Worth Pre-School Ltd
Worth Pre-School Ltd is a pre-school in Poynton for children aged 2 to 4, with 26 registered places. Ofsted report card, 27 February 2026: Strong standard in 4 areas, Expected standard in 2 areas; safeguarding standards met.
Birch Road, Poynton, SK12 1QA
Key facts
- Type
- Pre-school (Sessional day care) (Ofsted childcare register, as at 30 June 2026)
- Ages
- 2 to 4 (Ofsted childcare register, as at 30 June 2026)
- Registered places
- 26 (Ofsted childcare register, as at 30 June 2026)
- Registered
- 5 December 2011 (Ofsted childcare register, as at 30 June 2026)
Opening hours
Monday,Tuesday,Wednesday,Thursday,Friday : 07:45 - 16:00,Monday,Tuesday,Wednesday,Thursday : 07:45 - 17:00
Source: Ofsted report, inspection on 27 February 2026
Who runs it
Worth Pre-School Ltd is run by Worth Pre-School (Ofsted register).
Latest inspection
- Inclusion: Strong standard
- Curriculum and teaching: Expected standard
- Achievement: Expected standard
- Behaviour, attitudes and establishing routines: Strong standard
- Children's welfare and wellbeing: Strong standard
- Leadership and governance: Strong standard
- Safeguarding standards met
Source: Ofsted, inspection on 27 February 2026. Contains public sector information licensed under the Open Government Licence v3.0.
What it's like to be a child at this setting
Staff know all children extremely well and have formed warm, trusting relationships with the children and families that attend. Children are warmly welcomed into this setting by the friendly and familiar staff. They immediately show they have a good understanding of the daily routines. For example, they hang their coats and bags on their pegs and put their water bottles away. Children show confidence in their independence skills and settle quickly into different activities. This helps children to develop a sense of belonging at the setting.
Children enjoy plenty of time outdoors, exploring their local environment. For example, staff arrange for them to regularly go for walks across the field into a small wooded area. This ensures children keep active and develop their physical skills. Children squeal with excitement as they run down the small slope across the grass. Younger children are supported by staff to balance on wooden tree stumps, while older children skilfully step across them with ease. They eagerly explore the growing daffodils and carefully look inside the petals to see if a sleeping bee is still inside from the day before. They are supported to recall past learning and learn about the world around them.
All children, including those with special educational needs and/or disabilities or other barriers to their learning, are supported to be confident communicators. Children regularly engage in back-and-forth conversations with staff, where they share their thoughts and ideas. They enthusiastically play a game of hide and seek in the wooded area with staff. They sing out loud '1,2,3 where are you', and others respond '1,2,3 we're over here'. Children delight as they listen intently and find their friends. Consequently, this helps to develop children's listening and attention skills.
What Ofsted found in each area
Inclusion: Strong standard
Leaders and staff are deeply committed to ensuring that every child is supported from the moment they start at the setting. They quickly find out what each child already knows and any areas where they might need extra help. Staff closely monitor children's development and put clear plans in place to ensure all children, including those who face barriers to learning, make progress from their starting points.
Staff work closely with parents, other professionals and outside agencies to plan strategies to support children who have special educational needs and/or disabilities (SEND). Staff know every child in the setting well and implement these strategies superbly. For example, staff use timers to support some children to know how long they have left to play before they will need to tidy up. Additionally, staff ensure children who may need support to follow instructions are given one instruction at a time to follow. This consistent approach helps children to understand routines and what to expect next.
Leaders have a clear overview about ensuring appropriate use of any additional funding. They identify how this can be used to support children with SEND, those who are disadvantaged or those who may face other barriers to learning. For example, they purchase a wide range of resources and additional learning experiences, such as in-house music sessions to enhance children's physical, communication and language development. Leaders ensure that all families are supported well and are provided with a range of help and support when needed. Consequently, children receive the support they need to prepare them well for the future.
