Mrs Nursery Childcare

A log trail, a digging area and number socks pegged onto a miniature washing line give Mrs Nursery Childcare its character: practical play with plenty for small hands to do. This Northwich setting has capacity for 42 children, accepting ages from three months to 60 months. Its garden provides space for movement alongside the painting, construction and sensory activities indoors.

At its June 2022 inspection, Ofsted rated the nursery Good, found safeguarding effective and identified support for children with special educational needs and/or disabilities as a strength. That is a dated judgement, with a clear improvement point attached: managers needed to make staff development targets more precise and assess their effect on children's learning.

Day bookings and half-day sessions offer different ways to attend. The detail matters, especially for families combining funded hours with paid childcare.

Learning and Activities

The EYFS provides the framework for learning, development and care, with play supporting communication, physical development, relationships and later skills in literacy and mathematics. Here, those areas take tangible forms. Puppets and multicultural books support conversation and storytelling; construction materials include duplo, popoids and interstars. Children can build, change their ideas and try again rather than simply complete a fixed task.

A wooden dolls house has furniture, figures and vehicles for imaginative play. Elsewhere, a dressing-up box, a railway set and role-play activities give children material for making their own stories. These resources connect language with doing: children can describe a character, organise a pretend household or explain where a vehicle is going.

Mathematics also has a playful expression. Number socks hang on a small washing line, while threading beads, shapes and counting songs introduce numbers and patterns through handling and repetition. Bug hunts and digging bring exploration of the surrounding world into the same play-led day. The learning page explains how these activities relate to the areas of learning.

In June 2022, preschool children chose the morning's final story by voting and counting the results. That made a group decision into an opportunity to use numbers and practise making choices together. Toddlers used pictures drawn on wooden spoons to select songs, linking an image with a familiar song and giving them a way to express a preference.

Younger Children and Outdoor Play

For younger children, individual routines guide a slower pace, with tactile and sensory experiences. Sound-making toys, baby gyms and soft furnishings provide different ways to explore; quieter activities include drawing, puzzles and jigsaws. The emphasis is on providing materials suited to children's stages of development rather than expecting everyone to take part in the same way.

Outside, the garden combines a sand pit with an area for bikes and trikes, a log trail and space to dig. That mix allows movement and hands-on exploration in the same outdoor setting. In June 2022, children used the outdoors daily: younger toddlers practised climbing steps to a small slide, while older children combined movement with shooting a basketball through a hoop.

Communication with home takes several forms. Each family has a learning memory book containing photographs, artwork and observations, supported by newsletters, weekly emails and daily spoken feedback. This gives parents both a lasting account of development and a more immediate picture of the day. Contact with the manager can also take place by telephone or email.

In June 2022, photographs travelled in both directions between home and nursery. Pictures sent home helped families talk about nursery experiences, while images from parents became starting points for activities. The practical value is the connection between a child's experiences in each setting, rather than communication being limited to routine notices.

At the June 2022 inspection, Ofsted found that specialist advice informed individual support programmes, staff and parents used consistent communication strategies, and children with additional needs made good progress from their starting points. In practice at that time, adults shared words, pictures and phrases, giving children a consistent way to understand and communicate across home and nursery.

Food is part of the social day, with children eating together and being encouraged to try unfamiliar foods and manage more for themselves. Freshly served, home-cooked meals and snacks accompany support for weaning and attention to cultural preferences and dietary needs. The menu includes lentil and vegetable hotpot, tuna pasta bake and cottage pie, giving families concrete examples of the meals served.

Sessions and Attendance

Opening hours are 7.30am to 6pm, with additional hours negotiable. The nursery operates across 51 weeks of the year, closing on bank holidays and for a week at Christmas; those closures carry no charge. Attendance is Monday to Friday.

Alongside day bookings, half-day choices run from 8am to 1pm or from 1pm to 6pm. A 7.30am start is also offered, but it should be treated as a separate booking detail rather than assumed to be part of every morning arrangement. These patterns give families a choice between attending for a day and using a shorter morning or afternoon.

Funding and Paid Extras

Funded childcare is offered to eligible families through working-parent funding from nine months, two-year-old funding, three- and four-year-old funding, and 30-hour funding. Eligibility conditions apply. Private childcare is also offered, with invoices issued monthly ahead of attendance.

Fees include hot meals, snacks and trips. They also cover wipes, Sudocrem, sun cream and non-formula milk, including specific milk required because of allergies. These inclusions matter when comparing the whole childcare bill, rather than considering attendance charges alone; the treatment of extras within a funded booking deserves its own discussion.

A holding deposit secures a booking and is returned when the child leaves; if the family decides against taking the place, it is retained. Current prices come in the nursery's written quotation, and the fees page explains the charging arrangements. Payments can be made by standing order, bank transfer, childcare vouchers or cash.

Getting There

The nursery is in Northwich, CW9 5JL. Its contact address is The Corner House, Queen Street, while its formal address is 18 Chester Way; families should resolve the correct entrance before a visit. Enquiries can be made through the contact form, by email or by telephone.

• Finding the correct entrance. The Corner House on Queen Street and 18 Chester Way are both used for this Northwich setting. Which entrance should families use for a visit?
• Learning targets. In June 2022, managers' improvement targets did not always explain clearly enough how staff changes should benefit children's learning. A visit is an opportunity to discuss how those targets now translate into everyday practice.
• Funded bookings and extras. Fees include meals and specified consumables, and several funded entitlements are offered subject to eligibility. Before committing, request a written breakdown of the funded attendance pattern and how those inclusions apply to it.

Mrs Nursery Childcare suits families seeking either day attendance or morning and afternoon half-days, with play centred on practical resources and a garden that accommodates digging, riding and balancing. Younger children's individual routines and the learning memory book are useful parts of the current offer.

The June 2022 judgement provides a positive assessment, especially of inclusion, while the improvement point gives parents something concrete to discuss. This is a setting to consider for its hands-on nursery day and communication with home, with the entrance and funded booking terms settled before making a commitment.