Charnock Richard Pre-School
GoodBirth to 8+Open for decades
A pre-school in Chorley for children from birth to 8+, open 09:00 to 15:00, 5 days a week. They do not publish prices, so that is the first thing to ask. Rated Good by Ofsted in January 2023. Open since 1992, with 34 places.
What you might pay
This setting does not publish its fees, and no national dataset holds them. This is what childcare costs across the council, as a starting point for the call.
What childcare usually costs in Lancashire
This is not this setting's price. It is the median hourly fee across all providers in Lancashire from the Department for Education's 2025 provider survey. No national data holds what an individual nursery charges, so ring and ask.
Places, hours and the day
Who they take, when they are open, and what a day there includes.
Where it is
PR7 5NAWhat the inspector found
One grade is one visit. A run of them tells you whether it has been good for years or has only just got there.
Ofsted inspector, 20 January 2023 · read the full report
What it is like to attend
Children are happy. Staff know their children and families well and are very much part of the community. Children come in happily and are greeted by staff, who are genuinely interested in news from home. Children behave well, are kind to each other and respond respectfully to each other and to staff.
Children choose to engage in a broad range of suitably resourced activities. For example, children role play in the Chinese takeaway set up as part of a celebration of the Lunar New Year. Children choose from a menu, make pretend food and are asked to pay for it. They learn about people in their community and also about numbers and money. Children develop their physical skills, both indoors and outdoors, exploring concepts such as 'over' and 'under' and learning how to safely use steps and climb over apparatus.
During the COVID-19 pandemic, staff altered the routine at the start of the day so that parents were welcomed at the door with their child and did not routinely enter the classrooms. Staff observed that this actually improved the quality of the communication with parents and reduced any anxiety or emotional stress for children finding the transition to pre-school difficult. After consultation with parents, they have continued this practice and feel this is still beneficial.
What Ofsted told them to improve
To further improve the quality of the early years provision, the provider should:
- support staff to ensure that activities provided are more sharply focused on what they want children to learn next n encourage and support staff to know when to allow children time to think about and respond to the questions they are being asked.
- 20 January 2023Good
- 23 June 2017Good
- 5 May 2015Good
Rated Good or Outstanding at 3 of the last 3 graded inspections.
Still missing for Charnock Richard Pre-School
- What it costs
- Funded hours
- Youngest age taken
- Meals
- Nappies
- Waiting list
No dataset holds any of this. Two parents telling us the same thing puts it on the page for whoever looks next.
What to ask them
None of this is in any national dataset and this setting has not published it, which is exactly why it is worth asking.
- What does it cost, all in? What is on top: meals, nappies, late pick-up, and what happens if you are late.
- Can I use my funded hours here? Whether they stretch them over the year, and the minimum days you have to book.
- Is there a place for my child's age? Baby rooms fill first and waiting lists are common.
- Who would my child's key person be? And how long have the staff been there. No dataset holds this and it matters more than anything above.
- Can I visit at a busy time? Mid-morning on a weekday tells you far more than an empty room after hours.
Pre-schools within a couple of miles
This one is first. Tick it and one or two others to see them side by side.