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Our Lady's First Steps Pre-School

Ofsted: Good
(Oct 2023)
·
5.0(3 parent reviews) ·Clincton View, Widnes, WA8 8JN · Halton
Number of places
105 places
Age range
0–5 yrs
Last inspected
Oct 2023
Local authority
Halton

About this day nursery

Our Lady's Prep School and Nursery offers a vibrant and supportive educational environment for children aged 3 months to 11 years, operating 51 weeks a year. The school prides itself on being a family-focused institution with a Roman Catholic foundation, dedicated to nurturing each child's potential.

They aim to inspire pupils to achieve their best within a caring and encouraging atmosphere, fostering lifelong friendships. The facilities provide an excellent learning environment, and the school emphasises a commitment to creating, delivering, and living by its supportive ethos.

They encourage prospective families to visit and speak with pupils to gain a firsthand understanding of the educational experience. The school’s vision is to be recognised as a place where children, parents, and staff collaborate to develop confident young individuals who contribute positively to society and strive for their full potential.

Their mission is to offer an inclusive, faith-based learning environment that builds community, nurtures children, and prepares them for life in the 21st century. The ethos of care, family, and presence is central, supported by values such as respect, care, excellence, joy, family, and giving back.

While rooted in Catholicism, the school welcomes children of all faiths and none, promoting understanding and respect for diverse beliefs.

Our ethos

Our Lady's Prep School and Nursery is guided by the vision of "Nurturing, Building, Preparing," aiming to be a place where children, parents, and staff collaborate to develop confident, compassionate young people who reach their full potential. The school's mission is to provide an inclusive, faith-based learning environment that fosters community, nurtures growth, and prepares children for the complexities of the 21st century. Rooted in a Roman Catholic foundation, the ethos emphasises care, family, and presence, underpinned by core values of respect, care, excellence, joy, family, and giving back. While the school embraces its Catholic identity, it warmly welcomes children from all faiths and none, promoting mutual understanding and respect for diverse beliefs through its RE curriculum.

What it's like

Babies and children settle quickly and demonstrate strong bonds with staff, making good progress. Staff encourage children to talk about how they feel and consider the needs of others. Children enjoy many opportunities that help them to develop good speaking and early reading and writing skills.

Family schoolIndependent schoolNursery and Preparatory SchoolChristian ethosForest School

Pricing & funding

Monthly nursery fees are charged according to age band and the number of days booked. Standard rates are offered alongside adjusted monthly packages that incorporate 15 or 30 hours of government funding. Separate monthly fees apply to older primary school years, alongside hourly wraparound and daily holiday care.

Funding accepted

30 hours — working parents (3–4 yrs)15 hours — universal (3–4 yrs)Tax-Free Childcare

Good to know

  • An administration fee is required to enrol at the school.
  • Acceptance fees for both nursery and school places are refundable.
  • A refundable top-up fee is charged to reserve a Reception place for existing nursery children.
  • Early drop-off from 7:30am is available on an ad hoc basis.
  • Holiday care rates are available for school-aged children during non-term times.

Key facts

Opening hours

8am to 6pm, 51 weeks of the year (excluding Christmas week and bank holidays). Extended care available from 7:30am for an additional fee.

Food

Breakfast, morning break drinks and snacks, hot school lunch and afternoon tea are included in nursery fees. Lunch and snacks are included in school fees. Extended care before 8am includes breakfast for children arriving by 8:15am.

Staff

Two fully qualified full-time teachers and two full-time Teaching Assistants in Pre-School, with additional staff.

Age range

3 months to 11 years

Term time / All Year

All Year

Session types

Full day

Established

2004

Waitlist

Unknown

Ofsted Inspection

Ofsted rating for Our Lady's First Steps Pre-School

Last inspected 11 October 2023

Safeguarding effective
Overall effectiveness
Good
Quality of education
Good
Behaviour and attitudes
Good
Personal development
Good
Leadership and management
Good

What it's like to attend

Babies and children settle quickly and demonstrate strong bonds with staff, making good progress. Staff encourage children to talk about how they feel and consider the needs of others. Children enjoy many opportunities that help them to develop good speaking and early reading and writing skills.

Inspector highlights

  • Babies and children settle quickly and demonstrate strong bonds with staff.
  • All children, including those with special educational needs and/or disabilities, make good progress from their starting points.
  • Children exercise in the fresh air every day and learn about nature.
  • Staff encourage babies to copy animal sounds as they play imaginatively and sing songs.
  • Children develop a keen interest in literacy and freely draw and make marks with various tools.

Areas to develop

  • 1build on the supervision of staff arrangements and ensure they receive relevant support, coaching and training to make them fully effective in their role
  • 2focus more carefully when planning what two-year-old children are to learn and the best group size to support their learning even more effectively.
Inspection #10262220 · Source: OfstedView full Ofsted report

Inclusion & environment

How they support every child

SEND provision

All children, including those with special educational needs and/or disabilities, make good progress from their starting points. Additional funding is used appropriately to meet children's individual learning needs. Due to concerns about children's speech development following the COVID-19 pandemic, many staff have received training on how to assess children's early language skills, enabling them to identify children whose speech and language may be delayed and seek timely support.

Outdoor space

Children exercise in the fresh air every day. While outdoors, they also learn about nature, such as when collecting sticks and leaves in woodland or talking about the animals they can see on the local farmland. Staff check regularly for hazards to keep indoor and outdoor spaces safe and secure, assessing risks in the garden before using it.

Parent Reviews of Our Lady's First Steps Pre-School

5.0
(3)
Coral Matthews
7 years ago

Fantastic nursery both my children loved it here.

Read on Google

Reviews from Google for Our Lady's First Steps Pre-School. See all on Google Maps

Inspection history
Improved from Requires improvement → Good in 2023

Date: March 2012

  • October 2023Good
  • October 2022Requires improvement
  • March 2017Good
  • December 2013Good
  • June 2013Inadequate
  • March 2012Good

Frequently asked about Our Lady's First Steps Pre-School

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