Ofsted report card

Rainow Pre-School

Macclesfield, Cheshire · SK10 5XR

Inspected by Ofsted on 18 May 2026 under the report card framework.

Curriculum and teaching Expected Standard
Achievement Expected Standard
Behaviour and routines Strong Standard
Welfare and wellbeing Expected Standard
Inclusion Expected Standard
Leadership and governance Expected Standard

What each grade means

Each area is judged separately. Expected standard is the bar every provider has to clear — meeting it is the pass, not a mediocre result.

Curriculum and teaching

Expected Standard

The bar every provider must clear. Meeting it is the pass, not a mediocre result.

Achievement

Expected Standard

The bar every provider must clear. Meeting it is the pass, not a mediocre result.

Behaviour and routines

Strong Standard

Clearly better than the expected standard in this area, though not exceptional.

Welfare and wellbeing

Expected Standard

The bar every provider must clear. Meeting it is the pass, not a mediocre result.

Inclusion

Expected Standard

The bar every provider must clear. Meeting it is the pass, not a mediocre result.

Leadership and governance

Expected Standard

The bar every provider must clear. Meeting it is the pass, not a mediocre result.

Registration

Ofsted URN
305262
Provider type
Childcare on Non-Domestic Premises, Sessional day care
Ages
2 to 4
Registered places
24
Registered since
6 January 1971
Local authority
Cheshire East

On the EYR.

Where it is

Macclesfield, Cheshire · SK10 5XR. Location from the Ofsted register.

Inspection history

Inspections before November 2025 gave one overall rating rather than grading each area.

  1. 9 December 2025 inspection Report card
  2. 27 January 2020 inspection Outstanding
  3. 10 March 2016 inspection Outstanding
  4. 5 July 2011 inspection Outstanding
  5. 26 September 2007 inspection
  6. 12 January 2004 inspection

Common questions

When was Rainow Pre-School last inspected by Ofsted? +

Rainow Pre-School in Macclesfield, Cheshire was last inspected on 18 May 2026. That inspection used Ofsted's report card framework, which replaced single-word overall ratings for early years settings in November 2025.

What did Ofsted say about Rainow Pre-School? +

Ofsted graded 6 areas: curriculum and teaching — Expected Standard; achievement — Expected Standard; behaviour and routines — Strong Standard; welfare and wellbeing — Expected Standard; inclusion — Expected Standard; leadership and governance — Expected Standard. Each area is judged separately, so a setting can be stronger in one than another.

Is "expected standard" a good grade? +

Yes. Expected standard is the bar every provider has to clear, so meeting it is the pass rather than a mediocre result. Strong standard and exceptional sit above it; needs attention and urgent improvement sit below.

What ages does Rainow Pre-School take? +

Rainow Pre-School is registered for children aged 2 to 4.

How many children can Rainow Pre-School take? +

Rainow Pre-School is registered for up to 24 children at any one time. That is a registration limit, not the number currently attending.

How long has Rainow Pre-School been registered? +

Rainow Pre-School has been registered with Ofsted since 6 January 1971. Its unique reference number (URN) is 305262.

Nearby settings

Inspection and registration information is published by Ofsted and reproduced under the Open Government Licence v3.0. Little Bees is not affiliated with Ofsted. The grade descriptions are our plain-English summaries of where each grade sits against the standard, not Ofsted's own criteria.

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