Vicarage Lodge Preschool Community Playgroup
GoodBirth to 5Open for decades
A day nursery in Runcorn for children from birth to 5, open 8am to 6pm. They do not publish prices, so that is the first thing to ask. Rated Good by Ofsted in September 2024. Open since 1998, with 28 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 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
WA7 4PSWhat 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, 12 September 2024 · read the full report
What it is like to attend
Staff create a calm, caring and happy atmosphere at this setting. Children are greeted warmly as they arrive. Those children who are new to the setting are supported by the nurturing staff, who give them lots of reassurance when needed.
As a result, children quickly settle and are ready to start their day. Staff build strong bonds with the children and know them very well. This helps children to feel safe and secure and have a strong sense of belonging.
Staff provide children with many opportunities to develop their independence from an early age. Children happily choose what they would like to play with from a range of stimulating activities. For example, children press down on the pump bottles to choose their coloured paints to make their pictures. They show resilience as they persist to get the paint out of the bottle and ask staff for help when needed. This supports children to develop independence skills for their future learning.
What Ofsted told them to improve
To further improve the quality of the early years provision, the provider should:
- strengthen supervision arrangements to give more incisive feedback to build on the quality of teaching n enhance the curriculum to provide children with further opportunities to learn about equality and diversity in modern Britain.
- 12 September 2024Good
- 30 October 2018Good
- 15 January 2016Good
Rated Good or Outstanding at 3 of the last 3 graded inspections.
Still missing for Vicarage Lodge Preschool Community Playgroup
- 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.