Doodles Day Nursery

A mud kitchen for mobile babies, preschool spaces spread across the top floor and teddies that spend weekends with families give Doodles Day Nursery a recognisable character. At its 28 June 2022 inspection, Ofsted rated the nursery Good, judged safeguarding effective and identified support for children with special educational needs and/or disabilities (SEND) as a strength. The practical detail is just as useful as the grade: settling sessions introduce children to their key person, while everyday care updates reach parents through Capture Education.

Doodles serves children aged three months to five years at 28-30 St Thomas's Road, Chorley, PR7 1HX. Its age-group organisation moves from the Baby Room through Under 3's to Preschool, with room transitions shaped by development as well as birthdays.

Full-day, morning and afternoon sessions sit alongside term-time funded attendance, although children under two attend full days.

Rooms and Ages

The Baby Room serves children up to two, emphasising early communication, relationships and movement through sensory materials, songs and messy exploration, with a quiet resting area and access to the shared garden. Textured resources and lights give babies things to investigate before they can manage more elaborate play. Outdoors, a grassed space accommodates less mobile babies, while those moving independently can explore the mud kitchen and bike area.

Under 3's caters for two-to-three-year-olds, building independence through dressing, choosing activities and pouring drinks, with a reading/cosy area, sensory play and a toilet and potty within the room. This makes everyday routines part of learning. Children who still need an afternoon sleep can rest, and toilet training begins when the child is developmentally ready, with parents involved.

Preschool, for three-to-four-year-olds, occupies six top-floor spaces and develops independence through dressing, managing belongings and serving food, with access to the Heuristic room, Book room, Imaginative room, Messy room and shared outdoor space. Those separate spaces allow books, imaginative play and mess to have their own place. A designated meal room also gives eating a defined setting within the preschool day.

Learning and Activities

The Early Years Foundation Stage connects play and daily routines with language, relationships, movement, early reading, mathematics and exploration of the world. Doodles uses these areas across its rooms, with babies giving most attention to communication, physical development and personal and social development. Older children encounter construction, role play, water, sand, painting and mark making.

A visiting dance/drama teacher works with the Under 3's children weekly. Preschool also has dance/drama and Phonics sessions supplied by outside agencies, with Phonics introducing letters and sounds. These additions sit alongside the room's play rather than replacing it. Preschool's Golden Rules turn expectations into specific actions: children practise listening, sharing, tidying and treating others gently.

In June 2022, children explored colour by predicting paint combinations and then testing the same idea with transparent coloured shapes. They also remembered planting watermelon seeds and watering them.

Outdoor and Community Life

The shared garden extends learning beyond the rooms. Babies visit Astley park Pets corner and the library on community outings. In spring, children and staff plant fruit and vegetables in the garden; a food compost bin and reused cardboard packaging bring practical reuse into play and growing.

In June 2022, outdoor activity included bikes and climbing equipment, while children tasted strawberries they had grown and discussed healthy food after a supermarket visit.

Relationships and Communication

Settling has a clear sequence. New babies receive two free taster sessions: an hour with their parent or carer, followed by two hours independently. Children joining Under 3's are offered the same sequence, and preschool entrants meet their key person during taster sessions. The first stage gives families time to share personal routines; the second lets the child begin building familiarity while apart from their parent.

Room changes are prepared for too. Children moving into Under 3's visit beforehand with support from their key person. Preschool aims to move children with a small friendship group where possible, and the outgoing and incoming key people exchange information about development and individual needs. Familiar relationships therefore help bridge the change in surroundings.

Capture Education is the app for learning journeys and daily messages about eating, sleeping, toileting and activities, including photographs and videos. Parents also have face-to-face contact with their key worker each day.

Jasper the Giraffe and Bert the dog are nursery teddies that spend weekends at children's homes, linking family experiences with nursery life. Preschool children also take part in Show and Tell, giving them a reason to share something personal with the group. Parents can participate in occupational days, and children's family festivals and religious celebrations are included in nursery life.

Inclusion and Wellbeing

In June 2022, staff discussed developmental concerns with parents and helped families connect with specialist professionals. Children also practised small acts of independence, including fastening clothing and using cutlery.

Current entry arrangements include locked doors, staff-controlled access and a collection password system for relatives collecting children. Practitioners hold paediatric first-aid and safeguarding qualifications.

Chefs cook on the premises using a three-week menu, and the nursery's dietary and allergy policy includes accommodating individual requirements and weaning needs. Parents supply nappies, wipes and babies' breast milk or formula, including bottles, so those items remain part of preparation at home.

Sessions and Attendance

The nursery opens Monday to Friday, from 7.30am to 6pm. Full-day sessions use that same window; morning sessions run from 7.30am to 12.45pm, and afternoons from 1pm to 6pm. For full days, children are asked to arrive by 9am so the room's routine can begin with fewer interruptions. Half days are restricted to children aged two and over.

Term-time-only attendance is offered with funded places. Across-year attendance includes a Christmas closure of one week, with bank holidays also closed. Families planning work cover therefore need to account for those closures as well as choosing their usual session.

Agreed days are fixed. A permanent change requires four weeks' notice, rather than swapping days from week to week. Fees are payable weekly or monthly in advance, or on the first attendance day, and absence does not generate a refund.

Funding and Paid Extras

Funded childcare is offered for two-, three- and four-year-olds, with term-time-only funded attendance among the options. Private full and half days are also offered, subject to the under-two restriction. Current prices come in the nursery's written quotation, and the fees page sets out payment and attendance terms.

Parents provide nappies and wipes, alongside milk and bottles for babies who need them. The dietary and allergy arrangements should be considered with the child's own needs, particularly during weaning. Enquiries can be made by telephone on 01257 262567.

• Starting with a young baby. The current age range begins at three months, while the Baby Room description starts at six weeks. Which starting age applies to your child, and how would the taster sessions fit their feeding and sleep routine?
• Fixed attendance. Under-twos attend full days, and permanent changes to agreed days require four weeks' notice. Families with changing work rotas should weigh that commitment before choosing a pattern.
• Teaching interactions. In June 2022, staff did not consistently adjust their responses to extend children's existing knowledge and skills. Ask how staff now develop that part of their practice, using an example from your child's age group.
• Allergy arrangements. The nursery has a policy of accommodating dietary and allergy requirements. Families affected by allergies should confirm how current preparation and serving arrangements would work for their child.

Doodles suits families seeking full-day care for babies and those choosing morning, afternoon or term-time funded attendance for older children. Its strongest practical attractions are the staged settling process, daily communication through Capture Education and rooms that connect independence with ordinary routines. Garden growing, community outings and the home-going teddies give the experience its own character.

The June 2022 Good judgement provides a dated quality benchmark, with the teaching-interaction improvement point worth discussing alongside today's provision. Fixed days and the under-two full-day rule are consequential choices. For families whose schedules fit those terms, the combination of room preparation, parent contact and hands-on activity offers a clear basis for considering Doodles.