Lilliputs Day Nursery

Woodland skills, swimming with Swim Start and outdoor spaces for growing fruit and vegetables give Lilliputs Day Nursery a character that reaches beyond its playrooms. This Westhoughton setting combines care for babies with preschool experiences that take children into the surrounding community. Outdoor activity is a substantial part of the offer, rather than an occasional change of scene.

At its July 2023 inspection, Ofsted rated Lilliputs Good and judged safeguarding effective. The learning priorities were clear, although staff needed to make children's individual next steps more precise and use unexpected teaching opportunities more effectively. Those points matter alongside the grade.

The nursery cares for children aged 4 to 59 months at 226 Bolton Road, Westhoughton, Bolton, BL5 3EF. Baby Bears, Ladybirds, Busy Bees and Wise Owls provide different stages of care, with overlapping room ages that allow movement to be discussed around the child. Attendance includes day packages and a one-day term-time funded option.

Rooms and Ages

Baby Bears serves children under two, combining sensory experiences such as finger painting and water play with low tables for developing independent eating and beds or cots with individual bedding. The physical arrangements connect play, meals and rest within the youngest children's day.

For children aged 18 to 30 months, Ladybirds uses accessible equipment, tactile play and outdoor experiences to develop movement, communication and social confidence. Busy Bees, for ages 24 to 42 months, builds on those skills through choices, sharing and early literacy and mathematics. Wise Owls covers 30 to 60 months, with spaces for construction, pretend play, writing and reading that children can explore independently.

These age bands overlap. They describe stages rather than a single birthday-based progression, making the fit between a child's development and the next room an important part of the nursery experience.

Learning and Activities

The Early Years Foundation Stage provides the framework for learning and care: children develop skills through play, with activities shaped around their interests and next stages of development. At Lilliputs, that means sensory exploration for babies, opportunities for toddlers to make choices and preschool play that introduces early reading and writing.

In Wise Owls, Letters and sounds introduces the shapes, sounds and formation of letters. It sits alongside play rather than replacing it. Children contribute ideas to activities, while the room's separate areas let them pursue interests through building, pretend situations, books and mark-making.

In July 2023, toddler teaching emphasised conversation through songs and rhymes. Adults also joined children's pretend kitchen play and used questions to develop discussion. Older children practised everyday independence by serving lunch and managing their coats and wellies. These examples show how learning can happen through ordinary routines as well as planned activities.

Outdoor and Community Life

The outdoor grounds include soft surfaces and spaces for gardening, climbing, water play, den-making and quieter activity. Waterproof clothing supports outdoor play in wet weather. Growing vegetables and fruit gives children something to care for and observe over time, while the quieter areas offer an alternative to more energetic play.

Forest Skills is a six-week block of woodland activities near the nursery, including pond dipping, wildlife exploration and building dens. The programme adds purposeful tasks to outdoor exploration, with children working on manageable activities rather than simply spending time outside.

Preschool children can also take swimming lessons with Swim Start, developing confidence in water and introductory swimming skills. The brochure describes weekly swimming, and the lessons carry an extra charge, with priority for children attending nursery on the lesson day. Regular walks to the library, park and shops connect the nursery day with familiar community places. A Christmas nativity brings children and staff together to prepare songs and a performance for parents.

Relationships and Communication

Settling begins with complimentary sessions, and parents can stay during the initial visit before gradually increasing periods apart. Home visits are another option where families feel they would help. This creates time to exchange practical information about sleep, diet, health and comfort before the child attends independently.

A key person handles daily care, follows development and acts as the family's main contact. Planning draws on observations of the child's interests, while conversations and daily records keep parents involved. The role gives families a clear route for discussing changes at home or concerns about nursery life.

Famly is the app used for learning observations and updates about routines and activities. Parents can contribute photographs and comments to their child's profile, allowing experiences at home to inform nursery conversations. Annual parents' evenings provide a separate opportunity to discuss development with the key person, alongside everyday contact.

