Cromdale Way Pre-school

Tree planting, woodland den building and a garden shared with dinosaurs and fairies give Cromdale Way Pre-school a recognisable outdoor character. Based in the main hall of Tim Parry Community Centre in Great Sankey, Warrington, this charity-run setting connects play with practical care for its surroundings. Children help tend the local park as well as explore their own enclosed outdoor space.

At its January 2024 inspection, Ofsted rated the provision Good and found safeguarding effective. The strongest practical examples involved language, physical play and growing independence: children explored water, joined familiar stories and tackled everyday tasks themselves. There were also improvements to make in learning during routines and work with parents on healthy eating.

The pre-school welcomes children aged 2 to 4 years 11 months and has 26 places in total. Attendance is term-time only, with morning, afternoon and full-day options. Its community setting and parent committee give families a role beyond simply booking childcare.

Learning and Activities

The EYFS provides the educational foundation: children learn through play across areas including communication, movement, relationships, early reading and mathematics. Activities combine children's own choices with experiences organised by practitioners. Observations help staff plan what comes next, while parents contribute information about interests and learning at home. That makes the connection between home and pre-school part of planning, rather than a separate conversation.

Hands-on exploration carries much of the day. Water play includes testing objects to see whether they sink or float and watching how water travels. Outdoors, crates and planks offer materials for building and imaginative play. These are resources children can rearrange and investigate, with scope to try an idea, change it and work alongside somebody else.

In January 2024, staff used sloping guttering above a water tray to explore moving water, while crates and large blocks supported climbing and balance. Language activities paired songs with actions, including marching to The Grand Old Duke of York. Familiar stories became participatory when adults paused for children to supply missing words. These examples put movement, conversation and books into the same account of learning.

Outdoor and Community Life

A large enclosed grass area sits alongside the purpose-built bedding area. Children can grow vegetables, dig in dinosaur land and explore the fairy garden. The outdoor provision gives gardening and imaginative play their own physical spaces; children can work with soil and plants as well as invent stories. It is a useful combination for those who enjoy active exploration.

Forest School adds learning through nature, with sessions led by the Forest School leader at Park Road School. Children have explored woodland, gathered sticks and leaves, made dens and looked for autumn changes. This is a concrete addition to the play-based day, with activities extending beyond the pre-school's garden. The school connection here is about those sessions.

Community work has included planting trees with the Parish Council and caring for the local park alongside the Park Keeper. The January 2026 newsletter also described work with the Great Sankey Parish Council Park Keeper using litter pickers and considering recycling. Environmental ideas therefore have practical examples children can take part in: planting, collecting rubbish and thinking about shared spaces.

Celebrations bring different materials and stories into play. For World Book Day in March 2026, families were asked to send a favourite book and dress children as a story character. Easter activities that spring included the Sponsored Easter Bunny Hop and an Easter Bonnet Parade, with families supplying bonnets. Christmas fundraising has also included repeated sponsored reindeer runs, with children dressing as reindeers. These events give parents opportunities to join in, alongside some preparation at home.

Relationships and Communication

Each child has a personal key person. Parents are invited to contribute to assessments by sharing what their child enjoys at home and how they support development. Newsletters carry practical reminders and learning topics; in March 2026, development tracking was linked to a parents' evening where families could arrange an appointment through their child's key person. This gives conversations a specific subject: the child's developing skills.

A parents' reading area opens at 8.15am, ahead of the 8.30am start. Families can share a book there together. It gives reading a place in the relationship between parent and child, as well as in activities led by staff. This is separate from the booked morning session.

In January 2024, new children received help to settle calmly, and staff drew on children's recent interests when introducing play. Adults modelled cooperation and joined imaginative games, including taking characters' parts aboard a toy pirate ship. Everyday independence was also visible: children served beans with a scoop and practised putting on hats and wellington boots. Care included helping children do manageable tasks for themselves.

Inclusion and Wellbeing

The staff structure includes a SENCO, key-person responsibilities and designated safeguarding roles. Training includes communication and language, personal planning and education, health and care plan referrals. These are concrete roles and areas of preparation for discussing a child's needs. They do not substitute for understanding the support an individual child will require.

Staff hold early years qualifications, and the team includes first-aid responsibilities. An indoor-shoes policy encourages children to change footwear themselves, with help where needed. For absences, parents must notify the pre-school; its policy provides for contacting families an hour after a child's expected attendance if no explanation has been received.

At the January 2024 inspection, Ofsted identified two improvements: making learning more effective during routines and strengthening work with parents so children better understand healthy food choices. Current lunchbox guidance covers food variety, portions and preparation, while school-readiness advice addresses independence, feelings, friendships and managing belongings. These resources give families practical material to use at home; they are not an official judgement that the inspection actions have been completed.

Children bring packed lunches, and the pre-school provides two snacks each day, with examples including fruit, crumpets and beans on toast, plus a choice of milk or water. Lunchbox advice covers balanced contents and safer preparation, and the January 2026 reminders excluded crisps and raisins from lunchboxes.

Sessions and Attendance

Three booking patterns run Monday to Friday during term time: AM SESSION from 8.30am to 11.30am, PM SESSION from noon to 3pm, and FULL DAY from 8.30am to 3pm. The opening hours are 8.30am to 3pm. A full day includes lunch at 11.30am, with activities involving children both individually and together.

Morning attendance includes a snack around 10am. Afternoon activities include stories and crafts, role play, water exploration and outdoor learning. The distinction is useful for families choosing between a shorter attendance block and staying through lunch, rather than simply comparing opening and closing times.

Interest can be registered through the enquiry form, by email or by calling 07752030476. Visits can be booked. The charity's management committee includes parents, and families automatically become members of the charity. Parents can therefore take part in the organisation as well as their own child's learning.

Getting There

The address is Tim Parry Community Centre, Great Sankey, Warrington, WA5 3NY. Car parks can be accessed from Cromdale Way and Wroxham Road, giving families alternative approaches to the community centre.

Funding and Paid Extras

The pre-school offers Free Early Years Entitlement for two, three and four year olds, including the 30 hrs free entitlement, within its term-time provision. Parents supply packed lunches. Current prices come in the nursery's written quotation; the session and funding information sets out the attendance choices.

Preparation for school centres on practical skills. Guidance for families covers taking turns, managing the toilet and clothing, opening lunch containers and talking about feelings. These are useful tasks to practise together before a child moves on, rather than treating readiness as early reading alone.

• Term-time attendance. Both short sessions and full days follow the term-time calendar. Families needing childcare during school holidays will need a separate arrangement.
• Learning during routines. The January 2024 improvement action concerned extending learning during everyday routines. On a visit, ask how staff now use those parts of the day and help a new child settle into them.
• Packed-lunch preparation. Families provide lunch, and healthy-eating guidance includes restrictions and food preparation advice. The daily task sits with parents, alongside any costume or bonnet preparation for celebrations.
• Funding and the full cost. Funded entitlement is offered within the term-time model. Ask for a written quotation explaining how your chosen sessions use funding and which additional items, if any, carry charges.

Cromdale Way Pre-school suits families seeking term-time morning or afternoon sessions as well as those choosing a full day through lunch. Its strongest character comes from practical outdoor experiences: the enclosed garden, Forest School activities and work in the local park give children concrete ways to explore and contribute.

The Good judgement from January 2024 sits alongside specific improvements in routines and healthy-eating partnership. For parents comfortable supplying lunch and interested in a charity-run community setting, the combination of play, independence and family participation makes a clear case for a closer look.