Olive Garden Nursery

Language, outdoor exploration and Islamic prayer give Olive Garden Nursery a recognisable character. On Adelaide Street in Bolton, its day brings together conversation groups, stories, songs and Kalimahs, explained as duaas or prayers. Climbing equipment, planting and water play add a practical counterweight: children have things to investigate as well as things to talk about.

At its September 2023 inspection, Ofsted rated the nursery Outstanding and found exceptional communication teaching, with pictures helping children understand instructions and carefully paced questions giving them time to answer. That is a dated judgement, but a useful one for parents weighing support for early speech and language.

There are 65 places in total, with Explorer Room for ages two to three and Investigator Rooms for ages three to four. Morning and afternoon sessions sit alongside a longer funded attendance pattern, all during term time.

Rooms and Ages

Explorer Room covers ages two to three; Investigator Rooms cover ages three to four. Toddlers automatically continue into preschool unless parents choose otherwise, giving families continuity as their children move between stages.

Learning and Activities

The Early Years Foundation Stage provides the framework for learning through play across connected areas of development. Adult-planned activities balance children's interests, with communication groups, stories and outdoor play in the routine. Children choose activities and when to have their snack.

Language teaching has several concrete tools. Letters and Sounds supports listening, awareness of speech sounds and combining sounds orally. Nursery Narrative uses visual resources to help children organise a story around its people, place, timing and sequence. These are different tasks: listening closely to sounds and making a spoken account understandable to someone else.

Number Journey develops number understanding through mathematical vocabulary, counting and problem solving. Language Steps supports early spoken understanding and expression, extending the tools beyond children who are already confident talkers.

In September 2023, children investigated a water butt's tap and pump, with adults questioning how to move the filled bucket. Number hunts and wooden beam structures linked maths with movement. These practical problems gave children reasons to experiment and think through their choices.

Outdoor and Community Life

Outdoor provision includes trikes, equipment for balance and climbing, and opportunities to dig and plant. Water, sand and construction play broaden the choices. Rain suits and wellington boots support outdoor activity in wet weather, while summer picnics give the space another use. Parents should expect outdoor play to be part of the routine across weather conditions.

Kalimahs bring prayer into the daily sequence alongside songs and stories. In September 2023, some children prayed at lunchtime and made regular visits to a local mosque; staff also encouraged conversation in children's home languages as well as English. This religious and linguistic context matters when choosing a setting whose daily life fits a family's preferences.

Relationships and Communication

A key person is allocated before a child starts. That practitioner helps the family settle, works with parents on an individual care and learning plan, and maintains developmental information. It gives parents a clear contact who can connect what happens at home with what happens during a nursery session.

Termly meetings give parents scheduled time to discuss progress and next steps. The key person observes children's interests and needs while working with them individually and in groups.

In September 2023, pre-start meetings covered communication, care and development, while stay-and-play sessions demonstrated learning strategies for parents. Families also received food parcels and information about community services, extending support beyond nursery attendance.

Inclusion and Wellbeing

A SENCO and assistant coordinate support with families, outside agencies and the child's key person. The procedures include an initial assessment within the first six full weeks of attendance, followed by additional assessment where needed. Wellcomm is a toolkit for identifying possible speech and language delays and guiding early intervention; the nursery's support procedures use it when appropriate.

Where an Early Help Assessment Plan is opened, an Individual Education Plan sets out educational support. Reviews with parents take place every eight to ten weeks. On a move to another setting, relevant information and documents are shared with parental consent. This gives families identifiable steps from recognising a concern through planning support and handing it over.

At the September 2023 inspection, Ofsted found that targeted daily activities and work with families and professionals were helping children with SEND progress, and judged safeguarding effective. The current safeguarding policy assigns lead responsibilities, provides for annual staff training and sets out checks for new recruits. These are arrangements parents can discuss alongside the dated inspection judgement.

Daily toothbrushing is part of the routine. Behaviour support combines work with parents and help with recognising feelings, but the policy also allows age-related time out after warnings. That detail deserves attention when comparing approaches to a child's frustration or repeated difficulty with boundaries.

Lunch is prepared fresh each day by a local caterer, with a choice of main course and dessert and menus changing each half term. The menu policy describes preparation in a nut-free environment while warning that bought-in raw ingredients may carry allergen traces.

Sessions and Attendance

The address is The Olive Garden, Adelaide Street, Bolton, BL3 3NY. Attendance is term time. The morning session runs Monday to Friday from 8.30am to 11.30am, and the afternoon session from 12.30pm to 3.30pm.

The 30 Hours Funded Place pattern runs from 8.45am to 3.30pm Monday to Thursday, followed by 8.45am to 11.45am on Friday. The shorter Friday is important: this pattern does not provide the same finishing time throughout the week. Breakfast Club runs from 8am to 8.45am, with breakfast included in its separate charge; Lunch Club is also charged separately.

Applications are not accepted for the September 2026 to July 2027 intake; applications for September 2027 are accepted. Age-specific forms are returned by email to the nursery's administration address. The admissions cut-off for the following September falls before February half term, and the nursery contacts successful applicants only. Its waiting-list policy combines order of application with stated priorities, including looked-after children, staff children and children whose parent belongs to the local society. Families should read that as a booking procedure, rather than a simple queue.

Funding and Paid Extras

Funded and privately paid places are offered. Funded attendance covers 15 or 30 hours a week according to eligibility during term time; families also need to budget for separately charged extras.

Hot dinners are charged separately. Nappies and pull-ups also attract separate charges, while a Tapestry file is optional and charged. This means both food and non-food consumables can affect the total cost, depending on the services and items used. Current prices come in the nursery's written quotation.

For paying places, a deposit secures the booking and is credited against the final paying invoice; withdrawal after payment attracts an administration deduction from that deposit. Parents withdrawing a child must give two weeks' notice, whether the place is funded or privately paid. These conditions matter when deciding how firmly the proposed start date and attendance pattern fit family plans.

• Morning start time. The session timetable gives 8.30am, while the admissions policy gives 8.45am. Resolve that difference before arranging a morning booking or committing to a work timetable.
• Term-time rhythm. The longer funded pattern ends at 11.45am on Fridays, and attendance follows terms. Compare that particular weekly shape with the hours your family needs.
• Prayer and behaviour. Kalimahs are part of the routine, and the behaviour policy includes age-related time out after warnings. On a visit, discuss how these parts of the day are handled for your child.
• Lunch and allergies. Hot dinners are an extra charge, and the menu warning allows for allergen traces in externally sourced ingredients. Families managing allergies should confirm current handling arrangements before choosing meals.

Olive Garden Nursery suits families seeking either morning or afternoon sessions, as well as those eligible for its longer funded weekday pattern. Its named language resources, key-person arrangements and structured additional-support procedures give parents concrete reasons to consider it. Outdoor equipment and prayer also help define the day.

The Outstanding judgement dates from September 2023. Families should weigh the term-time timetable, shorter funded Friday and charged extras alongside the prayer routine and behaviour approach. Those practical and personal considerations determine the fit.