Manchester Settlement Community Nursery

A sensory room, outdoor play area and a community hub give Manchester Settlement Community Nursery a character that reaches beyond childcare. Based in Openshaw, East Manchester, this not-for-profit nursery connects children's early learning with support for their families, including play sessions, parent drop-ins and a food pantry. That wider offer is a useful part of its appeal.

Ofsted rated the nursery Good at its 15 May 2024 inspection, with literacy and communication among the strengths of the education observed. Visitors, mini sports sessions and community visits enrich children's learning, while the surrounding family services give parents ways to meet others and access support.

The nursery accepts children from six months to five years. Attendance is term-time only, with full days, half days and shorter sessions serving different family routines.

Rooms and Ages

Baby, toddler and preschool rooms separate the broad stages of early childhood. The sensory room and outdoor play area add different spaces for children's experiences: indoor provision sits alongside opportunities to play outside, rather than the day depending on one main room.

In May 2024, physical activities included manipulating dough, threading pasta and crossing balance equipment. These offered different kinds of movement, from small hand actions to whole-body coordination. The detail matters more than a general promise of active play: children had practical materials and equipment to use.

Learning and Activities

The Early Years Foundation Stage provides the framework for learning, development and care. In May 2024, stories, physical play and practical self-care tasks gave children ways to develop language, movement and independence. Visitors, mini sports activities and community visits add experiences alongside that framework.

In May 2024, books were a prominent part of the day. Children listened to stories, and preschool children recognised their own names. Staff also supported children learning English as an additional language by taking a word a child used and modelling it within a short sentence. This gave the child an example of how to build on their own contribution.

Practical independence featured too. During that month, toddlers practised handwashing before eating and peeling fruit at snack time, while preschool children worked on putting on coats. These are small tasks with a clear purpose: helping children take a more active part in their daily routines.

Outdoor and Community Life

Community visits are part of the nursery's enrichment. In May 2024, outings included nearby libraries and parks, extending children's experiences beyond the nursery building. These trips complemented the books and physical activities within the setting.

Family Walks are a separate community offer, with a weekly walk for parents, babies, toddlers and other community members. The route includes a local park and refreshments. It creates an opportunity for adults to meet and talk while spending time outside with their children, rather than being a nursery excursion that parents only hear about afterwards.

Relationships and Communication

In May 2024, families were invited to stay-and-play sessions before their children started nursery. Spending time together in the setting gave children a chance to become familiar with it before attending independently. Familiar music also signalled changes in the day's routine, helping children anticipate what would happen next.

Support for parents extends into the wider hub. Peer drop-ins cover early childhood and wellbeing, while the Startwell Whats app group shares information about local services and community activities. These are different forms of contact: one offers conversation with other parents, the other helps families keep track of opportunities nearby.

Inclusion and Wellbeing

At its May 2024 inspection, Ofsted found safeguarding effective and SEND support informed by regularly reviewed individual targets and additional staff training, but asked staff to explain rules and the effects of children's behaviour more consistently. The improvement point is specific: reminding a child to stop running indoors is less useful if the reason remains unexplained.

Stay and Play includes a weekly session for children with special educational needs or difficulties and their parents, held at St Clements Children's Centre on Melville Close. This is a family service alongside nursery attendance, giving parents another setting in which to meet others and receive support.

The staff team includes practitioners with qualifications spanning Level 3 to Level 6, alongside apprentices and experienced staff without qualifications. Healthy, home-cooked food is part of the nursery offer; private session fees include meals and snacks, while funded sessions have separate meal charges with a packed-lunch alternative.

Sessions and Attendance

The address is Manchester Settlement, 1328-1330 Ashton Old Road, Manchester, M11 1JG. Nursery opening hours are 7.30am to 6pm, Monday to Friday, during term time. School holidays therefore need a separate childcare plan.

A full day runs from 7.30am to 6pm. Half-day choices are 7.30am to 12.30pm and 1pm to 6pm; shorter sessions run from 9.30am to 12.30pm or 1pm to 4pm. This gives families a choice between covering a substantial part of the working day and booking a shorter period of nursery attendance.

Families can enquire through the nursery's enquiry form, and show-around visits can be booked. The visit includes opportunities to see the sensory room, outdoor play area and family hub facilities.

After-school care is a separate service for children aged three to eleven, running from 3.15pm to 6pm and including a snack. Walking collections operate from St Clements primary school, Varna community school and Higher Openshaw primary school. Contracts can follow the child's school term for 38 weeks, with occasional ad hoc arrangements; these collection links are childcare services rather than school-admission arrangements.

Funding and Paid Extras

Both private childcare and funded childcare are offered. Funded 15-hour and 30-hour sessions cover eligible children from nine months to four years and operate within the nursery's term-time provision. Eligibility remains a condition of the funded offer.

Private fees include the session's meals and snacks. Meals during funded sessions are charged separately, and parents can bring packed lunches instead of purchasing nursery meals. The fees and funding page explains this structure; current prices come in the nursery's written quotation.

• School-holiday coverage. Nursery attendance is term-time only. Families needing childcare throughout the year must plan around those breaks as well as their chosen daily session.
• Behaviour explanations. The May 2024 improvement point concerned helping children understand rules and their effect on others. A visit is an opportunity to ask how practitioners now explain boundaries during play.
• Your child's room and daily care. Baby, toddler and preschool rooms serve different stages. During a show-around, ask how your child's room manages settling, sleep and personal-care supplies.
• Funded-session meals. Funded hours exclude nursery meals, with packed lunches permitted instead. Decide which arrangement fits your child and your daily routine when discussing the booking.

Manchester Settlement Community Nursery suits families seeking full-day care, half-day attendance or shorter term-time sessions, especially those who value family support alongside their child's nursery experience. The sensory room, community visits and access to parent activities give the offer substance beyond its attendance choices.

The May 2024 Good judgement provides a positive inspection position, with the behaviour-explanation improvement point deserving attention. Term-time operation and the different meal arrangements for private and funded sessions are the practical decisions to weigh. For families whose schedules fit, the combination of nursery provision and community services is a clear reason to consider it.