Wizz Kids Pre-School

A wildlife pond, a mud kitchen and small-group language sessions give Wizz Kids Pre-School its character. Independent of Totley Primary School despite sharing its Sheffield grounds, it has 34 places and welcomes children aged 0 to 5.

At its January 2025 inspection, Ofsted rated Wizz Kids Good overall, highlighted children's communication skills and judged safeguarding effective. Improvements concerned consistent learning plans and children's independence.

Younger and older areas share a partitioned main space, with a separate sleep room. Term-time and full-year contracts sit alongside full or half core days.

Rooms and Ages

The main play space has a partition between its younger and older sides, with a broad opening connecting them and access to outdoor play, so age-based provision sits within a shared setting rather than entirely separate rooms.

Under 2’s combines opportunities for physical exploration with a choice between a quiet sleeping room and a comfortable nap area within the main room. OVER 2’s room serves children aged 2-4, with resources for construction, imaginative play, early maths, reading, movement and creative work kept accessible so children can return to activities and extend their ideas.

Learning and Activities

The early years foundation stage provides the framework for learning and care: children build skills through play, conversation and practical activity. Wizz Kids adds scheduled groups.

Play and Say supports speech through songs and Makaton for children aged 2 to 2½, running weekly in a four-week term-time programme. Communication groups provide smaller-group language practice three times weekly. Yoga and core stability also runs three times weekly, emphasising movement and core muscles. Weekly Games group supports relationships and turn-taking; weekly Phonics group explores sounds and rhyme, then letters when children are ready.

Older children's topics change each half term. Independent play leads to small groups at 9.30am, then chosen and planned activities, with stories or songs before lunch. In January 2025, an imaginary monster-feeding game supported counting and patterns; stories encouraged prediction and recall, and adults' questions extended thinking. Learning had a practical context.

Outdoor and Community Life

Year-round outdoor play includes a car track, slide, mud kitchen, water and sand areas, vegetable garden and wildlife pond. Indoor and outdoor access lets children pursue ideas across both spaces. Families supply wellies and waterproof clothing.

In January 2025, children explored water with herbs, containers and utensils and sustained their play. Guests join celebrations including Eid and Hanukah; families contribute reading, baking and activities, bringing their experiences into nursery life.

Relationships and Communication

Families know their child's key person before starting. A colleague shares responsibility when attendance or working days differ, and information from parents and other providers helps shape individual learning.

TAPESTRY shares learning journals and care information, including accidents. Parents add photographs, recordings and text; All About Me records home routines and interests. Care diaries for over-twos are available on request, extending communication beyond collection time.

In January 2025, daily discussions and termly reports complemented the app. Children followed familiar routines, helped tidy and formed friendships.

Inclusion and Wellbeing

At the January 2025 inspection, Ofsted found that staff worked with families and other professionals to support children with SEND and children learning English as an additional language, and that links with the neighbouring school helped transition. The staff structure includes a SENCO role, giving families a specific route for discussing additional needs rather than relying solely on informal conversations.

Sleep arrangements begin with information from parents about their child's needs. A room separate from the busy play areas contains cots and mattresses, and bedding is supplied for individual use. In January 2025, sleeping babies were continually monitored and staff helped babies practise feeding themselves. The separate space is a concrete consideration for families whose children still need daytime rest.

Parents supply nappies, wipes, nappy sacks and rash cream, with each child's items stored separately; nursery stocks used instead are charged for. Formula and feeding bottles also come from home. These are everyday responsibilities to include in the packing routine, alongside wellies and waterproof clothing.

Sessions and Attendance

Wizz Kids operates Monday to Friday, opening at 8am and closing at 5.30pm. Full-year contracts cover 50 weeks, while term-time contracts cover 38 weeks and follow Sheffield's education calendar; Christmas and bank holidays are closures. The two contract options suit different working and family calendars.

The core day runs from 9am to 3pm and can be booked as a full day or a half day, with morning attendance from 9am to noon and afternoon attendance from noon to 3pm. Additional attendance outside the core day is booked in half-hour slots. The minimum booking is three hours per day, twice each week, so occasional single-session attendance does not match the booking rule.

Enquiries can be made through the contact form, by email or by telephone. Parents sign a contract setting out the agreed attendance and start date before their child begins. Invoices are issued and payable monthly in advance. Illness and other absences do not attract refunds, while full-year contracts include three weeks of uncharged booked holiday; term-time contracts do not include refunds for holidays taken during term.

Getting There

The address is Totley Primary School, Sunnyvale Road, Sheffield, S17 4FB. Vehicles cannot use the school drive, and families are asked to avoid parking or driving between the vicarage and school gates or turning inside the gates. Between 9am and 3pm, access is through the nursery garden gates via the lower Baslow Road entrance; outside those hours, the Sunnyvale Road entrance can also be used.

Sharing school grounds provides opportunities to become familiar with a school environment. Attendance at Wizz Kids gives no automatic place at Totley Primary and does not influence its admission decision: families apply through the local authority. The convenient setting should therefore be weighed separately from Reception admissions.

Funding and Paid Extras

Funded childcare includes 15 hours Universal FEL for 3 and 4 year olds, the extended 15 hour for working parents and 2 year old FEL, subject to the relevant eligibility conditions. Funding can follow a 38-week term-time pattern or be stretched across 50 weeks. Families claiming the extended offer at Wizz Kids pay a calendar-monthly charge covering snacks and resources in addition to funded childcare; current prices belong in the nursery's written quotation.

For lunch, families either send food from home or pay separately for a term-time school-kitchen meal from a three-week menu cycle; these meals tend not to be suitable for children under 15 months. Formula is supplied by parents, as are nappy supplies, with replacement nappies and wipes charged separately when nursery stocks are used; these responsibilities also matter when budgeting for funded attendance.

• Learning consistency and independence. In January 2025, staff did not always share a clear understanding of children's next learning steps and sometimes completed tasks children could practise themselves. During a visit, ask how planning is shared and how children are encouraged to handle personal-care tasks independently.
• Visits by arrangement. Routine visits are suspended; families first submit their requirements, and a visit is arranged if the nursery can accommodate them. Begin with the attendance pattern you need rather than expecting a routine tour booking.
• Minimum attendance and closures. Bookings require three hours a day on two days each week, and Christmas and bank holidays are closures. Consider both the weekly commitment and your cover for closed days.
• Funding start dates. FEL placements start between September and January; children whose eligibility begins at Easter either attend on a paid basis from January or start the following September. That rule can affect both the starting date and the family's budget.

Wizz Kids suits families seeking mornings, afternoons or full core days, with term-time and full-year contracts. Play and Say and outdoor resources combine structured communication with practical exploration; key persons and TAPESTRY connect home and nursery.

The January 2025 Good judgement came with improvements to learning consistency and independence. Families whose calendars fit the minimum booking and closures have a useful choice of patterns, with school-site familiarity carrying no admissions advantage.