Small Wonders Nursery
GoodTakes funded hours★ 5.0 on GoogleBirth to 5Long established
A day nursery in Preston for babies from 3 months up to 5 year olds, open 07:30 to 18:00, 5 days a week. £48.00 a session, and they take the funded hours. Rated Good by Ofsted in January 2024. Open since 2012, with 74 places.
What it costs
Prices change without notice. Treat these as what to ask about, not a quote.
52 weeks a year, price list dated October 25.
| Age | Session | |
|---|---|---|
| All ages | £48.00Morning or Afternoon, 5.5 hrs |
Extras
Charged on top of the session rate.
- £1.00 per 15 minutes Late collection
Where this came from
The outlined line is the one the price was taken from.
Funded hours
Funding is now available for children aged 9 months and over.
Worth knowing. Government funding is designed to support childcare costs, but does not cover additional essentials such as meals, nappies, wipes, sun cream, extra hours, or trips. These remain payable where applicable. Meal charges apply only to funded hours, while private hours include meals within the session cost.
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
PR1 7HRWhat 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, 10 January 2024 · read the full report
What it is like to attend
Children are greeted by warm and friendly staff as they enter this setting. Staff understand children's unique needs and do all they can to help children settle and feel secure. Staff are positive role models and promote children's safety and happiness. For example, older children are encouraged to choose which of their own pictures they would like to put on display. This supports children's self-esteem and confidence. Staff have high expectations and promote positive behaviour well.
For example, they consistently praise children and give older children the chance to collect points to gain small rewards. Staff encourage children to engage in play through showing children what to do and joining in with their play.
Leaders have developed an ambitious curriculum that is sequenced to help all children develop skills as they move through the nursery. For example, babies enjoy making marks with paint using cars, and toddlers enjoy making patterns in dough using different tools. Pre-school children use whiteboards and pens to make marks as they start to gain an interest in making marks for a purpose. The curriculum allows children to explore new activities, build on their skills and recap on their learning. The curriculum has a positive impact on children's development, and all children make good progress.
What Ofsted told them to improve
To further improve the quality of the early years provision, the provider should:
- support all staff to offer consistent opportunities to develop and extend children's language, in order to develop children's communication to the highest level.
- 10 January 2024Good
- 9 February 2018Good
- 24 September 2013Good
Rated Good or Outstanding at 3 of the last 3 graded inspections.
Still missing for Small Wonders Nursery
- 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 £48.00 a session 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.
- 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.
Day nurseries within a couple of miles
This one is first. Tick it and one or two others to see them side by side.