support between home and nursery.

At the August 2025 inspection, Ofsted found safeguarding effective and judged that children with special educational needs and/or disabilities, alongside other children, made excellent progress. Fulwood also has a deputy SENCO role, giving families a branch-based point of contact for discussions about additional needs.

Physical access includes a ramp as well as steps, and a wheelchair-accessible toilet has adjustable handrails. These are concrete features for families to consider alongside their child’s individual support requirements. A discussion about how the spaces work for a particular child remains more useful than a general assurance about inclusion.

Sessions and Attendance

The address is Queens Drive Primary School, Black Bull Lane, Fulwood, Preston, PR2 3LA. Opening hours are 7.45am to 5.45pm, Monday to Friday. All-year attendance covers 51 weeks; closures include bank holidays, weekends and a week at Christmas.

Full days run from 7.45am to 5.45pm. The paid Shorter day runs from 8am to 4pm, while the funded Shorter Day runs from 8am to 3.30pm, with a separately paid extension to 4pm. That difference matters when matching the booking to collection arrangements: the funded shorter day and the privately paid shorter day finish at different times.

For term-time funding, the 15-hour pattern is two shorter days. The 30-hour options are four shorter days or three longer days. Shorter and longer days can also form an all-year booking, but funding applies during term time and attendance in the remaining weeks is charged privately.

Bookings can be made no more than nine months ahead, and allocation follows a first-come, first-served rule. Enquiries can be made through the Fulwood enquiry form or by calling 01772 446236. This is a durable booking process, rather than an indication of how many places are free.

Funding and Paid Extras

Fulwood offers 15-hour and 30-hour funding delivered over 38 term-time weeks. Private fees include food, milk, nappies and other consumables; on funded days, food, non-food consumables and enrichment activities carry separate charges. The distinction is important when comparing a funded booking with a fully paid one.

Families can email the manager to request an opt-out from funded extras. Alternatives include the shorter-day attendance pattern, bringing lunch and snacks under the packed-lunch policy, and an individual review of charges. The funded consumables list includes wipes, sun cream, spare clothing and outdoor clothing, so these costs should be considered alongside food rather than treated as one undifferentiated supplement.

Seasonal stay-and-play celebrations, visitors and trips are among the charged enrichments. For term-time-only attendance, charges are spread across 11 monthly payments, with no August payment; all-year invoices spread the combined funded extras and private attendance charges across 12 months. The app provides an itemised breakdown, helping families distinguish entitlement hours from paid care and extras.

A booking that includes paid days attracts an administration charge. A term-time funded-only booking instead requires a refundable deposit, returned within four weeks of starting; financial difficulty is considered individually. Current prices come in the nursery’s written quotation.

Getting There

The nursery occupies the grounds of Queen’s Drive Primary School. Access to the school’s outdoor facilities is a practical benefit, but attending the nursery does not secure a school place: families still use the local authority admissions process for Reception.

• Collection time. The funded shorter day ends at 3.30pm, while the paid shorter day ends at 4pm. At a visit, discuss which arrangement fits your working day and whether the paid extension is needed.
• Funding extras. Food, consumables and activities are charged separately on funded days, with an email opt-out process and alternatives. Request a written quotation showing your chosen attendance pattern and any alternatives you intend to use.
• Additional needs and access. Fulwood has a deputy SENCO, ramp access and an adapted toilet. Use the visit to discuss how these arrangements would support your child in the open-plan room and outdoor areas.
• School admissions. The nursery shares the primary school’s grounds and uses its field and pitch. Choose it for the nursery experience; plan the Reception application separately through the local authority.

Evergreen Early Years, Fulwood suits families seeking either shorter days or full days, with a choice between term-time and all-year attendance. Its strongest appeal is the combination of substantial outdoor space and the hands-on learning illustrated in August 2025, from robot construction to gardening and cooking.

The funding arrangements deserve close attention because collection times, extras and private holiday attendance affect the booking differently. For children aged two to four, this is a compelling option for parents who value practical exploration and opportunities to connect learning with everyday experiences.