The Learning Tree

Confident conversation, practical number games and help tailored to individual children give The Learning Tree its clearest character. This nursery on Whitehills Business Park in Blackpool has capacity for 124 children. At its January 2026 inspection, Ofsted awarded Strong standard in each of the six evaluated areas and found that safeguarding standards were met.

The strongest examples are small, everyday moments. In January 2026, toddlers used a picture book to connect bees with flowers, while older children linked counting to a game involving a ball and cups. Learning had a practical purpose rather than stopping at reciting numbers.

Current opening hours are 8am to 6pm. The overall capacity describes the whole nursery, rather than the number of children sharing any particular room.

Learning and Activities

The Early Years Foundation Stage provides the framework for learning and care: children develop skills through activities suited to their interests and stage of development. At The Learning Tree, experiences are adapted to the individual child, and key workers track development alongside wellbeing. That gives staff a basis for choosing the next challenge rather than expecting every child to tackle the same task.

In January 2026, language ran through the day. Staff sang, read, used signs and spoke with children at eye level, adjusting their approach for babies, toddlers and preschool children. Books were part of children's own choices too: children brought them to adults to share. Conversation was woven into play, rather than reserved for a separate lesson.

Number work was equally concrete. In January 2026, children counted cups knocked over by a ball, represented the quantity on their fingers and wrote its numeral. The sequence connected an action, an amount and a written symbol. Toddlers explored counting through pictures of bees and demonstrated the connection with flowers by tracing between the two.

Outdoor and Community Life

Indoor and outdoor play both featured in January 2026. Babies practised early steps and explored messy materials; toddlers climbed equipment and played in the ball pool. These examples show different physical challenges for different stages, rather than one activity expected to suit everyone.

Older children worked together to release toy penguins from ice in January 2026. The task gave them a shared problem to investigate. Games with cups and a ball also required children to wait, follow rules and recognise one another's success, bringing social skills into physical play.

School preparation extended beyond activities within the nursery. In January 2026, leaders worked with local schools to understand what children would need next, and school teachers had visited to see the nursery's preparation in practice. Those exchanges concerned children's readiness for the next stage.

Relationships and Communication

Key workers monitor each child's wellbeing and development with attention to their personality and family circumstances. This makes the relationship useful as well as familiar: understanding the child helps staff decide how to support learning and care.

In January 2026, adults comforted babies with cuddles and helped toddlers handle difficulties with sharing. Staff also listened to children and supplied words for feelings. Visual prompts supported children who could not yet express those feelings verbally, giving them another way to communicate a need or frustration.

Inclusion and Wellbeing

At the January 2026 inspection, Ofsted found that children, including those with SEND and other barriers to learning, made substantial progress, with effective key-person relationships and carefully tailored support. The practical mechanisms matter: in January 2026, staff monitored development, escalated concerns and used individual learning plans, while leaders helped families obtain specialist input, additional funding or an education, health and care plan before school.

Additional funding was used in January 2026 for support such as individual adult attention or longer attendance, according to the child's needs. Leaders also reviewed adjustments to teaching, resources and the environment. This was support organised around a particular child, rather than a single intervention applied to everyone.

Mealtime arrangements in January 2026 included separating children with serious allergies sufficiently from others while keeping them involved in the group. Older children also discussed how foods supported their bodies, linking lunch with their understanding of health.

Sessions and Attendance

The address is Unit 7 on Whitehills Drive, within Whitehills Business Park, Blackpool, FY4 5LW. Opening hours are 8am to 6pm, Monday to Friday. The nursery operates across the year, closing on Christmas Day, Boxing Day and New Year's Day.

Telephone enquiries go to 01253 699599, and a contact form provides another route. Time-sensitive enquiries should be made by telephone. Tours can be arranged through the nursery.

The whole-setting capacity is 124 children, with an age range of 0 to 96 months. This is separate from the January 2026 inspection snapshot, when the children attending were aged 0 to 4.

• Allergy arrangements. January 2026 mealtime adaptations balanced separation with participation. Families managing a serious allergy should confirm how the current arrangements would work for their child.
• Support through to school. The January 2026 next steps called for leaders to sustain standards and make a deeper difference for children with SEND, social-care involvement or other barriers. A visit can explore how an individual learning plan carries through to school preparation.
• Your attendance and cost plan. The 8am to 6pm opening window needs to fit your working day. When arranging a tour, what booking pattern, funded-hours arrangement and written quotation, including meals and consumables, would apply to your child?

The Learning Tree suits families who value conversation, practical learning and support shaped around an individual child. Its January 2026 examples connect these priorities convincingly: counting becomes a physical game, feelings gain words or visual prompts, and school preparation includes contact with teachers.

For families whose routine fits the weekday opening window, there is a clear practical starting point. The most useful visit will connect those everyday examples with the care and attendance plan for their own child.