Smallworld Pre-School
GoodBirth to 8+Open for decades
A day nursery in Northwich for children from birth to 8+, open 07:30 to 18:00, 5 days a week. They do not publish prices, so that is the first thing to ask. Rated Good by Ofsted in March 2023. Open since 2000, with 24 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 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
CW9 8DHWhat 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, 7 March 2023 · read the full report
What it is like to attend
Children arriving at the pre-school and out-of-school club are pleased to see the friendly, welcoming staff. They follow well-established routines that help them to feel confident and safe. Pre-school children find the fish-shaped card that has their written name on it. They attach it alongside the name cards of the other children who are attending. This helps children to feel part of the group. It promotes their early literacy. Staff teach children to meet the different expectations for their behaviour across the day. Children move energetically and giggle during a 'wake and shake' music session. At register time, children know that they must sit with their group and be ready to speak and listen.
Parents and carers praise the warm relationships that they form with managers and staff at the pre-school. Staff learn to say key words in children's home language when they speak English as an additional language. This helps children to settle in and feel secure. Parents visit the pre-school to tell children about their jobs. This helps children to learn more about the world. Parents like the photos that they receive via an online app. They say that the photos help them to hold conversations with children about what they do at pre-school.
What Ofsted told them to improve
To further improve the quality of the early years provision, the provider should:
- focus more closely on the detail of staff's teaching, so that they know exactly what to do to keep improving n check that staff know precisely what they want the children who participate in activities to learn and remember.
- 7 March 2023Good
- 11 September 2017Good
- 30 June 2014Good
Rated Good or Outstanding at 3 of the last 3 graded inspections.
Still missing for Smallworld 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.
Day nurseries within a couple of miles
This one is first. Tick it and one or two others to see them side by side.