Curriculum and teaching: Expected standard
Leaders have planned an ambitious curriculum that focuses on building children's knowledge and skills over time. Leaders continually reflect on practice and how they can improve. They recently introduced more opportunities for mark making and writing into the different learning areas of the setting to support children's creativity and early literacy development. Children paint pictures outdoors and write shopping lists in the pretend home corner. This helps them to give meaning to the marks they make. Staff plan and adapt activities to support children's ages and stages of development. For example, at circle time, younger children identify their name cards with the help of their photo. Older children start to recognise their written name.
Mathematics is woven into the curriculum. Children have many opportunities to explore numbers and different mathematical concepts. For example, they use measuring tapes to measure the heights of the daffodils, and staff introduce language such as 'shorter than' and 'taller than'. Children learn to recognise numbers and count dots on dice. This helps children to develop their mathematical skills.
Leaders and staff have carefully arranged the provision and activities to match children's interests and to provoke their curiosity. They regularly assess what children know and can do and plan activities to support children's next steps in learning. However, at times, the daily routine includes frequent group sessions. While children are generally engaged, it limits opportunities for extended periods of uninterrupted, child-led play where children can consolidate their learning even further.
Achievement: Expected standard
Children make secure progress across all 7 areas of learning. Staff use regular observations and assessments to understand what children know and can do. They use this information to ensure children access the well-planned curriculum and build their knowledge and skills over time. Children progress well in their communication and language skills. They confidently use language to express their ideas and share their thoughts during play.
Children are prepared appropriately for their next stage of learning. Staff place a strong emphasis on developing the essential skills children need for starting school. For example, children confidently manage their own self-care. They independently put on their coats and boots before outdoor play and carefully pour milk and water at snack time. These embedded skills support their growing independence and readiness for the expectations of school.
All children achieve from their individual starting points, including those with special educational needs and/or disabilities, those who are disadvantaged and those known (or previously known) to children's social care. Staff identify any gaps in learning promptly and put targeted support in place. Leaders seek advice from external professionals when needed to ensure children receive the right help at the right time. As a result, children continue to reach their developmental milestones and are well supported to move on successfully.
Behaviour, attitudes and establishing routines: Strong standard
Children demonstrate consistently positive behaviour. Leaders and staff act as positive role models as they encourage children to be kind and respectful. Children show genuine care for one another as they work collaboratively, sharing resources and taking turns. For example, while exploring in the woods, children politely ask their friends for a turn with the binoculars to look for birds. These thoughtful interactions reflect a culture where positive relationships are firmly embedded.
Children show positive attitudes to learning. They are curious and motivated, becoming deeply engaged in their chosen play. For example, they use wooden rings and corks as pretend food, describing it as 'spicy' and building imaginative play together. This purposeful play supports their communication and language development as they share ideas. Leaders and staff adapt the length and focus of activities to support younger children so that they have the opportunity to be involved and engaged. This helps children to stay motivated and purposeful.
Leaders place high importance on attendance. They carefully monitor children's attendance and follow up promptly when children are absent to check on their wellbeing. Where attendance has been a concern, leaders work closely with families to reduce barriers. This has led to improved attendance for children, supporting their readiness for school and ensuring they benefit fully from the experiences on offer.
Children's welfare and wellbeing: Strong standard
The effective key-person system means that children build strong, trusting relationships with familiar staff. They regularly seek them out to play with or for support when needed. For example, children ask their key person to read them a story. They sit on the sofa and enjoy time sharing books. This has a positive impact on children's emotional development as they enjoy this time with the familiar adults.
Leaders and staff support children very well to understand their feelings and share their thoughts. They show care and respect for each other. Staff act as positive role models as they model good manners. Children instinctively say 'please' and 'thank you' as they ask for help or share resources with their friends. As a result, there is a calm, happy environment where children show care and respect for each other.
Leaders and staff prioritise children's health and wellbeing. Daily routines provide ample opportunities for energetic outdoor play and physical activity. Staff work closely with parents to promote nutritious packed lunches and healthy choices. Children enjoy fresh fruit at snack times and contribute ideas for future options, strengthening their understanding of healthy eating. Children know to wash their hands before eating and confidently follow this routine before sitting down at the table. Staff sit with the children when they eat their snack and lunch. Consequently, mealtimes are sociable and purposeful, supporting children to develop secure foundations for healthy, active lifestyles.
