Early Bairds Children Nursery

Autumn finds became an ice-melting experiment at Early Bairds Children Nursery: toddlers collected leaves and pine cones, then worked out how to release them from frozen water. That October 2021 activity gives a useful picture of learning built around children's interests and practical exploration.

At its 14 October 2021 inspection, Ofsted rated the nursery Good, judged safeguarding effective and found good progress, including for children with special educational needs and/or disabilities and those learning English as an additional language. Those are dated judgements. The same visit identified improvements needed in language teaching, changes between activities and the timing of assessments shared with parents.

The Great Harwood setting accepts children aged 0 to 96 months.

The early years foundation stage sets expectations for children's learning, development and care: play supports learning alongside everyday routines and relationships. In October 2021, staff planned activities around what interested the children, with the autumn collection becoming an opportunity to investigate melting and explore the natural world.

Practical safety also featured that month. Toddlers learnt to handle scissors carefully while cutting magazines; preschool children discussed calling for help during a fire and giving their address. These examples connected learning with skills children could use beyond an activity.

Language teaching needed greater consistency in October 2021. Younger children did not always hear accurate word pronunciation, staff did not consistently recognise the effect of dummies on language development, and letter sounds were sometimes modelled incorrectly for preschool children. These are specific teaching concerns, rather than a general reservation about the activities themselves.

In October 2021, children had close relationships with staff, and moves between rooms were planned using information about their backgrounds and development. Circle-time conversations and mindfulness activities helped children explore emotions. However, changes between daily activities sometimes left children waiting, losing interest and becoming restless.

An electronic application carried updates about sleep, meals and activities in October 2021, alongside conversations with parents. That gave families a picture of the daily routine. The weakness was in developmental assessment: staff observed learning and identified next steps, but assessments were not always completed promptly or passed on to parents.

The address is 48 Orchard Street, Great Harwood, Blackburn, BB6 7EE. Opening hours are 7.30am to 6pm, Monday to Friday, across the year, with closures for bank holidays and one week at Christmas.

In October 2021, the nursery provided funded early education for two-, three- and four-year-old children. This is an inspection-era funding position.

• Language teaching. October 2021 practice needed more consistent pronunciation of words and letter sounds, together with greater attention to dummies. Ask how practitioners now extend children's speech during play.
• Daily transitions. Waiting between activities caused restlessness in October 2021. During a visit, explore how the day moves between play and routines.
• Development updates. The October 2021 electronic updates covered daily care, but assessments were not always timely or shared. Ask how progress reviews now reach parents.
• Attendance pattern. The weekday opening window runs from 7.30am to 6pm. What booking pattern would fit your child within those hours?

Early Bairds suits families seeking weekday childcare across the year in Great Harwood. Its October 2021 examples show practical exploration, emotional learning and communication about daily care. The decision also needs to account for the specific weaknesses identified then: language modelling, daily transitions and assessment sharing.