Toddler Town Nursery

Six babies is the Baby Room’s stated maximum, and sleeping and changing areas sit apart from play. That gives Toddler Town Nursery in Workington a concrete point of difference for parents weighing the organisation of their baby’s day: personal routines have their own space alongside activity.

The nursery has capacity for 30 children and accepts children from three months. At its October 2022 inspection, Ofsted rated it Good overall, with a behaviour-support improvement centred on helping children understand feelings and receive consistent guidance.

Separate provision for babies and toddlers shapes the current offer. Opening hours run from 7.30am to 6pm on weekdays, across the year. For parents, the strongest details concern how those rooms work, rather than a branded learning programme.

Rooms and Ages

The Baby Room has a maximum of six babies, an advertised age band of birth to two years, sensory resources using sound, colour and texture, and sleeping and changing areas separated from play. Those physical divisions matter: care routines need not happen in the same space as an active game.

The Toddler Room caters for children aged 15 months to three years, with a stated maximum of 21; its emphasis combines independently chosen play with adult-guided activities, using indoor and outdoor experiences. Children can initiate something themselves, then receive more direction when an activity calls for it.

Learning and Activities

EYFS provides the framework for learning and care, with play supporting children’s development across its areas of learning. In the Toddler Room, a flexible routine makes room for both planned activities and children’s own choices. The practical distinction is between a day with structure and one in which every activity is directed by an adult.

In October 2022, books connected nursery experiences with family life: children enjoyed library trips and took books home to share with their families. Babies responded to pictures with animal sounds, while older children discussed details in stories. These were different entry points into language, rather than one reading activity pitched at everyone.

Making dough offered another kind of exploration that month. Children mixed ingredients, noticed changes and used dried orange peel in imaginative baking. The activity brought sensory experience and conversation together. Outdoors, balancing along milk crates gave children a physical challenge requiring control and coordination.

Personal routines receive explicit attention in the Baby Room. Staff follow parents’ wishes about individual needs and routines, giving families a practical basis for discussing how home habits fit into nursery care. The separate sleeping area is an especially useful feature for babies whose rest needs differ from the activity around them.

At the October 2022 inspection, Ofsted found safeguarding effective, praised targeted support involving outside agencies and the use of SEND funding for staff training, and judged that children made good progress from their starting points. These are dated judgements, rather than a guarantee about a child’s experience today.

In October 2022, ongoing observation and discussion helped staff identify gaps in development and organise support. Parents were encouraged to contribute to learning and participate in nursery life. The value lies in connecting what adults notice in different settings, rather than treating nursery development as separate from home.

Healthy snacks and opportunities to explore unfamiliar tastes featured in October 2022, including Italian food alongside songs and actions in Italian. Behaviour support was less consistent: some children needed clearer help with recognising and managing emotions, and this sometimes affected other children’s learning and experiences.

Toddler Town Nursery’s address is 12a New South Watt Street, Workington, CA14 2RZ. Telephone enquiries go to 01900 870222, with email contact through toddlertown123@yahoo.co.uk.

Opening hours are 7.30am to 6pm, Monday to Friday, and the nursery operates across the year. These hours give families a useful measure of the working-day window.

In October 2022, the nursery provided funded early education for children aged two, three and four. That dated participation should be distinguished from the terms governing a new booking.

• Baby routines. The Baby Room’s six-baby maximum and separate sleeping area make its organisation worth examining closely on a visit. Discuss how your child’s sleep and care routines would work within the room.
• Overlapping room ages. The Baby Room’s age band runs to two years, while the Toddler Room starts at 15 months. Discuss how a move between rooms would be timed around your child’s needs.
• Behaviour guidance. In October 2022, some children received inconsistent help with emotions, affecting others’ experiences. Ask how staff now agree and apply their responses when children struggle.
• Booking terms. With weekday opening from 7.30am to 6pm and funded provision recorded in October 2022, what attendance patterns and current funding terms would apply to your booking, including meals and consumables?

Toddler Town suits families who value a small baby-room maximum, individual routines and a toddler day balancing independent exploration with adult support. The separate sleeping and changing areas give that offer physical substance. Its October 2022 Good judgement is useful context, with consistency in behaviour guidance the clear point to explore before choosing.