Staplands Nursery

A digging area, children growing food to eat, and planning shaped by parents' observations give Staplands Nursery a clear character: learning starts with what interests the individual child. With 22 places in total, this Liverpool setting accepts children aged 3 to 60 months. Its appeal lies in the connection between everyday play, a familiar key person and the information families share from home.

At its January 2024 inspection, Ofsted rated Staplands Good overall and judged safeguarding effective. The detail adds texture to that judgement: children shared breakfast across age groups, while indoor learning was better organised than outdoor activities. There were also inconsistencies in staff interactions that called for more precise coaching. Those points matter alongside the strengths.

Morning, afternoon and full-day bookings offer different ways to use the nursery. The practical choice is broader than an all-day commitment.

Learning and Activities

The Early Years Foundation Stage provides the framework for learning and development: children learn through play and activities matched to their interests and stage of development. At Staplands, the key person turns observations into weekly activity plans. Something a child enjoys doing at home can therefore shape what they explore at nursery, rather than sitting separately from their nursery learning.

Observations capture children's play preferences, their words and new skills. Parents contribute their own observations too. The resulting activities aim to stretch the child while keeping the subject interesting to them. This is a concrete planning method, rather than simply a promise to treat each child individually.

In January 2024, preschool children joined in with familiar stories and contributed questions and ideas. Another activity involved children collaborating on a dough house, discussing suitable materials and finding extra resources for themselves. These examples show the different demands play can make: listening and speaking in a story, then negotiating and solving a practical problem together.

During the same month, staff supplied commentary during babies' activities and introduced unfamiliar vocabulary in conversation. Language work was woven into ordinary experiences. It was not confined to a separate teaching slot.

Outdoor and Community Life

The outdoor space includes areas for digging and planting, where children grow produce and then eat it. That connects physical activity with seeing where food comes from. Waterproof clothing is supplied for messy or wet play, and children are encouraged to use the outdoor space in different weather conditions.

Outdoor provision also deserves scrutiny. In January 2024, some activities outside had an unclear learning purpose and children disengaged quickly. The improvement priority was to connect outdoor activities more closely with children's next learning steps, especially for those who preferred being outside. A garden and resources are useful; how staff use them matters just as much.

Relationships and Communication

A key person provides continuity between each child and their family. Settling arrangements are devised with parents, allowing the induction to respond to the child rather than following one fixed pattern. Before a room move, the key person accompanies the child on visits, gradually extending the time spent there. Familiar support carries through the change.

In January 2024, children from different age groups ate breakfast together while remaining with their key person. This gave them contact with children and staff beyond their usual room. Staff also helped children practise waiting, sharing and following daily routines.

Communication has a practical structure. Formal assessments are shared every 3 to 4 months, alongside informal discussions, and parents can access their child's development file. Families can arrange a meeting with the key person and contribute photographs or observations from home. That gives them a role in planning, as well as receiving updates about it.

Newsletters and daily conversations cover nursery information. Parents are also invited to contribute talents or read a story. Concerns about a child go first to the key person; wider nursery concerns go to the manager, with a complaints procedure for issues that remain unresolved.

Inclusion and Wellbeing

At the January 2024 inspection, Ofsted found SEND support effective, with targeted help coordinated by the SENDCo and good progress from children's individual starting points. In that month, visual schedules and boards showing the present and following activity helped children who found changes difficult. Speech and language screening also helped staff identify where additional help was needed.

Food is cooked freshly at the nursery, and the menu follows a 3-week rotation. Examples include vegetable risotto and fish curry, giving children different meals across the cycle.

Preparation for school includes visits to schools and invitations for teachers to meet children at nursery. Children's development files are passed on when they leave for school, helping information about their learning travel with them.

Sessions and Attendance

The nursery opens Monday to Friday, 8am to 6pm, throughout the year except bank holidays. Morning sessions run from 8am to 12.50pm; afternoon sessions run from 1.10pm to 6pm; a full day runs from 8am to 6pm. These are separate booking choices, so a family seeking a morning routine has a different option from one needing care through the afternoon.

Staplands is at 176 Thomas Lane, Broadgreen, Liverpool, L14 5NZ. Enquiries can be made by telephone on 0151 228 0507, by email at staplandsnursery@hotmail.co.uk or through the contact form.

Funding and Paid Extras

Funding for three- and four-year-olds starts the term following the child's third birthday, with 15 hours weekly over 38 weeks or 11 hours weekly over 52 weeks. Eligible two-year-olds can receive up to 15 hours weekly over 38 weeks or 11 hours weekly over 52 weeks. Eligibility conditions apply to the two-year-old offer; the nursery's funding arrangements should not be read as a guarantee that every child qualifies.

Private morning, afternoon and full-day childcare is also offered. Families should obtain current prices in the nursery's written quotation, with the funded attendance pattern and any additional private hours distinguished clearly.

• Outdoor learning. In January 2024, activities outside did not consistently hold children's interest or connect clearly with their next learning steps. On a visit, ask how staff now plan outdoor learning for a child who prefers it to indoor play.
• Staff coaching. The January 2024 improvement priority included more specific guidance for less experienced practitioners because interactions varied in quality. Ask how coaching now helps staff sustain effective conversations and play with children.
• The complete attendance cost. Morning, afternoon and full-day bookings sit alongside funded attendance. What does the written quotation include for meals and non-food consumables, and how does this differ between funded and private hours?

Staplands suits families seeking morning or afternoon sessions as well as full-day care, with an individual planning process that gives parents a clear part to play. The growing area, gradual room transitions and accessible development files make that offer concrete. There is substance here beyond the opening hours.

The Good judgement from January 2024 comes with two useful qualifications: outdoor learning needed clearer purpose, and staff coaching needed greater precision. Families weighing Staplands should give those areas attention alongside its key-person arrangements and practical choice of sessions.