Hillcrest Nursery

Why Hillcrest?

Great care has been taken to plan and equip the Nursery so that it is not only an exciting and stimulating educational experience but also a loving, warm and safe, home from home.

Caring, committed staff work in partnership with parents, families and the community.

“The partnership with parents and carers is outstanding” Ofsted 08

The Owner/Manager of Hillcrest holds a Degree in Psychology and Child Development, a Post Graduate Certificate of Education and is Montessori trained. This in itself makes the Nursery unique in Preston.


Our experience of the work of Montessori coupled with many years childcare experience inform the approach adopted by our staff. Hillcrest Nursery is highly respected within the LEA and is nominated as a Lead Practitioner.

“The quality and standards of the nursery education are outstanding” Ofsted 08

We are firmly committed to continuous improvement in our work with children and consequently keep up to date with new thinking and research in Early Years Care and Education.

Our extensive, naturalistic gardens enable us to maximise the potential of the Outdoor Curriculum. Children are free to roam and explore whilst always being thoroughly supervised

Educational Approach

The child comes first. All our curriculum planning is guided by the needs of the individual child.

We respect the child’s individuality, listen carefully and respond appropriately.

We believe that the very best way to help children develop is for them to be free to respond to their own individual needs. We believe that children have an innate desire to learn and explore. The environment that we have created permits them to maximise their potential through constructive exploration.

We use a combination of materials especially designed to meet the needs of children as they pass through each developmental stage. Children are always free to choose from a variety of activities that help them develop as individuals and relate to other members of the group. Children develop basic skills from walking and feeding themselves to more complex skills such as reading and writing and managing their own personal hygiene.

“The quality of teaching and learning is outstanding” Ofsted 2008