Upton Pre-School Group & Afterschool Club Ltd
GoodTakes funded hoursBirth to 8+Long established
A day nursery in Widnes for from 2 years up to school age, open 07:45 to 18:00, 5 days a week. They take the funded hours. They do not publish prices, so ask. Rated Good by Ofsted in October 2024. Open since 2016, with 42 places.
What it costs
Prices change without notice. Treat these as what to ask about, not a quote.
Funded hours
15 and 30hrs for 2, 3 and 4 year olds.
Worth knowing. Children that attend for 30hrs can bring their own packed lunch or they can have a school lunch for an additional cost.
What childcare usually costs in Halton
This is not this setting's price. It is the median hourly fee across all providers in Halton 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
WA8 4PGWhat 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, 4 October 2024 · read the full report
What it is like to attend
The motto of 'together we grow and learn' is truly embedded across this special setting. Staff greet children each morning with a smile and a hug. Children cannot contain their excitement to enter this nurturing setting. They wave their parents off at the door and are ready to start their day of fun and adventure. Staff are good role models. They have high expectations for children's behaviour. Children know what is expected of them and they behave well. They are kind towards others. For example, when their friends become upset, they give them reassuring hugs.
Children are happy and they have a strong sense of belonging.
In the main, staff provide children with a balanced curriculum, which keeps them motivated to learn. Children relish an array of activities. For example, they beam with delight while searching for bugs outdoors. They show excellent imaginative skills while helping to build a 'magical road' with wooden blocks. Staff give children's emotional well-being high priority. They spend time getting to know children and their families during the settling-in period. Children develop trusting relationships with staff and settle well. Staff provide opportunities for children to take part in yoga sessions and 'reflection time' in the sensory room. This helps children to develop their muscle strength and they learn how to relax.
What Ofsted told them to improve
To further improve the quality of the early years provision, the provider should:
- provide staff with more incisive feedback about their interactions with children, to help to keep children more engaged in their learning.
- 4 October 2024Good
- 1 November 2018Good
Rated Good or Outstanding at 2 of the last 2 graded inspections.
Still missing for Upton Pre-School Group & Afterschool Club Ltd
- What it costs
- 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
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.
- What does it cost, all in? 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.