Upton Day Nursery

A baby-room cap of 12, a separate sleeping area and preschool children choosing between indoor and outdoor play give Upton Day Nursery a clear practical character. This Widnes setting combines spaces for different stages of childhood with everyday opportunities to become more independent. For parents, the useful detail is how care changes as children grow, rather than a single description applied to every age.

Upton has capacity for 79 children from birth to five. At its 8 December 2022 inspection, Ofsted rated the nursery Good and judged safeguarding effective. That judgement sits alongside two important improvement points: staff needed a clearer understanding of the purpose of activities, and hygiene routines needed attention.

Attendance can be arranged through day, morning, afternoon or half-day patterns, with a minimum commitment of two days each week or four half days. The separate age spaces, online learning journals and funded-hours meal choices are the details most likely to shape a family's decision.

Rooms and Ages

Baby Room, for children aged zero to two, takes no more than 12 babies at once and combines floor space for play and meals with a separate sleeping area containing cots and sleep beds, while staff plan individual next steps within the prime areas of learning. Separating rest from active play is a useful physical arrangement for children whose sleep and activity needs differ during the day.

Toddler Room accommodates 24 children, accepts children from 18 months to three years and combines a spacious activity room with children's toilets, a routine of stories, creative work, movement and garden play, and support for potty training. The room's age span matters: families moving a younger toddler into this group should consider both the daily routine and how care is organised across its different ages.

Pre-School Room, for ages three to five, has indoor and outdoor learning areas, waterproof clothing for outdoor play and an emphasis on independence through choosing activities, serving food and managing personal care. These are practical steps towards doing more for oneself. Outdoor play is part of the children's choices during the day, rather than simply a break between indoor activities.

Learning and Activities

The Early Years Foundation Stage guides learning and care: children develop communication, physical and social skills through play, alongside early literacy, mathematics, creativity and understanding their surroundings. This is the shared framework for early years provision. Upton's day combines activities chosen by children with those led by adults, so exploration and guided participation both have a place.

Development Matters is used as planning guidance to select play activities and resources for children's next steps. Observations, photographs and videos contribute to assessment, and parents contribute information about interests and learning at home. That gives the key person more than a snapshot of what a child does at nursery. Assessment summaries also accompany changes of group and the move towards school.

In December 2022, children counted pictures during craft activities and worked with large puzzles, while younger children explored tunnels and older children climbed a garden bridge. Books, songs and conversation were woven into play. These examples show how ordinary activities could bring together movement, language and early mathematical thinking.

The limitation was the connection between one activity and the next. In December 2022, some staff could not explain what children were intended to learn from the activities they had prepared, so learning did not consistently build on earlier knowledge and skills. Parents should weigh that finding alongside the breadth of experiences, rather than treating a busy activity programme as sufficient on its own.

Outdoor and Community Life

A large garden adds space beyond the age rooms. Preschool outdoor provision includes the areas of development used indoors, allowing children to continue learning through their choice of environment. Families are asked to supply weather-appropriate clothing, including boots, hats and an outdoor coat. Suitable clothing helps children take part comfortably when the weather changes.

In December 2022, a toy library allowed families to contribute and exchange toys for use at home. It connected nursery life with family play in a concrete way. The Nursery Charter also invites parents to share interests and skills during sessions, including music and collections, giving children opportunities to learn from adults beyond their usual practitioners.

Relationships and Communication

Each child has a key person who observes development and works with parents on the child's needs and interests. Capture Education is the online learning-journal service through which families can access their child's records and exchange information with nursery. It gives parents a way to contribute what happens at home, as well as receive updates about nursery learning.

For babies, staff work with parents to preserve familiar routines as far as possible. The separate sleeping area supports the rest side of that arrangement, while individual observations guide next steps in play and development. The key-person approach also extends to settling, with staff and parents deciding how to help a child become familiar with the setting.

Inclusion and Wellbeing

At the December 2022 inspection, Ofsted found that SEND support combined professional collaboration, extra sessions and individual help funded through additional support, enabling children to make good progress. That is a specific account of how support operated at the time, rather than a general promise that every need can be met in the same way.

In December 2022, communication screening helped staff identify emerging needs and arrange early intervention. Staff also responded promptly when babies became tired or distressed. Together, those observations describe attention to both developmental needs and immediate comfort, although they remain a picture of practice at that visit.

Hygiene was the significant care concern. The December 2022 hygiene concern involved shared toothbrushes in pretend play and missed handwashing after nose blowing, leaving children more exposed to infection. The improvement request covered both staff practice and helping children understand healthy habits. Independence in personal care needs that guidance alongside it.

Food is cooked on the premises, with meals adapted in texture for children who are weaning. Breakfast, a hot lunch and an afternoon snack provide eating points across the nursery day.

Sessions and Attendance

The address is Arley Drive, Widnes, WA8 4XS. Attendance patterns include days, morning and afternoon sessions, and half days; the minimum is two days per week, which may instead be divided into four half days. This makes the setting relevant to families arranging shorter attendance as well as day care.

Care runs across the year, with closures for bank holidays and a week between Christmas and New Year. Fees remain payable across 52 weeks, so families should include closure periods when planning the annual cost. Contact is by telephone on 0151-424 9831 or email at info@uptondaynursery.co.uk.

Funding and Paid Extras

Funded childcare is offered to eligible families. The entitlement includes 15 hours for three- and four-year-olds over 38 weeks, which can be arranged across terms or stretched; the charging policy also covers 30 funded hours. Additional attendance outside funded hours is paid childcare. Current prices come in the nursery's written quotation.

During funded sessions, nursery meals and snacks carry a voluntary separate charge. Families can opt out at the start of a term and provide food that follows the Lunch Box Policy instead; water and milk remain accessible whichever option they choose. This gives parents a real choice about food costs alongside their funded attendance.

Parents supply nappies, nappy cream and sun cream for both funded and privately paid sessions. These items need to be planned separately from meals. The funding and charging policy explains the opt-in and opt-out arrangements.

• Collection time. Opening information gives both a 5.30pm and a 6pm finish, with a 7.30am start Monday to Friday. Confirm the agreed collection deadline before committing to an attendance pattern, especially if work finishes late.
• Toddler care. Toddler Room includes children from 18 months, while its room description gives one adult for four children. Ask how staffing is organised for the youngest children in this mixed-age group; that description alone does not establish how staff are deployed.
• Learning and hygiene. The December 2022 improvement points concerned the purpose and sequence of activities and children's hygiene habits. On a visit, ask how staff plan successive learning steps and demonstrate handwashing and personal-care routines.
• Funded food choices. Opting out of funded-session meal charges means supplying suitable meals and snacks under the Lunch Box Policy. Discuss the practical food arrangements, including any allergy requirements, before choosing between nursery food and food from home.

Upton suits families seeking day attendance, morning or afternoon sessions, or a pattern of half days, and who value separate age provision, a capped baby room and parent access to learning journals. The preschool emphasis on managing food, clothing and personal care gives independence a practical meaning.

The December 2022 Good judgement is a useful starting point, but the curriculum-planning and hygiene concerns deserve direct discussion. The strongest decision will connect the room your child would use, the attendance commitment and the funded-food choice with clear answers about those daily practices.