Aintree Day Nursery & Kids Club

Shaving foam, dough and familiar stories give Aintree Day Nursery & Kids Club its clearest character: in January 2022, children explored materials, exercised their fingers and joined in storytelling. Small activities carried useful learning.

At its January 2022 inspection, Ofsted rated the nursery Good, found safeguarding effective and judged that children made good progress. The nursery accepts children aged 4 to 36 months and has 58 places in total. Its address is 2 Solar Road, Liverpool, L9 9AS.

In January 2022, younger children traced marks through shaving foam, while older children shaped dough into snakes. Both activities exercised the hand muscles used for writing. Toy trucks travelling over different surfaces prompted conversations about speed, connecting language with something children could test themselves.

The early years foundation stage provides the framework for children's learning, development and care. Here, the January 2022 examples show what that meant in practice: exploring materials, learning words through play and discussing stories.

Books reached children at different stages. In January 2022, children as young as one turned pages and recognised characters; older children anticipated story endings and took on characters' roles. During dough play, children also explained how to release dough stuck in a cutter, drawing on an earlier experience to solve a problem.

In January 2022, staff helped children practise sharing and taking turns by demonstrating how to negotiate during play. This gave quieter children a model for joining others. Staff also introduced animal names during babies' play, linking new vocabulary to the toys they were handling.

Family communication in January 2022 included electronic contact and outdoor events such as The Winter Wonderland, an occasion for families to join nursery life. Managers involved staff, children and parents in planning changes.

There were two teaching priorities in January 2022: allowing children longer to consider questions before answering, and making staff development targets more precise. These matter because good activities need both space for children's thinking and clear guidance for the adults leading them.

The nursery operates all year, with closures for bank holidays and Christmas. In January 2022, it opened Monday to Friday, with session times of 7.30am to 6pm.

In January 2022, the nursery received funding for free early education for three- and four-year-olds. That historical funding provision should be read separately from the current accepted age range of 4 to 36 months.

• Time to answer. Giving children longer to think was a January 2022 improvement priority. During a visit, look for pauses that let children develop their own answers.
• Staff development. January 2022 targets needed greater precision. Ask how supervision now translates into practical improvements in teaching.
• Attendance fit. The January 2022 session window ran from 7.30am to 6pm. Ask which current booking pattern would suit your working week.

Aintree merits consideration for families with children aged 4 to 36 months who value learning through tactile play, books and conversation. Its January 2022 examples give substance to the Good judgement, while the questioning and staff-development priorities provide useful points to explore on a visit.