Tiger Tots Nursery

Water play for babies, shaving-foam mark-making for toddlers and outdoor tricycle challenges give Tiger Tots Nursery a practical, hands-on character in its January 2023 account of daily life. At its 12 January 2023 inspection, Ofsted judged the nursery Good, found safeguarding effective and praised the support for children with special educational needs and/or disabilities.

The nursery serves children aged 1 to 59 months at 2 Simonswood Lane, Liverpool. Its strongest inspection-era detail is the connection between play and everyday skills: copying washing actions, practising movement and learning to manage mealtimes.

In January 2023, babies copied adults washing dolls during water play, while toddlers moved small vehicles through shaving foam. These activities gave younger children opportunities to imitate familiar routines and practise the hand movements used later in writing.

The early years foundation stage sets the requirements for children's learning, development and care. Here, the January 2023 examples included play, conversation and practical tasks rather than learning confined to adult-led activities.

Outside, children practised balancing on slopes and steering tricycles around obstacles. Indoors, musical instruments, yoga and stories supported different kinds of participation. Storytelling props helped hold children's attention and gave them something concrete to connect with the narrative.

There were also weaknesses. In January 2023, learning targets sometimes lacked precision, and staff concentrating on routines sometimes overlooked children who were not engaged in purposeful play and learning. Clearer learning intentions and better staff deployment were the two improvement priorities.

In January 2023, staff used home visits to help children settle and involved parents in their learning. Support also extended to the move on to school, making transitions part of the care offered rather than a separate final task.

Special educational needs and disabilities coordinators identified developmental gaps and arranged targeted help, including speech and language services and other health professionals. This was a practical mechanism for bringing specialist support into children's care.

At that time, children served lunch, poured drinks and cleaned their hands and faces afterwards. Regular toothbrushing added another everyday health routine. These small tasks gave children opportunities to practise doing things for themselves.

The address is 2 Simonswood Lane, Liverpool, L33 5YP. Opening hours are 7.30am to 6pm, Monday to Friday, across the year, with bank holiday closures.

In January 2023, the nursery provided funded early education for children aged two, three and four. That dated participation should be distinguished from the entitlement and attendance arrangements a family needs now.

• Learning intentions. January 2023 improvement priorities included more precise learning targets. During a visit, ask how staff choose and review the next steps for your child's learning.
• Staff attention. In January 2023, routine tasks sometimes distracted staff from children who needed help engaging in play. Ask how practitioners organise their work during busy parts of the day.
• Attendance and funding. The opening window spans the working day, while the funded provision described dates to January 2023. Ask which booking pattern and current funding arrangement would fit your family.

Tiger Tots suits families seeking care across the working week who value practical play, everyday independence and support through transitions. Its January 2023 strengths sit alongside specific questions about learning targets and staff deployment. Those are useful priorities for a visit, especially for parents weighing how much individual attention their child needs.