Crumpsall Park Day Care

Chatter Boxes for home reading and Emotion Spoons for talking about feelings give Crumpsall Park Day Care a recognisable character: language and emotional development ran through its March 2023 provision. At its March 2023 inspection, Ofsted rated the setting Good and judged safeguarding effective.

Based at The Lodge House in Crumpsall Park, Manchester, it has 20 places in total for children aged 24 to 60 months. It operates during term time. The inspection-era picture is of a small setting where stories, conversation and relationships shaped children's learning.

The early years foundation stage sets the framework for children's learning, development and care, bringing these together through play and everyday routines. In March 2023, stories offered concrete opportunities to practise language: staff varied their voices and used props, while children retold tales in their own ways.

A reading room gave books a dedicated space. Chatter Boxes, sent home to encourage reading, extended that activity beyond the setting and gave families something tangible to share with their children.

In March 2023, the Sensory Room supported conversations about emotions, with Emotion Spoons helping children express their feelings. Songs with actions also brought movement into the day, and children began connecting energetic exercise with how their bodies felt. These were practical learning experiences, built around things children could do and describe.

At the March 2023 inspection, Ofsted found effective language support for children learning English as an additional language or experiencing speech delay, and effective SEND support, including strategies used while children awaited external referrals and well-used additional funding.

In March 2023, staff helped newcomers settle and used a Care Bear as a conversation aid during nappy changes. Emotional support therefore extended into intimate care, rather than being confined to organised activities. Staff also modelled considerate behaviour and explained sharing to children.

Healthy snacks provided opportunities for independence at that time: children made choices and poured drinks themselves. Handwashing needed more consistent attention, however, especially after children blew their noses. Staff development also needed sharper targeting.

The address is The Lodge House, Crumpsall Park, Ash Tree Road, Manchester, M8 5SA. Term-time operation makes the setting relevant to families whose childcare needs follow that calendar.

In March 2023, the setting opened for 39 weeks of the year, with sessions from 9am to midday and from 1pm to 4pm, Monday to Friday. It provided funded early education for two-, three- and four-year-olds at that time. Those dated arrangements describe the offer at that visit.

• Hygiene routines. In March 2023, handwashing after nose blowing was inconsistent. This is a concrete care routine to discuss during a visit.
• Staff development. The March 2023 improvement action called for more precisely targeted professional learning. Families can ask how training now addresses children's learning needs.
• Term-time fit. The setting operates during term time. How would today's session pattern and funded-hours arrangements fit your family's week?

Crumpsall Park Day Care suits families seeking term-time childcare for children within its 24-to-60-month age range. Its March 2023 picture gives reading and emotional expression substance through Chatter Boxes, Emotion Spoons and the Care Bear. The Good judgement sits alongside specific improvements needed in hygiene and staff development, giving families clear points to explore when choosing care.