Trelowan Preschool
OutstandingBirth to 5Open for decades
A pre-school in Penryn for children from birth to 5, open 08:00 to 15:00, 5 days a week. They do not publish prices, so that is the first thing to ask. Rated Outstanding by Ofsted in March 2022. Open since 2002, 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 Cornwall
This is not this setting's price. It is the median hourly fee across all providers in Cornwall 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
TR10 8RAWhat 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, 1 March 2022 · read the full report
What it is like to attend
Children positively thrive in this warm and caring setting. They eagerly come in and settle quickly. The extremely effective key-person system ensures that children feel very safe, secure and confident. Children's behaviour is excellent as they know what to expect and what is expected of them. For example, they help each other to return dressing-up clothes to the rail when they finish playing.
Leaders and staff have very high expectations for all children. They have designed a rich and thoughtful curriculum to support this. Children eagerly engage with the stimulating and exciting activities inside and outdoors. They become deeply involved, trying new ideas and learning new skills. Children persevere when tasks are difficult, for example when creating patterns with building blocks. Staff plan activities that closely follow children's interests and build on what they know, so children make rapid and exceptional progress.
All children make excellent progress with their speech. Staff model new words when children play. Children learn to rhyme, and learn letter sounds through extremely well-delivered activities. They develop a love of books as staff read to them in an extremely engaging way. Children repeat familiar and favourite stories as they play. Staff expertly develop children's mathematical skills. They constantly highlight shape names and talk about how numbers change when a block is added during play.
- 1 March 2022Outstanding
- 6 March 2013Outstanding
- 23 March 2010Outstanding
Rated Good or Outstanding at 3 of the last 3 graded inspections.
Still missing for Trelowan Preschool
- 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.