Swanwick Pre-School
Good★ 5.0 on GoogleBirth to 5Open for decades
A pre-school in Alfreton for children from birth to 5, open 07:40 to 15:40, 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 They do not publish prices, so that is the first thing to ask.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 1969, with 26 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 Derbyshire
This is not this setting's price. It is the median hourly fee across all providers in Derbyshire 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
DE55 1BNWhat 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, 30 March 2023 · read the full report
What it is like to attend
Children have high levels of confidence. They are curious about visitors to the preschool and excitedly approach and tell them about the activities they are interested in. Children use their imagination well. They put on construction hats and highvisibility jackets. Children offer staff a construction hat, explaining that it is for safety and to protect their heads. They use clipboards and proudly show staff their attempts at writing their names.
Staff help children to learn about life cycles. Children gather around and look in awe at tadpoles inside a glass tank. Children know how the tadpoles will change and say, 'They will grow arms and legs and turn into frogs.' Staff provide children with books to further support their understanding of this process.
Children have close relationships with staff. They feel safe and secure to explore the activities that staff have planned for them. Children develop good physical skills as they eagerly take part in music and movement sessions. They follow the instructions from staff as they pretend to slither like snakes on the floor. Children use their whole bodies as they reach up high, bend down low and dance to a song about going to the supermarket.
What Ofsted told them to improve
To further improve the quality of the early years provision, the provider should:
- improve partnership working with other settings that children attend to further develop a shared approach to children's care and learning.
- 30 March 2023Good
- 4 July 2017Good
- 16 April 2015Good
Rated Good or Outstanding at 3 of the last 3 graded inspections.
Still missing for Swanwick 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.
Pre-schools within a couple of miles
This one is first. Tick it and one or two others to see them side by side.