Morda Pre School

Recycled materials and a Forest School on site give Morda Pre School a practical, exploratory character. Children can follow an idea into construction, artwork or outdoor play, rather than simply complete a predetermined activity. The emphasis is on what happens while they experiment. Finished creations matter, but they are not the whole point.

At its 14 July 2025 inspection, Ofsted rated the provision Outstanding and found that teaching enabled excellent progress across the setting. That judgement has concrete substance behind it: children worked with tools, built together and made decisions about their day. This is an approach that gives children meaningful responsibility alongside adult support.

Based at Morda C of E Primary School in Oswestry, the preschool has 34 places in total and accepts children from two years old. The Explorers and The Creators provide different environments, with readiness and parental involvement shaping the move between them. Opening is term-time only, with a Breakfast Club option before the main preschool hours.

Rooms and Ages

The Explorers welcomes two- and three-year-olds into a smaller room with quiet spaces and sensory experiences, placing emphasis on social and emotional development. Its layout also supports children with SEND who benefit from that environment. For families, the useful distinction is the kind of space their child will use, rather than age alone.

The Creators serves children who are three and approaching four in a larger environment with additional resources to extend their interests and skills. Moving rooms depends on physical and emotional readiness, and parents participate in that decision.

Learning and Activities

The Early Years Foundation Stage provides the framework for learning and care: children develop through play, interaction and practical experiences. Morda adds the Curiosity Approach, using natural objects, recycled materials and loose parts to encourage exploration and imaginative uses of resources. This gives children materials whose purpose can change with their ideas, rather than a single prescribed result. Caring for those resources is part of the approach too.

In the Moment Planning means practitioners respond to an interest as it emerges, offering help or extending learning while the child is absorbed in it. Observations are recorded afterwards, and families discuss progress with staff once or twice a term. The curriculum overview explains these approaches together.

In July 2025, older children handled screwdrivers, hammers and wire cutters with attention to safety. They also attached metal objects and their own wire creations to a suspended honeycomb structure. These were opportunities to practise precise hand movements while making choices about an evolving piece of art.

Storytelling and songs had a similarly active role in July 2025. Staff introduced vocabulary through books and rhymes, changed their voices while telling stories and encouraged children to connect with earlier learning. Younger children took turns selecting rhymes from a bag. Language learning and the social task of waiting for a turn were woven into the same experience.

Outdoor and Community Life

Forest School takes place on site on Friday mornings, with a rotation intended to give each child an opportunity within one of two terms. The arrangement includes rising two-year-olds as well as three-year-olds. Having the space on site makes outdoor exploration part of the preschool's own setting, while the rotation matters when considering how it will fit a child's attendance days.

In July 2025, children used extensive outdoor space for construction and investigation. They combined wooden planks, carried water through the garden and experimented with tools to tackle bubbles in metal jugs. These examples show outdoor play involving sustained problems to solve, alongside opportunities for larger movements.

Community experiences in July 2025 included journeys by bus and visits to parks and the theatre. Parents could accompany outings and attend events, including an art gallery displaying children's work. Those experiences connected learning with places beyond the preschool and gave families a way to participate in what their children were doing.

Relationships and Communication

Children's preferences had practical weight in July 2025. Staff listened during personal care and changes to routines, and children voted on whether group time would involve songs or a story. This was participation in decisions they could understand, rather than an abstract lesson about having a voice.

Behaviour support in July 2025 involved consistent, sensitive adult responses and attention to how actions affected other people. Children shared resources indoors and showed consideration outside, including bringing a friend's water bottle after exercise. For a parent, these small examples are useful: they show how care for others was expressed through ordinary interactions.

Inclusion and Wellbeing

At the July 2025 inspection, Ofsted found safeguarding effective and staff responsive to children with SEND, including sensitive support during transitions. The current staff structure includes both a safeguarding lead role and a SENCO role. These roles give safeguarding and SEND support defined responsibilities within the team.

The Explorers offers quiet areas and sensory experiences for children who need them more frequently. This is a concrete provision to consider alongside the room's smaller environment. It does not mean that every child with SEND will need the same arrangement; the relevant question is how those spaces fit the individual child.

In July 2025, independence was practised through washing hands, using the toilet, pouring drinks, eating and helping put resources away. Staff also discussed food, hydration and protection from the sun. Mealtimes were social and unhurried. These routines gave children repeated opportunities to do manageable tasks for themselves, with health habits connected to everyday actions.

Sessions and Attendance

The address is c/o Morda C of E Primary School, Morda, Oswestry, SY10 9NR. Main opening hours are 8.30am to 3pm, Monday to Friday, during term time. Breakfast Club begins at 7.45am and serves preschool children as well as children attending Morda Primary School. The earlier start is a separate practical option for families whose morning commitments begin before preschool opens.

Enquiries and applications can be made through the contact form or by telephone on 01691 688743. Families can request an emailed prospectus, with a paper copy offered where needed. This provides a straightforward route into understanding the setting and making an application.

Funding and Paid Extras

Funded childcare and privately paid attendance are offered. Funding options include the 15-hour early education entitlement for three-year-olds over 38 weeks, the 30-hour working-family offer and 15-hour support for eligible two-year-olds whose families receive specified support. Although the working-family offer extends to younger children, Morda's care starts at age two. Eligibility conditions still apply, and the setting operates during term time.

Current prices come in the nursery's written quotation. Funding entitlement and additional privately paid time should be considered separately when planning attendance.

Sharing a site with Morda C of E Primary School does not guarantee a Reception place. Families still apply through the local authority admissions process. Preschool attendance and school admission are separate decisions, even where the physical setting is familiar.

• Friday Forest School. Sessions run on Friday mornings through a rotation across two terms. At a visit, discuss how your child's attendance would fit that rotation and when their opportunity would fall.
• Term-time opening. The main day ends at 3pm, with Breakfast Club starting at 7.45am. Consider both the afternoon finish and school-holiday arrangements against your family's working pattern.
• Room transitions and individual support. Parents help decide when a child moves from The Explorers to The Creators. Use a visit to discuss readiness, sensory preferences and support through that change.
• Funding and everyday costs. Funded and privately paid attendance are both offered. Ask how meals, non-food consumables and any additional charges would apply to your proposed attendance before agreeing the written quotation.

Morda suits families seeking term-time preschool with an optional earlier start through Breakfast Club, and a day built around children's interests. Its strongest practical features are the contrasting room environments, responsive planning and on-site Forest School. The July 2025 Outstanding judgement adds substantial weight to that offer.

The choice is also about fit. A 3pm finish and term-time operation need to work for the household, while Friday outdoor sessions deserve attention when planning attendance. For families who value experimentation, hands-on materials and a say in room transitions, there is a clear educational character here.