Stanwix Community Pre-School
GoodBirth to 8+Open for decades
A day nursery in Carlisle for children from birth to 8+, open 08:30 to 15:30, 7 days a week. They do not publish prices, so that is the first thing to ask. Rated Good by Ofsted in November 2022. Open since 1985, with 20 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 Cumberland
This is not this setting's price. It is the median hourly fee across all providers in Cumberland 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
CA3 9DJWhat 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, 16 November 2022 · read the full report
What it is like to attend
Staff place a sharp emphasis on nurturing children's emotional well-being. They provide a bespoke virtual tour and visual information booklet, to help children to gain a sense of what the pre-school is like before they start. The family orientated key-person system contributes towards the positive relationships that are formed between children and staff. Children enjoy their time at this welcoming pre-school.
They demonstrate that they feel safe and secure in the care of staff. For instance, children are confident to approach any new visitors as they arrive. They demonstrate their largely positive attitudes when saying polite phrases, such as
'good morning'. Children are beginning to form firm friendships with their peers.
What Ofsted told them to improve
To further improve the quality of the early years provision, the provider should:
- strengthen teaching and challenge children's creative-thinking skills more consistently during larger group sessions, to build on their communication and language skills more successfully n support all staff to intervene more reliably during routines, to help children gain a greater understanding of the expectations for behaviour.
- 16 November 2022Good
- 27 January 2017Good
- 6 June 2013Good
Rated Good or Outstanding at 3 of the last 3 graded inspections.
Still missing for Stanwix Community 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.