Sticky Fingers Daycare Nursery

A climbing wall, a mud kitchen and a separate place for babies to sleep give Sticky Fingers Daycare Nursery a recognisable character: physical play outside, with routines adapted to younger children indoors. Based on Palmers Way in Wadebridge, it combines baby care, toddler independence and preschool learning, with wraparound care for school-age children who previously attended the nursery.

At its 23 April 2024 inspection, Ofsted judged the nursery Good overall and safeguarding effective, with strengths in children's emotional security and preschool learning, alongside a need for more precise planning for babies and toddlers. That distinction matters. Parents choosing the youngest rooms should weigh the arrangements for feeding, rest and settling alongside the educational next steps staff plan for their child.

Morning, afternoon and full-day attendance provide different ways to use the nursery. The strongest practical attractions are its outdoor resources, separate baby sleeping space and communication through a key person and individual learning scrapbooks.

Rooms and Ages

The Beanie Room, labelled for 12 weeks to 24 months, combines sensory exploration, singing and signing with accessible toys and its own outdoor decking. The Toddler Room, for children aged 2-3 years, emphasises doing things independently, with a play kitchen, a book corner and daily outdoor opportunities. In the Pre-school Room, labelled 3+ years, letters, sounds and imaginative play sit alongside a large home corner, books and direct garden access.

These environments give children different ways to take part as they develop. Toddlers practise pouring drinks and serving food; preschool children choose resources and contribute to decisions about their day. An adjoining doorway also allows toddlers to explore the preschool environment before their next room move. Familiarity can develop gradually rather than depend on a single changeover.

Learning and Activities

The Early Years Foundation Stage provides the common framework for learning, development and care: children build language, relationships, physical skills and early understanding through play. Here, choosing activities and resources is part of the day, alongside adult-led stories, creative work and preschool preparation.

The letters and sounds programme forms part of that preschool preparation, alongside alphabet games, recognising names and making marks. Cooking, puzzles and puppets add other routes into learning: solving a problem, following an activity or exploring feelings through play. Children also contribute to their learning journeys, scrapbooks recording experiences and development, so their own interests have a place in the account of what they learn.

In April 2024, preschool children practised letter shapes with movements in the air while saying the corresponding sounds. Staff adjusted the challenge as the activity developed. Story sessions also prompted children to offer their ideas, and children voted on which books they wanted to hear. These examples show how early literacy and participation could work together, rather than reducing preparation for school to worksheets.

The younger-room limitation needs equal weight. In April 2024, some baby and toddler activities lacked sufficiently clear intentions for what children should learn next. Attractive sensory resources are useful, but parents of younger children should also understand how staff select experiences that extend an individual child's existing skills.

Outdoor and Community Life

The garden supports both energetic movement and quieter investigation. A climbing wall offers a physical challenge; water channelling tubes invite experimentation; the mud kitchen provides material for imaginative cooking. There are two den-making areas, including a roofed space and a wigwam-style den, giving children places to invent games and shelter their play.

A sandpit children can sit inside and primroses planted in wellington boots make the environment tangible and accessible. Activity packs encourage investigation of small creatures and making up mud-pie recipes. These are concrete opportunities to explore living things, textures and ideas, rather than simply spend time outside.

The Beanie outdoor area has decking, artificial grass and overhead cover. Older children have space for tricycles, running and balancing. Suitable outdoor clothes are part of the nursery kit, reflecting the expectation that outdoor play continues through changing weather.

Relationships and Communication

Each child has a key person who gets to know their interests and development and acts as the family's main contact. Parents can contribute ideas for next steps and add photographs, achievements and stories to the child's Learning Journey, an individual scrapbook that eventually goes home with the family.

An initial settling pack gathers information about routines, existing skills and care needs. Staff use observations and family information to plan subsequent experiences, with opportunities to discuss progress with the key person. For babies, daily handovers cover sleep, feeding and play, supported by written slips. This makes the handover useful for organising the evening at home, as well as hearing about nursery activities.

