Small World Day Nursery and Pre-School

Caterpillars called Papooda and Cassandra provided the starting point for clay modelling, questions and conversations about growing up at Small World Day Nursery and Pre-School in April 2024. It is a telling example: an everyday encounter became something children could investigate and represent for themselves.

At its April 2024 inspection, Ofsted rated the nursery Outstanding, finding excellent progress across learning and effective safeguarding arrangements. The setting has capacity for 30 children aged 3 to 60 months, at 185A Vale Road in Liverpool.

In April 2024, learning connected practical experiences with conversation and research. Children modelled a butterfly’s development in clay, compared it with their own growth and used books with staff to answer questions about caterpillars. The activity gave children several ways to explore the same idea, rather than ending with a finished model.

The early years foundation stage is the framework for children’s learning, development and care. Here, the April 2024 examples brought those strands together through making, talking, counting and developing independence.

In April 2024, possible outings included visiting a local residential home, going to the park and buying recipe ingredients at the shops. Such trips could extend learning beyond the nursery. A Grand National activity used hobby horses to introduce competition; children recalled both their own wins and those of their friends. Staff also encouraged children to recognise one another’s strengths, including counting, signing and jumping.

At the April 2024 inspection, Ofsted found exemplary support for children with special educational needs and/or disabilities (SEND), with individual needs shaping planning and substantial benefits for families.

In April 2024, settling arrangements and daily routines were adapted to individual children. Dens offered somewhere quieter to pause, while conversations helped children put feelings into words. That combination joined a physical retreat with practical emotional support.

Relationships extended beyond the child’s day. Staff explained progress in accessible language and supplied activities for learning at home. Frequent weekend café mornings gave families opportunities to play together and exchange experiences. During Neurodiversity Celebration Week, staff shared personal experiences and invited others to contribute, opening discussion about differences between children.

Staff development mattered too: leaders personalised support for practitioners and encouraged them to question what an activity would achieve. The emphasis was on its purpose for children.

The address is 185A Vale Road, Liverpool, L25 7RY. Opening hours are 8am to 6pm, Monday to Friday, across the year, with closures on bank holidays and for one week at Christmas.

In April 2024, the nursery received funding for free early education for children aged two, three and four. This is an inspection-date account of funding participation.

• Attendance and costs. The nursery opens across the year, with bank-holiday and Christmas closures. Which booking pattern would fit your week, and how would your written quotation itemise funded hours, meals and consumables?
• Support that fits your child. April 2024 practice included tailored settling and frequent weekend café mornings. On a visit, ask how settling would work for your child and how family support connects with their individual plan.

Small World suits families who value learning through practical experiences and close communication about their child. Its April 2024 strengths were concrete: caterpillar investigations, quieter dens and opportunities for families to share experiences. The year-round opening calendar also matters for parents organising care beyond term time. The strongest reason to consider it is the combination of purposeful learning and individual attention documented at that inspection.