Inclusion and Wellbeing

At the July 2023 inspection, Ofsted found that the special educational needs coordinator brought staff, parents and other professionals together to support children with SEND and their progress. Current key-person arrangements include preparing an individual education plan when a child has a special educational need. These are concrete support mechanisms for families whose child needs additional help.

Sleep arrangements take account of parental wishes while allowing children to rest when tired; naps are permitted at any age. Potty training involves discussion with parents, with the nursery's preparation guidance encouraging a calm response to accidents. Both topics depend on sharing the child's routines rather than treating every child identically.

Meals are cooked on the premises and follow a four-week menu rotation; the nursery caters for individual dietary needs and allergies but cannot provide a vegan diet. Parents receive information about how much their child has eaten, making mealtimes part of the daily handover.

Preparation for school includes independence with clothing, bathroom routines, sharing and asking adults for help. Lilliputs invites a child's future teacher to observe them in the nursery classroom, giving the teacher a chance to understand the child in a familiar setting. This is transition support rather than a claim about school admission.

Sessions and Attendance

Opening hours are 7am to 6pm, Monday to Friday. Day packages use that window, while the one-day term-time option for children accessing 15 hours runs from 7.30am to 5.30pm. Packages combine attendance with funded hours and, where applicable, additional paid childcare, so the funded entitlement and the booked day need to be considered separately.

Across-year care closes for bank holidays and a week at Christmas, with a 3pm finish on Christmas Eve. Attendance on at least two days each week is strongly recommended rather than stated as compulsory. Fees remain payable during bank holidays, holidays and illness, which affects the cost of maintaining a regular pattern even when a child is absent.

Enquiries can be made through the contact form or by email, and applications use the nursery's application form. An accepted booking requires a deposit equivalent to a week's fees and a registration charge. The deposit is retained if the child does not start; its return when the child leaves depends on four weeks' notice. Current prices come in the nursery's written quotation.

Funding and Paid Extras

Lilliputs offers funded childcare through its 15-hour and 30-hour arrangements, including funded hours for eligible babies and children from nine months. Funding is spread across the year, alongside the one-day term-time option. Private childcare hours can be added within the attendance packages. Eligibility and the chosen package determine how the entitlement fits the family's week.

For private fees, meals, snacks and general nursery requisites are included. Funded hours have separate charges for meals and consumables, with package choices that omit nursery-provided food and supplies; some of those arrangements require children to go home for lunch and tea. That practical requirement matters as much as the price when assessing whether a package works around employment.

Parents supply nappies, wipes and formula milk for babies, along with bottles for bottle-feeding. These remain distinct from general nursery supplies. Swimming is a separately charged activity, so a funded-hours calculation alone does not describe the whole cost of attendance. The funding and charges information sets out the package structure.

• Individual teaching. In July 2023, children's next learning steps needed greater precision, and staff sometimes missed chances to extend learning during spontaneous play. On a visit, ask how observations now become specific plans for your child.
• Food-free funded packages. Some packages involve taking children home for lunch and tea. Compare those meal-time collections with a package providing meals and consumables before choosing your attendance arrangement.
• Room transitions. Ladybirds, Busy Bees and Wise Owls have overlapping age bands. Discuss which room would suit your child's communication, independence and rest needs, and how a move between rooms would be introduced.
• Dietary fit. Individual diets and allergies are catered for, but vegan meals cannot be provided. Families affected by allergies should confirm current kitchen practice and the arrangements for their child's specific needs.

Lilliputs suits families seeking full days across the year or a one-day term-time funded arrangement, with outdoor activity and preschool experiences beyond the nursery grounds. Forest Skills and Swim Start give that offer substance, while complimentary settling sessions, a key person and Famly provide practical ways for parents to stay involved.

The balance is between an active nursery day and the details of the chosen attendance package. Funded hours, food charges and possible meal-time collections need to fit the family's routine. The July 2023 learning priorities also provide a useful test for a visit: how clearly staff can explain the next steps they are working on with an individual child.