Free settling sessions allow children to practise time with their carers before regular attendance. A personalised photo book of familiar people and places is another settling aid. The emphasis is on familiar information and routines: families can bring a comforter, and baby care is planned around home patterns.

Staff development includes training within the nursery and external training in first aid, safeguarding and supporting children with additional needs.

Inclusion and Wellbeing

At the April 2024 inspection, Ofsted found that the SENCo organised additional help promptly and worked effectively with other professionals, supporting children's progress. Current support arrangements include access to speech and language therapists, physiotherapists, family services and an Area SENCO, with individual developmental programmes where needed.

Sleep has dedicated provision. The Baby Sleep Room contains cots, while babies can also rest in the playroom; older Beanie children may sleep on mats with the toddlers. Toddlers who do not need a nap can spend time in another room while others rest. Families therefore need a routine that fits both their child and the room's arrangements.

Breastfeeding parents have somewhere to feed, and expressed milk can be refrigerated. Food is home-cooked, with a four-week menu rotation, texture changes for weaning and adaptations for vegetarian diets, allergies and intolerances; the nursery's policy aims to keep it nut free. Meals are also opportunities to practise using cutlery and serving food, with staff sitting alongside children.

School preparation includes contact with local primary schools and induction activities. In April 2024, teachers visited to meet children before they moved on. This is transition support, rather than a reason to assume an admissions advantage.

Sessions and Attendance

The address is Palmers Way, Trenant Industrial Estate, Wadebridge, Cornwall, PL27 6HB. Opening hours are 8am to 6pm, Monday to Friday, across 51 weeks of the year, with closures on bank holidays and between Christmas and New Year.

Morning sessions run from 8am to 1pm, afternoons from 1pm to 6pm, and full days from 8am to 6pm. Half-day bookings use either the morning or afternoon window. Morning collection must be completed by 1pm, so that boundary deserves attention when matching attendance to work or other commitments.

Wraparound care extends to children up to age 8 who previously received nursery care here. Enquiries can be made by telephone, and a tour-booking option is offered.

Children should stay home when unwell. After sickness or diarrhoea, the return rule is 48 hours from the last episode. Withdrawing a child or reducing sessions requires one month's written notice, making planned changes to attendance a financial consideration as well as a scheduling one.

Funding and Paid Extras

Funded childcare is offered, with terms describing 15 hours for children aged two and over from the term following their second birthday, delivered during term time. Eligibility should not be assumed from age alone. The funding and prices page sets out the distinction between funded attendance and private hours; current prices come in the nursery's written quotation.

During funded hours, a separate daily charge covers meals and consumables, including during sickness or family holidays within the funded term-time period. Private attendance outside eligible funded term time includes meals, snacks and resources in its fee; breakfast is supplied by parents when required. Families also provide nappies, wipes, formula when needed and creams, including sun cream, so the funded package should be considered alongside the items that still come from home.

• Learning for the youngest children. In April 2024, planning for babies and toddlers needed clearer next steps. During a visit, ask how staff now choose an activity to extend something your child can already do.
• Settling arrangements. Free settles and familiar comfort items are part of the approach. Agree how your child will practise feeding and rest, and whether you will remain with them during the initial sessions.
• Funded attendance costs. Funded hours carry a separate daily charge, while parents supply personal care items. Compare a written quotation for your intended morning, afternoon or full-day pattern, including term-time boundaries and absence charges.
• Dietary needs. Menus can be adapted and the nut policy aims to exclude nuts. Families managing allergies should confirm current kitchen practice and complete the relevant dietary or healthcare information before attendance.

Sticky Fingers suits families seeking morning or afternoon sessions as well as full-day attendance, especially those who value outdoor construction, climbing and imaginative play. The baby sleeping space, home-routine information and key-person communication give younger children's care a practical structure.

The April 2024 position was stronger in preschool learning than in the precision of planning for babies and toddlers. That makes the youngest-room visit question central to the decision. For funded attendance, the separate charge and items supplied from home also deserve careful comparison with the family's intended schedule.