Meadowlands Pre-School
GoodTakes funded hoursBirth to 5Open for decades
A day nursery in Ellesmere Port for children from birth to 5, open 08:30 to 15:30, 5 days a week. £35.00 a day, and they take the funded hours. Rated Good by Ofsted in May 2022. Open since 2003, with 30 places.
What it costs
Prices change without notice. Treat these as what to ask about, not a quote.
Term time only, 38 weeks a year.
| Age | Full day | Session | |
|---|---|---|---|
| All ages | £35.00For a full day | £17.50For half a day, 3 hrs |
Where this came from
The outlined line is the one the price was taken from.
Funded hours
All 3- and 4-year-old children are entitled to 15hrs free early years education per week from the term after their 3 rd birthday; as of September 2025, eligible parents of children aged between 9 months and 4 years are also entitled to 30hrs free childcare; registered to offer places for children eligible for two-year-old funding.
Worth knowing. 30 hours funded childcare is available for eligible working parents of 2- and 4-year-olds, allowing children to attend for up to 30 hours a week during term time at no cost for the funded hours. Parents must apply through the government childcare service and reconfirm their eligibility every three months.
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
CH66 4SZWhat 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 May 2022 · read the full report
What it is like to attend
All children, particularly those with special educational needs and/or disabilities
(SEND), receive an impressive start to their education at this pre-school. Parents no longer enter the playrooms due to the COVID-19 pandemic. This helps to keep children safe from infection. However, children enter with confidence, excitement and a genuine happiness to be here. They independently find their own pegs and hang up their belongings. Staff's expectations of children are high. They instil a culture of positive behaviour and mutual respect. Children have learned the importance of sharing, taking turns and being patient. They are quickly developing important skills needed for school.
Communication and language development is a particular strength at the preschool. Children confidently hold back-and-forth conversations, both with staff and with their friends. They learn new words, such as 'smooth', 'slimy' and 'gloopy' to describe a sensory activity. Children use their growing communication skills to negotiate and compromise with their friends. For instance, they work together to resolve conflict and decide on the best way to share out the resources. Children are making good progress in their learning and development.
What Ofsted told them to improve
To further improve the quality of the early years provision, the provider should:
- strengthen the arrangements for training, coaching and mentoring of staff to raise the quality of education to the highest level.
- 20 May 2022Good
- 22 November 2013Outstanding
- 24 September 2010Needs improvement
Rated Good or Outstanding at 2 of the last 3 graded inspections.
Still missing for Meadowlands Pre-School
- 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
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 £35.00 a day still the rate? What is on top: meals, nappies, late pick-up, and what happens if you are late.
- How do you apply my funded hours? 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.
Day nurseries within a couple of miles
This one is first. Tick it and one or two others to see them side by side.