Summerfield Nursery

A sheltered garden for babies, a dedicated space for physical activities and outings beyond the nursery give Summerfield a character that reaches beyond its playrooms. In Lytham St. Annes, this is a setting where the youngest children have their own outdoor space and preschool preparation includes movement as well as early reading and number work.

At its 6 August 2024 inspection, Ofsted rated Summerfield Good, judged safeguarding effective and found that children made good progress, including children with special educational needs and/or disabilities (SEND). The important qualification concerns creative freedom: adult direction sometimes reduced children's opportunities to pursue their own ideas.

Summerfield has capacity for 76 children, accepting ages from three months to five years. Its baby, toddler and preschool rooms provide different environments as children grow, rather than applying the same arrangement throughout. Flexible nursery sessions sit alongside breakfast and after-school provision for older children.

Rooms and Ages

Buttercups, the baby unit for ages 0 to 2, combines three playrooms with a sheltered outdoor area, a small preparation kitchen and private changing facilities; low furniture and family photographs make the space accessible and familiar, while the garden includes a sensory garden, a ball pit and areas for physical and pretend play.

Tulips, for children aged 2 to 3, has two rooms and direct access to two outdoor play areas, including one with shelter; resources children can reach and choose themselves support independence, with speech and communication emphasised alongside creative exploration.

Poppies, for ages 3 to 4, brings together small-group activities, early literacy, number work and letters and sounds, with P.E lessons in the physical room helping children prepare for the routines and learning they will encounter at school.

These are useful differences for parents to weigh. Buttercups provides several spaces for babies to explore, while Tulips gives toddlers more control over their choices. In Poppies, preparation for school includes physical activity and working with others, rather than concentrating solely on pencil-and-paper tasks.

Learning and Activities

The Early Years Foundation Stage (EYFS) provides the framework for learning and care: children develop language, movement and relationships through play, alongside early experiences of literacy, mathematics, creativity and the world around them. Summerfield plans around children's interests as well as themes and events, so their own enthusiasms can shape the activities offered.

At the August 2024 inspection, Ofsted found that communication was a central curriculum priority and that staff supported learning through conversation, books and play, but asked for more scope for children's own ideas during planned activities. That distinction matters. An appealing activity can still become too tightly controlled if an adult decides how it should unfold.

In August 2024, babies chose puppets for songs and explored sand and water by grasping and scooping. Older children organised a pretend tea party together, counted during play and used an encyclopaedia to investigate dinosaurs. These examples show how language, early number work and curiosity could share the same activity rather than being treated as isolated lessons.

Physical experiences were equally concrete at that visit. Babies practised standing and beginning to walk, while older children tackled obstacle courses and aimed beanbags at hoops. Mark-making gave older children opportunities to experiment with letters from their names. The emphasis was on using bodies, hands and words in purposeful play.

Outdoor and Community Life

Beach Schools adds exploration and learning in a large natural space, with activities adapted to children's needs and opportunities to work together. Forest School adds hands-on experiences with natural materials, including collecting resources to make things and listening to environmental sounds. Both extend learning beyond indoor resources.

Weekly community outings and trips further afield use the nursery's minibus. The beach and local parks are part of that wider environment, giving children experiences beyond the garden. Outdoor learning also has a practical base at the nursery: Buttercups has sheltered access, and one of the Tulips outdoor areas is covered, allowing play outside in different weather.

The Sensory Room offers another kind of space, with experiences involving light, sound and textures. For a child who enjoys exploring through their senses, this broadens the day beyond active garden play and group activities. It also gives families a concrete feature to discuss when considering their child's preferences.

Relationships and Communication

Settling is adjusted to the child. The number and duration of introductory sessions depend on how comfortably they settle, and a key worker helps build the relationship between nursery and family. This makes the transition a process rather than a single fixed appointment before ordinary attendance begins.

Tapestry, the online learning journal, combines observations and photographs with information about learning experiences and nursery news. Parents can contribute pictures and observations from home, allowing the conversation about development to include experiences outside nursery. Information about what a child has eaten and how much is also shared through the journal.

The parent partnership arrangements include assessment updates, reports and opportunities to discuss development with the key worker. Their value is the connection between an activity and the child's next steps: a photograph becomes more useful when parents understand what their child was practising and how they might build on it at home.

Inclusion and Wellbeing

In August 2024, staff monitored children's development and acted when gaps emerged, working with parents and outside agencies to support children with SEND. Leaders kept oversight of children's progress. For families considering additional support, the practical mechanism was cooperation between nursery, home and other professionals, rather than leaving the nursery to work alone.

Predictable routines were another feature of daily life in August 2024. Children knew what would happen next, and staff modelled considerate behaviour. Older children worked together in pretend play and helped move a spider to a safer place in the garden. These small examples make the approach to relationships more tangible than a general promise of kindness.

Rest has a dedicated place in Buttercups: its sensory and sleep space has blackout blinds, separating quieter experiences from messy play. The nursery also has a chef preparing fresh food in its own kitchen, with alternatives for dietary requirements and Meat Free Mondays reducing animal products on that day. Parents may provide a packed lunch instead of a cooked nursery meal.

Sessions and Attendance

Summerfield is at 74-76 St. Annes Road East, Lytham St. Annes, FY8 1UX. Opening hours are 7.30am to 6pm, Monday to Friday, across 52 weeks of the year, with bank holidays excluded. Flexible nursery sessions allow attendance to fit around working schedules.

For school-age children, Breakfast Club begins at 7.30am and includes breakfast before staff take children to school. After School Club includes collection from school, tea and collection by 6pm. Maths and Literacy workshops and a quiet homework space sit alongside social time, giving this provision a different purpose from the early-years nursery day.

Holiday Club serves children aged 4 to 11 during school holidays, with advance booking advised. Its room includes a pool table, an arts and crafts station and a mini library, while outings use the minibus. Telephone and email enquiries go directly to Summerfield on 01253 722159 or summerfield@netstar9-childcare.co.uk.

Funding and Paid Extras

Funded childcare is offered for children aged 9 months to 4 years, subject to eligibility. Current prices come in the nursery's written quotation. Parents bring nappies and wipes, with sun cream needed according to the weather, so these items form part of the family's nursery-day preparation.

Moving on to School

Poppies prepares children through early literacy, number activities, small-group work and physical lessons, and tracks development to support transition. These activities build familiarity with school learning and routines.

• Creative independence. The August 2024 improvement point concerned adults directing planned activities too closely. During a visit, ask how children can change an activity, choose materials or pursue an idea of their own.
• Settling and rest. Introductory sessions are adapted to the child, and Buttercups includes a sensory and sleep space. A visit is the opportunity to discuss your baby's routines and how the key worker will support the transition.
• The funded attendance package. Funding covers an age range from 9 months to 4 years, while parents supply nappies and wipes. Ask for a written breakdown of the funded attendance pattern and the treatment of meals and any additional charges.

Summerfield suits families looking for flexible nursery sessions and those using Breakfast Club or After School Club around school-day routines. Its strongest practical qualities are the different room environments, sheltered outdoor access and learning beyond the nursery through Beach Schools and Forest School.

The Good judgement from August 2024 provides a clear inspection position, with children's creative independence the question to keep in view. For parents who value outdoor experiences, a gradual settling process and communication through Tapestry, Summerfield offers a concrete combination worth considering.