Pingawings Pre-School

A church-hall preschool with its own School Room, a shared Hall and countryside around its outdoor space: Pingawings has a recognisable character. Based at Tunley United Reformed Church Hall in Wrightington, it welcomes children from their second birthday through the preschool years. Its current offer is for ages two to four, with a maximum of 20 children attending a session, distinct from its whole-setting capacity of 32.

At its 4 October 2022 inspection, Ofsted rated Pingawings Outstanding overall and across education, behaviour, personal development and leadership. That judgement provides a strong quality reference, but the detail is more useful than the label: in October 2022, children selected books independently, staff developed their questions into investigations, and everyday routines gave children opportunities to do things for themselves.

Attendance is term-time, with hourly charging and several morning and longer-day booking windows.

Rooms and Ages

The School Room serves all age groups, with an emphasis on imaginative play, practical exploration and children becoming more independent. The Hall provides an open indoor space for shared activities and collaboration.

Outside, the secure play area combines natural materials, sensory experiences and physical activity for children aged two to four. Countryside surrounds the setting.

Learning and Activities

The Early Years Foundation Stage (EYFS) provides the learning framework: children develop communication, movement and relationships through play, alongside early literacy, mathematics, creativity and understanding the world. It is the shared foundation for early-years provision. Pingawings plans activities around children's interests and stages of development, so the same area of learning can involve different challenges for different children.

Language work includes songs, stories, rhymes and conversations, with cookery and gardening linking words to practical actions. The learning plans also allow for communication methods other than speech and, where appropriate, work with speech therapists or bilingual workers. For parents, the useful point is that communication is woven through activities rather than confined to a single language session.

Literacy plans include mark-making and story sacks that families can share at home. Mathematics extends into block play, daily routines and exploration of shape, size and patterns, with resources accessible indoors and outside. These are concrete ways to introduce early ideas through things children can handle, build and discuss. The learning page explains the framework behind them.

In October 2022, staff adjusted cutting activities to children's skills: some children kept practising with support, while more confident children made pictures from their cuttings and helped others. Creative work included paint and play dough, with counting and descriptions of size brought into the activity.

Outdoor and Community Life

An October 2022 example captures how curiosity could lead the day. A recorded bird sound prompted children to investigate its source, then staff took a group outside to look for birds. Books also prompted children to recall favourite passages and sustain conversations with adults. These examples connect listening, imagination and exploration rather than treating them as separate exercises.

Community experiences fed back into play that month. After a church harvest service, staff created a farm shop where children could act as shopkeepers and choose produce for an imaginary lunch. Discussion of fruit and vegetables followed naturally. Children also shared holiday experiences, which staff extended into conversations about countries, food and languages.

Relationships and Communication

Each child has a key person, giving families a clear relationship within the staff team. Parents and carers can share information about their child, and communication continues through Tapestry, used for newsletters and memos, plus weekly entries in a two-way book. Updates also cover learning topics and EYFS goals. The combination gives parents both setting-wide information and a regular channel for information about their own child.

The care plans include support for self-care and independence, with opportunities to work alone and alongside other children. In October 2022, children washed their hands, collected their packed lunches and chose seats themselves. When children found managing their feelings difficult, staff used consistent, sensitive responses.

Inclusion and Wellbeing

A SENCO role is part of the current staff structure, and specialist training for medical needs and learning styles is undertaken as needed. Learning plans include adaptations such as experiencing musical sound through contact with instruments, and using gestures to respond to music. These are specific support mechanisms, rather than a general promise that one approach suits every child.

At its October 2022 inspection, Ofsted found safeguarding effective and SEND support highly effective, with prompt requests for early intervention, cooperation across local authorities and schools, and excellent progress for children with SEND. That is a dated assessment of practice. Current arrangements include enhanced DBS checks and staff training in safeguarding, first aid and food-allergy awareness.

School transition also had a practical form in October 2022: staff visited schools to support children moving on. These visits supported children’s move between settings.

Sessions and Attendance

Pingawings operates from Tunley United Reformed Church Hall, Mossy Lea Road, Wrightington, Wigan, WN6 9RW. Opening hours are 8am to 4.15pm, Monday to Friday, during term time, across 38 weeks of the year.

Bookings include mornings, longer term-time days and flexible hours. Morning sessions begin at either 8am or 9am and end at noon or 1pm; longer term-time days can end at 3pm, with a funded pattern running from 8am to 4.15pm and another attendance option from 9am to 4.15pm. Flexible hours are also offered through hourly charging. This gives families choices between a morning pattern, a day ending mid-afternoon and attendance extending to closing time.

Term holidays and inset days are closures to plan around. The forthcoming Christmas closure is at noon on 18 December 2026, following the children's Christmas Party; the preschool also schedules a leavers morning for 22 July 2027, from 9.30am to noon. Those special days can have different attendance arrangements from an ordinary preschool day.

The contact form and telephone number, 01257 427470, provide routes for application requests and enquiries. Visits can be arranged with parents, carers and children together.

Funding and Paid Extras

Funded childcare is offered for eligible two-, three- and four-year-olds. The entitlement information includes 15 and 30 hours, subject to a Lancashire County Council qualification code, and the delivery pattern is term-time rather than stretched across the year. Additional hours beyond a child's daily funded entitlement are charged separately. Current prices should come in the preschool's written quotation.

Morning and afternoon snacks are charged separately, including during funded hours. Families can decline snacks, with milk and water still offered. Parents supply packed lunches. Pingawings publishes a nut-free policy.

Non-food consumables, including wipes, tissues, hand gel, paper towels and cleaning products, attract a separate charge, including on funded attendance. The charging terms state that families cannot opt out of this category. Extra activities are charged individually.

• Term-time coverage. Attendance runs across 38 weeks, with holiday and inset closures, and Christmas closes at noon on 18 December 2026. Families needing continuous childcare should plan for those breaks and shorter special days.
• Funded hours and extras. Snacks and consumables carry separate charges, and the consumables terms do not allow an opt-out. Ask how the written quotation separates funded time, additional hours and each extra for your chosen pattern.
• Shared spaces and settling. The School Room serves all age groups, while the Hall supports shared activity. During a visit, ask how staff organise these spaces for a newly two-year-old and an older preschool child, and how the key person supports settling.
• Food allergies. Parents supply lunch and the preschool has a nut-free policy. Families managing allergies should confirm current snack ingredients, lunch expectations and the arrangements for their child's needs.

Pingawings suits families looking for morning sessions or longer term-time days, with the option of flexible hourly attendance. The strongest current practical features are its session cap, shared indoor spaces, secure outdoor area and regular two-way communication. Its October 2022 quality judgement adds substantial weight, while the examples from that period show how staff connected children's interests with hands-on learning.

The deciding issues are concrete: whether the term calendar matches family needs, which attendance window works, and how separate food and consumables charges affect the chosen arrangement. For families comfortable with those terms, this is a preschool with a clear character and a strong dated inspection assessment.