Brookside Preschool, Gatley

Brookside Preschool, Gatley Through a strong emphasis on outdoor learning, child-led play, and emotional development, we nurture resilience, independence, and a lifelong love of learning.

Brookside Pre-School has been part of the Gatley community since 1975, opening first as a playgroup and then registering with OFSTED as a pre-school in 2002. You can find us tucked away in the Scout Hut on Gatley Hill (behind Gatley Hill House), just off Church Road. We are open from 9.00am- 3.15pm term time only and offer flexible sessions (morning, afternoon or all day) to meet you and your chil

d’s care needs. Our pre-school cares for children aged between two and a half years (some funding available for 2 year olds) up to the term before they start their Reception Year. In May 2018 OFSTED judged our provisions as “GOOD” with Outstanding in behaviour and welfare.

🌿 How We Learn 🌿Our ‘How We Learn’ approach has been reviewed and reflected upon over the past year. As our practice has...
07/09/2026

🌿 How We Learn 🌿

Our ‘How We Learn’ approach has been reviewed and reflected upon over the past year. As our practice has continued to develop, we felt it was important that it truly represented what learning looks and feels like at Brookside.

We recognise that many aspects of our practice are naturally influenced by Froebelian principles, particularly our emphasis on play, strong relationships, nature and first-hand experiences, freedom with thoughtful adult guidance, and seeing each child as a capable and individual learner.

We have therefore incorporated these principles more explicitly into our approach. We feel our updated ‘How We Learn’ now reflects Brookside much more authentically – capturing not only what we want children to learn, but our beliefs about how children learn best.

🌿 Meet Team Brookside! 🌿Behind everything we do at Brookside is our wonderful team.We all bring something different - cr...
07/09/2026

🌿 Meet Team Brookside! 🌿
Behind everything we do at Brookside is our wonderful team.
We all bring something different - creativity, experience, nurture, fun, enthusiasm, passion and dedication, but we share the same commitment to giving our children happy, meaningful early years filled with opportunities to explore, discover and be themselves.

Our team are the familiar faces at the door, the comforting arms when needed, the laughter during play, the muddy wellies in the woods and the people celebrating all those important little moments.

Our environment is special.
Our ethos guides us.
Our children inspire us.
But it’s our people who bring Brookside to life.

In this post, we’ll be introducing Team Brookside and sharing a little more about the wonderful people behind our preschool.

⭐️ wanted ⭐️
20/08/2026

⭐️ wanted ⭐️

As another wonderful year comes to an end, I just wanted to say a heartfelt thank you to all of our amazing preschool fa...
21/07/2026

As another wonderful year comes to an end, I just wanted to say a heartfelt thank you to all of our amazing preschool families.

Thank you to everyone who came to our end of year celebration and graduation today, and for all of your kind words, beautiful cards, and incredibly thoughtful gifts. We have been completely overwhelmed by your kindness, and it means more than you will ever know.

Thank you for trusting us with your precious children and for all of your support throughout the year. It is a privilege to be part of their early years and to watch them grow into such confident, happy little people.

A huge thank you also goes to our incredible staff team. Their care, dedication, and passion shine through every single day, and I couldn’t be prouder to lead such a wonderful group of people. They truly are the heart of our preschool.

Today was a lovely reminder of what a special community we have. Our children, families, and staff make an incredible team, and I feel so grateful to be part of it.

Wishing you all a happy, relaxing summer, and to our children moving on to school - we are so proud of you and wish you every success on your next adventure. ❤️

Thank you all again for everything,
Leanne x

** Preschool closes for the summer tomorrow (Wednesday 22nd July) and reopens on Thursday 3rd September **

🏅 Brookside preschools first sports day 🏅A huge thank you to our wonderful families who came along to support the childr...
19/07/2026

🏅 Brookside preschools first sports day 🏅

A huge thank you to our wonderful families who came along to support the children. It was lovely to see so many of you cheering them on and joining in with the races.

We are incredibly proud of every child. They listened carefully, tried their best, encouraged their friends and took part with enthusiasm and confidence. It was wonderful to see so much teamwork, determination and, most importantly, fun throughout the day.

A special thank you to Cara for organising such a brilliant event. Her hard work and planning made the day run so smoothly, and we really appreciate everything she did to make our first Sports Day such a success.

⚽ Football Fun at Preschool! ⚽Our children had a fantastic time taking part in a football-themed day, where they enjoyed...
19/07/2026

⚽ Football Fun at Preschool! ⚽

Our children had a fantastic time taking part in a football-themed day, where they enjoyed practising their ball skills, learning new techniques and joining in with fun training activities.

A big thank you to Reggie’s dad George for giving up his time to coordinate the session. The children had a brilliant afternoon, and it was brilliant to see the children joining in, encouraging one another and trying their best.

As well as celebrating the excitement of major sporting events like the World Cup, activities like these support many areas of learning in the EYFS. Football helps children develop their gross motor skills, balance and coordination, while also encouraging teamwork, communication, listening, turn-taking and resilience. Most importantly, it helps children build confidence and discover that being active is fun.

Well done to all the children, you were fantastic! ⚽

A big thank you to all the dads and other important male role models who joined us recently for our Father’s Day Stay an...
19/07/2026

A big thank you to all the dads and other important male role models who joined us recently for our Father’s Day Stay and Play. 💙

It was great to welcome so many of you into preschool and see the children enjoying spending time together through play, crafts, and activities. They loved showing you around and sharing part of their preschool day.

Thank you for taking the time to join us. We hope you all had a lovely Father’s Day!

🌟 A Rare Opportunity for a September Start! 🌟It’s very unusual for us to have preschool places available this close to S...
08/07/2026

🌟 A Rare Opportunity for a September Start! 🌟

It’s very unusual for us to have preschool places available this close to September, but due to a recent change, we have a small number of spaces ready to be filled.

If you’re looking for a warm, nurturing, and inspiring preschool for your little one, now is the perfect opportunity to join our wonderful preschool community.

These places are expected to be snapped up quickly, so if you’d like your child to start with us during the next academic year, please get in touch as soon as possible.

Contact us today to arrange a visit or find out more - we’d love to welcome you!

🐝 🖤 What a fantastic day at the Gatley Festival Parade!We are so proud of our children, who looked amazing as little bee...
05/07/2026

🐝 🖤 What a fantastic day at the Gatley Festival Parade!

We are so proud of our children, who looked amazing as little bees celebrating our theme, “Inspired by Bees – Growing Together Through Nature.” Watching the children take part with such confidence and joy was truly special.

Community events help children develop a sense of belonging, and we’re so proud to be part of the wonderful Gatley community.

A huge thank you to the organisers Gatley Festival CIC for putting on such a fantastic event and to everyone who came along to support. We loved celebrating our community together 🐝🌼



(Thank you for the photos shared by parents and other community members)

29/06/2026

This week we are thinking about school readiness!

The information this week is not intended to overwhelm you and it will not apply to all children, but we wanted to share some ideas of things you can be thinking about ahead of this important transition time.

Address

Scout Hut HQ, Gatley Hill, Church Road
Manchester
SK84EY

Opening Hours

Monday 9am - 3:15pm
Tuesday 9am - 3:15pm
Wednesday 9am - 3:15pm
Thursday 9am - 3:15pm
Friday 9am - 3:15pm

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