Building Blocks Day Nursery

Stories, songs and small practical challenges give Building Blocks Day Nursery its character: in November 2023, children counted objects, practised using tweezers and joined in familiar rhymes. The emphasis was on language and growing independence.

At its November 2023 inspection, Ofsted judged the nursery Good, found safeguarding effective and recognised effective support for children with special educational needs and/or disabilities. At 841 Moston Lane, Manchester, M40 5RT, it has capacity for 102 children aged three months to five years.

The early years foundation stage sets the requirements for children's learning, development and care, bringing communication, physical development and learning to cooperate into the nursery day.

In November 2023, staff linked stories with actions and counting, and talked through children's activities to build familiarity with words. Colour sorting with tweezers combined hand control with number work. Children also took turns choosing an object for a song, giving cooperation a practical purpose.

Physical play included bikes, climbing frames and slides reached by ladders. These offered different ways to practise movement. Staff shared a sequenced plan for learning, although checks on their interactions lacked precision and curriculum delivery was sometimes inconsistent.

In November 2023, babies received cuddles and staff knew the children well. Picture prompts helped explain behaviour expectations, while encouragement supported children as they persisted with tasks. Handwashing became an opportunity to explain germs rather than simply a routine.

Staff worked with outside professionals around individual children's needs. Training had helped practitioners strengthen attention during group activities; peer observation and external feedback also contributed to reviewing practice. Safe-sleep training was supported by guidance displayed beside babies' cots, and leaders used scenarios to test staff's safeguarding knowledge.

Ofsted's July 2025 complaint outcome recorded repeated safety and welfare concerns, breaches identified in February 2025, and action addressing those breaches by the June 2025 regulatory visit. Safeguarding procedures had been revised, including notification of concerns to local authority children's social care; an intended welfare requirements notice had not been issued because of an administrative error.

Opening hours are 7.30am to 6pm, Monday to Friday. The nursery operates across the year, closing on bank holidays and for one week at Christmas. Its address is 841 Moston Lane, Manchester, M40 5RT.

In November 2023, the nursery provided funded early education for two-, three- and four-year-olds. Families should obtain a current written quotation for prices.

• Consistency of interactions. The November 2023 improvement priority concerned more precise monitoring of staff's conversations and exchanges with children. Ask how managers now assess these interactions and use their findings.
• Safety and welfare follow-up. The July 2025 outcome followed concerns received in February and April 2025. Ask how the revised safeguarding procedures operate in daily practice.
• Attendance and costs. The opening window spans the working day. Which booking patterns and funded-hours arrangements would fit your family, and how are meals and consumables handled?

Building Blocks suits families seeking care for children from infancy to five years, with weekday opening hours extending from early morning into the evening. Its November 2023 strengths lay in language-rich activities and practical learning. The monitoring priority and subsequent safety and welfare history deserve attention alongside those strengths.