Dodleston Pre-School
Good★ 5.0 on GoogleBirth to 5Open for decades
A pre-school in Chester for children from birth to 5, open 09:00 to 15:15, 4 days a week. £37.82 a day for 2 years old. Rated Good by Ofsted in May 2025. Open since 1983, with 24 places.
What it costs
Prices change without notice. Treat these as what to ask about, not a quote.
Price list dated May 2025.
| Age | Full day | Session | Hourly | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2 years old2y to 3y | £37.82 | £24.20morning, 4 hrs | £6.05per hour | |
| 3 and 4 year olds3y to 4y | £34.38 | £22.00morning, 4 hrs | £5.50per hour |
Where this came from
The outlined line is the one the price was taken from.
What childcare usually costs in Cheshire West and Chester
This is not this setting's price. It is the median hourly fee across all providers in Cheshire West and Chester 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
CH4 9NNWhat 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, 9 May 2025 · read the full report
What it is like to attend
Children settle with ease and develop close attachments with staff in this bright and welcoming pre-school. Staff are nurturing and supportive and help children to feel safe and emotionally secure. They place a strong emphasis on getting to know children and their families when they first start and instil values of kindness and respect. Children demonstrate a strong sense of belonging and form secure attachments with the staff. This helps to support their emotional well-being.
Staff provide an exciting curriculum based on their knowledge of what children need to learn. Children relish their time outside. They demonstrate good physical dexterity as they climb and balance on play equipment and consider their own risks as they assess how high they can climb. Children laugh infectiously with their friends as they pour water into large tubs of soil, commenting that they have 'made a mud bath'. Staff interactions with children are carefully considered. They give clear and consistent behavioural messages, and children are learning to listen well and respect one another. Children form close friendships, become deeply engrossed in their play and are thoughtful and caring towards their friends.
What Ofsted told them to improve
To further improve the quality of the early years provision, the provider should:
- provide more opportunities for children to gain independence and carry out routine tasks for themselves n strengthen partnerships with any other settings that children also attend to help to promote greater consistency in children's care and learning.
- 9 May 2025Good Safeguarding: Yes
- 19 June 2019Good
- 27 March 2018Good
Rated Good or Outstanding at 3 of the last 3 graded inspections.
Still missing for Dodleston Pre-School
- Funded hours
- Youngest age taken
- 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
Some of this is above, from the setting or from parents, and it can go out of date. The rest is in no dataset anywhere. Either way it is worth ten minutes on the phone.
- Is £37.82 a day still the rate? 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.