Partou Buttercups Day Nursery & Pre-school

An upright piano, giant wooden scales and books to take home give Buttercups’ June 2022 nursery day a recognisable character: music, practical discovery and learning shared with families. These are everyday experiences with a purpose, from experimenting with weight to enjoying stories together.

At its 10 June 2022 inspection, Ofsted rated the nursery Good, with positive findings on communication and independence alongside a recommendation to sharpen staff training in teaching and learning. Partou Buttercups Day Nursery & Pre-school, in Little Stanney, has capacity for 63 children, from birth to five years.

In June 2022, preschool children used a full-size dining table for conversation and imaginative play, while an upright piano brought music into their exploration. Artwork made by children hung alongside work by famous artists. The physical surroundings gave children things to discuss, investigate and create.

The early years foundation stage sets the requirements for children’s learning, development and care: the nursery day brings these together through play, conversation and practical experiences. In June 2022, children experimented with giant wooden scales, comparing objects and testing ideas about weight. Yoga also became a chance to talk about their bodies, including changes in their heartbeat.

Sign of the Week, a practice for building communication through signs, was part of that June 2022 day. Songs, shared reading and staff talking through activities added spoken language alongside it. Children also learnt about Hanukkah and Diwali and drew pictures of different families, bringing differences between people into everyday discussion.

At the June 2022 inspection, Ofsted found safeguarding effective, with staff able to recognise and report concerns, secure premises and checks on children’s whereabouts when moving outdoors. That is a dated judgement about practice at that visit.

In June 2022, daily conversations and monthly information sheets connected home life with nursery activities. Photographs of a dentist visit, for example, prompted toothbrushing practice. The lending library extended shared reading beyond nursery, giving families a practical way to participate.

Paper Dolls, a story used to explore feelings, helped children discuss sadness in June 2022. Learning to recognise emotions sat alongside practical independence: children served their own water and practised changing for sport. These small tasks gave them opportunities to manage everyday needs themselves.

Buttercups is on Stanney Lane, Little Stanney, Chester, CH2 4HT. Opening hours are 7.30am to 6pm, Monday to Friday, across the year, with closures for bank holidays and Christmas.

In June 2022, the nursery provided funded early education for children aged two, three and four. Families planning their childcare budget should obtain a current written quotation.

• Teaching development. The June 2022 improvement priority was more purposeful training to develop teaching and learning. On a visit, ask how training now changes activities and staff interactions with children.
• Your child’s attendance and care. With opening hours spanning 7.30am to 6pm, ask which booking pattern fits your week and how settling, meals and consumables would work for your child.

Buttercups suits families seeking year-round weekday childcare in Little Stanney who value practical learning and a connection between home and nursery. Its June 2022 character was tangible: signs, stories, music and experiments, with independence woven into ordinary tasks. The training recommendation is the useful counterweight when assessing today’s provision.