Charnwood Inclusive Nursery

Three purpose-built lodges bring sheltered learning into Charnwood's outdoor space. They capture something useful about this Heaton Moor setting: outdoor exploration has room for quieter activity too. Ofsted rated Charnwood Inclusive Nursery Outstanding on 21 July 2022.

Based at Charnwood Nursery and Family Centre on St Paul’s Road, Stockport, the nursery has 92 places in total and a current age range of 36 to 60 months. Its Christian ethos places equal worth and participation at the centre of its work with children and families. That takes practical form through family support, accessible outdoor activities and provision for children with special educational needs and disabilities (SEND).

Attendance is term-time only, with a core nursery day and separately charged clubs extending it. For parents, the central decision is whether this combination of preschool education, family support and a school-term calendar fits their child and household.

Learning and Activities

The early years foundation stage provides the framework for children's learning, development and care: learning through play sits alongside communication, physical development and growing independence. At Charnwood, children choose activities from provision on the nursery floors, while staff observe their interests, plan learning and assess their development. Parents contribute to that process rather than simply receiving its results.

Sensory play is a substantial part of the day. Children explore objects and materials through touch and other senses, and communal tasks give them opportunities to contribute alongside others. The practical value is participation: a child can investigate, make choices and join an activity at a level that works for them.

In July 2022, children made models in the woodwork shed and explained how they had used nails, wood and leaves. This was hands-on making with something concrete to discuss afterwards. Story activities also involved sensory experiences, including water spray during a story about ducks and a basket containing chocolate eggs. Children who were ready worked on letter sounds and simple written words.

These are examples from that inspection period, rather than a promise of a fixed activity timetable. They illustrate a day in which making, talking and early literacy could connect, with different routes into the same experience.

Outdoor and Community Life

Outdoor time happens daily, whatever the weather. The Heaton Moor outdoor area includes accessible activities for movement, investigation and experimentation, while its three lodges provide warm, quieter spaces within that setting. For a child who needs a pause from busy play, that combination matters as much as the opportunity to be active.

In July 2022, outdoor play included a slide and a climbing frame, with staff helping children with SEND use the latter. Indoors, soft-play areas and sensory equipment gave children space to regulate their emotions. Physical play and time to settle were both part of the environment.

Opportunity Group is a separate stay-and-play offer for younger children and their families. Sessions include exploring everyday objects, sensory stories, singing with signs and activities families can try at home. Spending time there before applying to the nursery can help a child become familiar with staff and give the family a starting relationship with Charnwood.

Relationships and Communication

Family support extends beyond the nursery day. An in-house Family Support Worker offers help, and families can also access Start Well services. Support can include a listening ear or assistance with benefit applications, with access to a counsellor based at Charnwood for part of the week. These are concrete routes for parents dealing with pressures that affect family life as well as childcare.

ParentZone provides updates about children's activities and achievements, while notices and letters also go out by email. Alongside staff observations and assessments, that gives parents information to discuss and contribute to their child's development. Communication is woven into the learning arrangements rather than confined to administrative messages.

Inclusion and Wellbeing

At its July 2022 inspection, Ofsted found that children with SEND received exceptional support, children made rapid progress from their starting points and safeguarding arrangements were effective. The detail behind those judgements included work with external agencies, adapted daily activities and staff using Makaton signs and pictures to support communication.

Current admissions arrangements include SEND resourced places purchased and allocated by Stockport Local Authority. These follow a different route from a direct parental application. Families are encouraged to share developmental concerns and professional involvement early, so that planning can take account of the child's needs; Charnwood also offers initial advice about the resourced-place route.

Meals are freshly prepared each day by the Health and Nutrition Lead, with seasonal menus rotating over six weeks and snacks and drinks during nursery sessions. The nursery's dietary policy covers medical, cultural and allergy needs, making a discussion of a child's individual requirements essential for affected families.

Sessions and Attendance

The core day runs from 9am to 3pm. Breakfast Club adds care from 8am to 9am, while Afterschool Club runs from 3pm to either 4pm or 5pm; both clubs carry an additional fee. These are extensions to the nursery day, rather than part of the core funded pattern.

For the funded 15-hour offer, attendance is arranged as two and a half days at the beginning or end of the week. The Extended Free Entitlement provides 30 core hours across five days each week. Both arrangements operate during term time, and club bookings are subject to availability. Families choosing between them need to consider the weekly pattern as well as the daily finishing time.

Charnwood follows Stockport's school-term calendar. September is the main intake, with preschool-year children given priority; January or April starts are conditional rather than guaranteed. Looked-after children have the highest admissions priority, and sibling connections and previous Opportunity Group attendance also form part of the allocation criteria. None of the criteria guarantees admission.

Getting There

The address is Charnwood Nursery and Family Centre, St Paul’s Road, Heaton Moor, Stockport SK4 4RY. General enquiries and applications use info@charnwoodnursery.org.uk, and families can register interest by telephone on 0161 442 7767.

Funding and Paid Extras

Charnwood offers Universal Free Childcare for children aged 3-4, Free Childcare for Working Parents and Free Childcare for 2 year olds where the family receive additional support. Delivery is term-time, with the attendance patterns described above. Participation in these schemes does not establish an individual family's eligibility.

Working-family funding requires a valid code, supplied before hours are confirmed and before the child starts. Parents paying privately pay the nursery directly, and Tax Free Childcare payments are accepted. Breakfast Club and Afterschool Club cost extra; obtain a current written quotation covering the chosen attendance pattern.

• The term-time calendar. Core nursery attendance follows school terms, and the extended entitlement is spread over five term-time days. This suits households organised around that calendar; school-holiday childcare needs a separate plan.
• Admissions priorities and age. Preschool-year children receive priority, alongside the other allocation criteria. For a younger applicant, discuss the intended starting age and share any developmental concerns when applying.
• Support in practice. SEND resourced places are allocated through Stockport Local Authority, while family support is available within Charnwood. At a visit, discuss how the relevant route, communication arrangements and daily adaptations would work for your child.
• The complete childcare bill. Clubs extend the day for an additional fee, and meals are prepared daily. Request a written quotation that explains meal and non-food consumable charges for both funded and privately paid hours; families managing allergies should also confirm current dietary practice.

Charnwood suits families seeking either a two-and-a-half-day funded pattern or five core nursery days during term time, with breakfast and afternoon clubs offering extensions. Its outdoor lodges, sensory experiences and family-support arrangements give parents specific reasons to consider it.

The strongest case is for families who value preschool education alongside practical support and provision planned around differing developmental needs. The July 2022 judgement provides a dated quality benchmark; the current decision rests on matching the attendance calendar, admissions route and support arrangements to the child.