Leadership and governance: Strong standard
Leaders demonstrate a clear and ambitious vision for the setting. They are continually reflective about what works well and make clear plans for improvements. They are fully committed to giving every child the best possible start in life. This can be seen in the thoughtful decisions they make and in the welcoming, inclusive environment they have created where all children are encouraged to aim high and feel valued. Leaders recognise the importance of staff knowledge, particularly in supporting children with special educational needs and/or disabilities. They arrange professional development opportunities, such as autism awareness training, to ensure staff have the skills and confidence to meet children's individual needs effectively.
Parents are an important part of the setting's community. Leaders build warm, trusting relationships from the very beginning. Families receive regular updates through newsletters, an online app and daily conversations, so they feel well informed about their child's learning and development. As a result, children and families feel valued and well supported.
Leaders place a high priority on staff wellbeing. Regular meetings focus sharply on children's progress and on strengthening practice. Staff speak positively about the support they receive and thoroughly enjoy their jobs. Leaders seek out relevant training and carry out regular supervisions. As a result, staff morale is high, and this benefits the children's learning experiences.
What the setting must and should do next
The provider should:
- Leaders should strengthen the curriculum so that routines and group times consistently promote high levels of engagement.
Ofsted's words, from the report on the inspection on 27 February 2026. Read the full report on the Ofsted website. Contains public sector information licensed under the Open Government Licence v3.0.
Inspection history
Ofsted report cards (England, from November 2025)
Since 10 November 2025 Ofsted has graded nurseries and pre-schools on a report card. There is no single overall grade. Instead, each of six areas gets one of five grades: Exceptional, Strong standard, Expected standard, Needs attention, Urgent improvement.
The six areas are inclusion; curriculum and teaching; achievement; behaviour, attitudes and establishing routines; children's welfare and wellbeing; leadership and governance. Safeguarding is judged on its own, as met or not met.
Expected standard means the setting does what Ofsted expects of every setting. Strong standard and Exceptional are above that; Needs attention and Urgent improvement mean Ofsted found things the setting has to put right.
Source: Ofsted reports
Funded childcare hours in England
All 3 and 4 year olds in England can get 15 hours of free childcare a week, for 38 weeks of the year.
Working parents of children aged 9 months to 4 years old can get 30 hours of free childcare a week for 38 weeks of the year (Free Childcare for Working Parents), if they meet the earnings rules. You confirm your details every 3 months.
Some 2 year olds can get 15 hours a week when the family gets certain kinds of extra support.
The hours are used at a registered provider that offers them, so ask each nursery how it offers the funded hours.
Source: GOV.UK: Free Childcare for Working Parents, check if you're eligible · GOV.UK: Free childcare and education for 2 to 4 year olds (checked 31 October 2026)
Other nurseries nearby
- First Steps Kindergarten - Day nursery, Poynton SK12 1PU, ages 0 to 4, 50 places, 0.2 milesOfsted, 22 April 2022: Good overall; safeguarding is effective
- Brook House Farm Pre-School Centre - Day nursery, Stockport SK12 1RQ, 50 places, 0.3 miles
- Children's Choice Day Nursery - Day nursery, Stockport SK12 1RG, ages 0 to 4, 56 places, 0.4 milesOfsted, 2 March 2022: Good overall; safeguarding is effective
- Tree Tots Day Nursery Ltd - Day nursery, Stockport SK12 1RG, ages 0 to 4, 52 places, 0.4 milesOfsted, 13 July 2023: Good overall; safeguarding is effective
- Mini V Preschool - Pre-school, Stockport SK12 1NW, ages 2 to 4, 32 places, 0.4 milesOfsted, 18 July 2025: Good overall; safeguarding is effective
Schools nearby
- Worth Primary School - Primary, under 0.1 miles
- Poynton High School - Secondary, 0.1 miles
- Vernon Primary School - Primary, 0.4 miles
- St Paul's Catholic Primary School, A Voluntary Academy - Primary, 0.5 miles
- Lower Park School - Primary, 1.1 miles