Highfield Nursery

Vegetables grown, harvested and tasted by children, plus regular seaside walks, give Highfield Nursery a recognisable Blackpool character. Its vegetable garden connects outdoor play with food, while the beach provides another setting for exploration beyond the nursery. These are concrete reasons to consider it for a child who enjoys getting outside.

At its March 2023 inspection, Ofsted rated Highfield Good and found safeguarding effective. That judgement sits alongside two teaching priorities: extending children's language more consistently and giving quieter children an equal part in activities. Both matter when weighing the nursery's educational offer.

Highfield accepts children from three months to five years. Its address is 155 Highfield Road, Blackpool, FY4 2HG, and it opens on weekdays from 7.30am to 6pm.

Learning and Activities

The EYFS provides the framework for children's learning, development and care. In parent language, that means learning through play and everyday experiences, with attention to communication, movement, relationships and preparation for later learning.

In March 2023, practical activities gave different ages ways to investigate and persevere. Babies joined songs with movements; toddlers experimented with building towers from tubes and blocks; preschool children collaborated on a painting. These examples put participation and making things ahead of simply listening to an adult.

Number work also grew out of ordinary play in March 2023. Babies heard counting rhymes, toddlers counted sponge squeezes while filling a jug, and older children painted shapes outside. The useful connection was between mathematical ideas and something children could actually do, see or handle.

Language teaching needed greater consistency in March 2023. Some conversations stopped at repeating a child's words, rather than introducing fresh vocabulary or developing the thought further. Less confident children also sometimes had fewer opportunities to contribute. For families, the important distinction is between an activity being offered and each child being helped to take part in it.

Outdoor and Community Life

A dedicated outdoor area supports movement and play between indoors and outside. The vegetable garden adds an activity with a tangible end point: children can eat the produce they have helped grow. Regular seaside walks extend exploration beyond the nursery's own space, without attaching a fixed weekly timetable to those outings.

In March 2023, garden activities included balancing beams and climbing equipment for older children, chalk drawing for toddlers, and sand and water exploration for babies. Filling and emptying cups gave the youngest children hands-on practice with coordination. The current Green Flag Award recognises the nursery's sustainability work and outdoor environment.

In March 2023, each child had a key person responsible for their care and learning. Staff exchanged developmental information with families, and parents' evenings provided another opportunity to discuss children’s experiences. A familiar adult and regular conversations gave families a clear connection with nursery life.

Independence was practised at mealtimes in March 2023: children, including babies, served themselves and chose food and drinks. Staff also helped children who struggled with their emotions by sharing a book, talking through feelings and considering what might help. These were practical responses to everyday needs.

An onsite chef now prepares fresh meals each day and caters for children's dietary needs. Food grown in the vegetable garden gives children a further connection between what they eat and where it comes from.

Ofsted's regulatory outcomes dated 26 April and 9 December 2024 recorded action addressing repeated environmental risk-assessment issues: the April outcome confirmed the required safeguarding and welfare actions were met, while the December outcome described additional entrance locks and staff training on supervision and moving children through the nursery. These later events deserve consideration alongside the older Good judgement.

Sessions and Attendance

Opening hours are 7.30am to 6pm, Monday to Friday. Highfield operates throughout the year, closing on Christmas Day, Boxing Day and New Years Day. For families arranging weekday care, the opening window and those holiday closures are the practical starting points.

Getting There

The nursery is at 155 Highfield Road, Blackpool, FY4 2HG. A sheltered buggy park provides somewhere to leave a pram during the nursery day.

Funding and Paid Extras

In March 2023, Highfield provided funded early education for children aged two, three and four. Families planning funded attendance should discuss the precise attendance arrangement and its written charge structure together, as set out in the decision points below.

• Language and participation. The March 2023 teaching priorities concerned vocabulary and equal involvement. During a visit, ask for examples of how practitioners now extend conversations and include children who are less confident about speaking.
• Safety procedures. The April and December 2024 outcomes both addressed risk assessment, with the latter also covering doors and supervision. Ask how checks and movement between nursery areas work in daily practice.
• Attendance and funded costs. The weekday opening window runs from 7.30am to 6pm. Before agreeing an arrangement, ask which sessions fit your needs, how funded hours are delivered, and how meals and non-food consumables are handled in the written quotation.

Highfield suits families seeking weekday, year-round nursery care with practical outdoor experiences: growing food and taking regular seaside walks give children different ways to explore. Its March 2023 Good judgement is a useful starting point, but the language-teaching priorities and repeated risk-assessment issues merit direct discussion. The strongest reasons to consider it are concrete activities and an opening window that can accommodate an early start or later collection.