Oldfield Pre-school
GoodTakes funded hoursBirth to 5Open for decades
A pre-school in Chester for from 3 years up to 5 year olds, open 08:00 to 17:00, 5 days a week. They take the funded hours. They do not publish prices, so ask. Rated Good by Ofsted in March 2023. Open since 1974, with 24 places.
What it costs
Prices change without notice. Treat these as what to ask about, not a quote.
Funded hours
You can only claim a maximum of 7.5 hours government funding.
Worth knowing. Extended hours (before 08:15 and after 15:45) do not qualify for government funding; sessions not covered by government funding are charged at the hourly rate, confirmed with the offer of a place.
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
CH3 5LBWhat 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.
- 30 March 2026 — Concern: actions taken what Ofsted published
Ofsted inspector, 27 March 2023 · read the full report
What it is like to attend
Children confidently separate from their parents on arrival. They are welcomed at the door by happy and enthusiastic staff. Children settle well and are eager to see what exciting things are planned. This helps support children to feel safe, secure and self-assured.
Clear and consistent systems are in place to help support children's behaviour. For instance, visual timers are placed in areas for children to access, resulting in them waiting patiently for their turn. Staff are good role models. They have a calming and gentle tone and demonstrate a loving and caring nature towards children. In turn, children play well together, seek out their special friends and thrive from positive and friendly interactions. Children's behaviour is good.
Children thoroughly enjoy their time at the pre-school and benefit from a wide range of stimulating activities that cover all the areas of learning. For example, children show great delight and concentration as they take part in creative activities. Staff are close by to provide ideas and offer suggestions as they support children in grasping new concepts and mastering new skills, such as using scissors and identifying the letters in their name. Staff provide lots of praise and encouragement to children. As a result, children have positive attitudes to learning.
What Ofsted told them to improve
To further improve the quality of the early years provision, the provider should:
- support staff to consistently promote children's independence skills, to encourage them to carry out self-care tasks for themselves.
- 27 March 2023Good
- 22 September 2017Outstanding
- 16 July 2014Good
Rated Good or Outstanding at 3 of the last 3 graded inspections.
Still missing for Oldfield Pre-school
- What it costs
- 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.
- What does it cost, all in? 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.
- Do you have a place for a child of my age now? 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.