Hawes Side Nursery

A baby’s daily sleep record and a preschool child’s homework pack mark the two ends of Hawes Side Nursery’s approach: individual routines first, then a more structured preparation for school. This purpose-built nursery sits within the grounds of Hawes Side Primary School in Blackpool’s South Shore area. Its three rooms separate babies, toddlers and preschool children, allowing the day to change with each stage of development.

At its March 2023 inspection, Ofsted rated the nursery Good and judged safeguarding effective. The practical qualification to that judgement concerns younger children’s changes of routine, especially lunchtime, when staff did not consistently respond to their changing needs. That deserves attention alongside the strengths.

The nursery has capacity for 52 children, with an overall age range from birth to 60 months. Morning and afternoon attendance can be requested through its application form. For families comparing care across different ages, the clearest contrast is between the baby room’s individual sleep arrangements and the uniforms, responsibilities and homework introduced later.

Rooms and Ages

The baby room serves children from three to 23 months, with sensory materials, space for physical play and places to rest according to individual routines. Soft play gives babies room to practise movement; cots and sleep mats accommodate tiredness during the day. A sofa is used for bottle feeds, and the room adjoins the kitchen for bottle storage. These are useful details for parents whose baby still needs frequent feeds and flexible sleep.

Toddlers have a separate room for ages two to three, where independence includes potty training and serving themselves at meals. Its large playhouse can become a hospital, bakery or café, giving everyday experiences a place in imaginative play. Construction materials include wooden and foam bricks, while books, puppets and musical instruments support stories and songs. The toddler group uses one practitioner for four children, compared with the statutory minimum of one for five at age two: an additional staffing margin for this stage.

The preschool unit serves ages three to five, combining registration, name-writing and homework packs with a library, construction materials and messy play. Children can approach mathematics through either table activities or building, so a more structured day still includes choices about how to learn. Labels and pictures help children recognise where resources belong and take responsibility for tidying them away.

Learning and Activities

The early years foundation stage provides the framework for learning, development and care: play supports communication, physical skills, early mathematics and children’s understanding of themselves and others. Hawes Side’s activities make those areas tangible. Painting and textured materials invite exploration; role play introduces social situations; construction creates opportunities to count and work together.

In March 2023, children experimented with dough, adding flour when its texture needed changing, then shaping and counting their creations. This brought problem-solving, hand control and number work into the same activity. Babies explored furniture at their height and crawled into a den, practising movement through their surroundings rather than through a formal lesson.

Outdoor and Community Life

A secure playground provides space for outdoor play and social interaction. In March 2023, children also ran outside and used a slide, adding larger movements to the smaller hand movements practised indoors. The physical contrast matters: drawing, dough and construction exercise different skills from climbing and running.

School preparation has a concrete local connection. The nursery describes close links with Hawes Side Primary School; in March 2023, preschool staff worked with the Reception team on children’s preparation for the next stage. Attendance here does not guarantee a Reception place. Families still use the local authority admissions process.

Relationships and Communication

Each child has a key person, and each room has a coordinator responsible for its organisation and children’s development. This gives parents an individual contact for everyday care as well as oversight at room level. The baby group begins with a Baseline Information Form, covering home circumstances, comfort objects, sleep, food, health and additional requirements. The purpose is practical: staff can plan around the child they are caring for.

A Learning & Development Record follows an initial four-week observation period in the baby group, helping staff identify strengths and areas needing support. Parents receive a Daily Communication Sheet covering that day’s activities, food and sleep, alongside a monthly learning diary and termly parent evenings. Daily care information and developmental reviews therefore serve different purposes: one helps parents understand today, the other tracks learning over time.

The toddler group continues a communication diary and learning record. Preschool children retain their learning diary, and a transition form passes information to their primary school at the end of the year. This creates a thread between rooms and onward to school rather than treating each move as a fresh start.

Inclusion and Wellbeing

At the March 2023 inspection, Ofsted found that children with SEND received effective support through communication screening, collaboration with the local authority and other professionals, and learning broken into smaller steps. In that period, progress reviews took place at least termly, and additional funding bought mathematical resources for children needing extra help. These were specific support mechanisms, rather than a general promise of inclusion.

The weaker point in March 2023 was the organisation of transitions for younger children. While older children received advance warnings about changes, busy staff sometimes missed younger children’s developing needs; noise increased and behaviour became harder to manage. The improvement action centred on understanding how routine changes affected children, especially around lunch.

Meals also contribute to independence. Toddlers practise serving food and using cutlery while eating with staff; their menu runs over four weeks, with meat and vegetarian choices. Babies have a daily choice between two meals, with special dietary requirements accommodated.

Sessions and Attendance

Opening hours are 7.30am to 6pm, Monday to Friday. The nursery operates throughout the year, closing on Christmas Day, Boxing Day and New Year’s Day. Its application form accepts morning and afternoon requests for each weekday, allowing parents to indicate the attendance pattern they want.

Applications include a requested start date and contact details, followed by a call from the nursery manager. Telephone enquiries go to 01253 759 586, and email enquiries to info@hawessidenurseryblackpool.co.uk. The callback gives families a direct conversation about their application rather than relying entirely on a form.

Getting There

The address is Pedders Lane, Blackpool, FY4 3HZ, but access to the nursery is from Johnsville Avenue, off Highfield Road. That distinction matters when planning the journey: the postal address and the entrance are different reference points.

Funding and Paid Extras

In March 2023, the nursery provided funded early education for children aged two, three and four. Treat that as a dated participation detail when considering the cost of attendance, rather than a promise of an individual funded place.

• Lunchtime transitions. In March 2023, younger children’s changes of routine needed better management. During a visit, ask how staff organise the move into lunch and respond when children become unsettled.
• Uniform and homework. Uniform is compulsory for toddlers and preschool children, and preschool homework includes letter, shape and number activities. Consider whether that early introduction to school routines fits the experience you want for your child.
• Baby routines. The baby group combines individual sleep arrangements with daily information about food and rest. Use a visit to discuss how your child’s current feeding and sleep pattern would fit the room’s day.
• The cost of your pattern. Morning and afternoon requests can be made across the working week. Ask for a written quotation for your chosen attendance, including the treatment of funded hours, meals and consumables, so you can compare the total cost.

Hawes Side suits families seeking morning or afternoon attendance and a progression from individual baby care towards a visibly more school-like preschool day. The daily baby records, toddler self-serving and preschool transition forms make that progression concrete. Its position within Hawes Side Primary School’s grounds adds a useful connection for transition work, while leaving Reception admissions separate.

The March 2023 Good judgement provides a dated assessment of quality. The lunchtime improvement point is equally relevant to the decision, especially for parents of younger children. Families comfortable with compulsory uniforms and preschool homework will find a clear approach here; those preferences should shape the choice as much as the overall grade.