The Beagle Pre-School
We are a welcoming 45 place Pre-School for 2-5 year olds situated in Castle, Northwich. Children learn and play within a purpose designed building with a Toddler and Pre-School rooms, located directly next to Charles Darwin Community Primary School allowing for excellent relationships with the school and in preparing children for school.
Opening times: 9am – 3pm, during school term time.
Children have access to a secure outdoor area with a soft play surface and we encourage outdoor play in all weathers. Both of our rooms have a door to the garden allowing us to offer free flow play so children can play either indoors or outdoors according to their choice.
Quotes from our latest Ofsted inspection
“Practitioners have a warm and caring rapport with the children and they are very good role models.”
“Partnerships with parents, other agencies and the host school are very effective. This helps to promote a highly consistent approach to children’s care and learning.”
“Staff work well together and create a vibrant and harmonious atmosphere in which children are thriving.”
View the full report here.
The Key Worker System
We allocate every child a key worker, who is a named practitioner whose role it is to help your child settle into Pre-School, make them feel safe and secure, monitor their development and be the main point of contact for the parents.
Your child’s key worker will plan activities that follow your child’s unique needs and interests. They will share with you their observations on your child’s development and will work with you if your child needs any extra support.
ParentZone
We use an app called ParentZone to keep parents informed and encourage two-way communication between parents and the nursery. Through ParentZone you are able to:
View a timeline of your child’s day including what they have eaten, when they have slept and their nappy changes
View our observations and assessments relating to your child’s development
Add photos or observations from home
Send comments to your child’s key worker.
Meals and Snacks
At The Beagle we offer children a well-balanced, nutritious snack menu to enjoy. We follow Government nutritional guidelines including the ‘Eat Better, Start Better’ guidelines and have a 5* Food Hygiene rating from the Environmental Health Office.
Snacks are prepared fresh daily and we have experience of catering to specific dietary requirements including allergies, intolerances and religious requirements.
Toddler Room
The Toddler Room provides care for up to 20 children aged approximately 2-3 years. The children are cared for on 1:4 ratio.
At this age, children take huge steps in their development and they are keen to explore the world around them. Our Toddler Room aims to provide the time and space for children to learn through play at their own pace and based on their own unique interests. The layout of the room is designed to promote independence and to allow the children to move freely around the range of activities on offer.
Pre-School
The Pre-School room provides care for up to 25 children aged approximately 3-5 years. The children are cared for on a 1:8 ratio.
Children in the Pre-School room are beginning their journey towards formal learning and we aim to help children prepare for school to enable a smooth transition whilst still providing a fun environment for children to enjoy.
Trials and Transitions
Before your child starts at Pre-School we have a settling in period to allow them to visit the Pre-School and get to know the members of staff and routines. This also allows us to get to know your family and home routines, and you to get to know your key worker. The aim is that on your child’s first day at Pre-School, they and yourself will feel familiar with the setting and feel settled and confident.
We usually offer a couple of free settling in sessions of increasing length and this is usually enough for the child to feel settled at nursery, however we recognise that every child is different and always offer more settling in sessions if they are needed.
Sessions and Fees
| Half Day | School Day |
|---|---|
| 09:00-12:00 12:00-15:00 |
09:00-15:00 |
| £18.10 | £36.20 |
Our fees are fully inclusive of nappies, wipes, creams, snacks, sun cream and any Calpol needed.
We offer a 10% sibling discount which is applied to the sibling with the lower fees cost.
We accept payments by bank transfer, cheque or cash. We are flexible with payment plans and allow either monthly or weekly payments.
We offer many types of funding including 2 year funding, 3 year funding, 30 hours funding, Care to Learn and Tax-Free Childcare – please ask for more information.
We review fees in April of each year.
Contact Us
The Beagle Pre-school
Darwin Street
Northwich
Cheshire
CW8 1BN
Telephone: 01606 786423
We have an open door policy so please feel free to have a look around at any time without an appointment! If you would prefer to arrange a time just give us a call.
Free Places
We offer many types of funding including 2 year funding, 3 year funding, 30 hours funding, Care to Learn and Tax-Free Childcare – please ask for more information.
Please click on the icons below to find out more about what is available. Please ask at the Pre-School if you need any help with these schemes – they are complicated.
Visit us
Now you have found out a bit about us then please come and visit Beagles. We have an open door policy so please feel free to have a look around at any time without an appointment. You can do this by simply coming to the Pre-School during opening hours or if you prefer phone or email to make an appointment to look around. We will be happy to answer any questions you may have.