Tiddlywinks Nursery Blackley

Storybooks, small acts of independence and connections beyond the nursery gave Tiddlywinks Nursery Blackley its character in February 2023. Babies helped with bibs, older children took responsibility for their meals, and imaginative play carried ideas from a story into children's own creations. These were practical experiences with a purpose: learning to communicate, cooperate and do more for themselves.

At its 16 February 2023 inspection, Ofsted rated the nursery Outstanding and judged safeguarding effective. That is a dated judgement, rather than a description of today's daily practice. The current setting has capacity for 62 children, accepts ages from 4 to 60 months and is based on Hill Lane in Blackley, Manchester.

Learning and Activities

The early years foundation stage is the statutory framework for learning and care, with play helping children develop language, physical skills and independence. In February 2023, these strands came together through activities that gave children something concrete to handle, discuss and remember.

Whatever Next?, a story used with toddlers, became more than a reading activity. Children made space-themed creations using boxes and colanders, heard unfamiliar vocabulary and returned to the story later. Revisiting the same ideas through listening, making and conversation gave them several ways to engage with the learning.

Language work also had a recurring structure in February 2023: a monthly book choice and a termly author choice. Babies joined songs and books, toddlers discussed vegetables, and older children explored the sounds in their names. The progression matters because communication involves both having something to say and finding the words to say it.

Physical exploration sat alongside this language work. In February 2023, babies manipulated spaghetti with pincers, while two-year-olds manoeuvred tricycles. Older children experimented with vinegar and bicarbonate of soda, drawing on remembered reactions to test their ideas. These examples connect hand control, movement and early investigation to children's play rather than treating them as separate exercises.

Outdoor and Community Life

In February 2023, children's experiences extended to a care home and China Town. Conversations with older residents created contact across generations; the trips also introduced children to cultures beyond their own. Neither activity needs an elaborate programme name to explain its value.

Christmas Shop was a fundraising activity in February 2023, giving children an opportunity to consider other people's needs. Sign language was another part of the nursery day, helping children communicate with peers who could not hear or use spoken words. Together, these examples made consideration for others something children practised.

At the February 2023 inspection, Ofsted judged SEND support highly effective, with advice from specialist professionals and weekly visits by a teacher supporting deaf children. The useful detail is the mechanism: staff combined knowledge of individual children with outside expertise, rather than relying on a general promise of inclusion.

Family involvement in February 2023 began before attendance, through visits to children's homes and parental participation in planning. This gave practitioners information about the child before nursery routines began. Parents also attended events where progress was discussed and could take first-aid courses.

Dietary planning in February 2023 involved meetings between families and the specialist catering manager about individual requirements. For the move towards school, home learning bags helped parents take part in preparation beyond nursery hours.

Everyday independence was visible in February 2023 too. Babies attempted cup lids, toddlers moved chairs to tables, and preschool children served food and tidied afterwards. Such responsibilities made meals part of learning as well as care. Families also received safer-sleep information, extending practical support into the home.

The address is 116 Hill Lane, Blackley, Manchester M9 6PW. Opening hours are 7.30am to 6pm on weekdays, with year-round opening and bank-holiday closures.

In February 2023, the nursery provided funded early education for children aged two, three and four. Families weighing costs should use a current written quotation when planning their childcare budget.

• A dated quality judgement. The Outstanding judgement dates to February 2023. On a visit, discuss how the story-based learning and specialist support described above work for children attending now.
• Individual support. Weekly specialist input for deaf children formed part of provision in February 2023. Discuss how support would be organised around your child's particular communication needs.
• Your childcare budget. Funded early education formed part of provision in February 2023. What would your proposed attendance cost, including any meals and consumables, and how would funded hours fit that pattern?

Tiddlywinks Nursery Blackley suits families seeking care across the working week who value language, growing independence and close involvement in their child's learning. Its February 2023 examples give those priorities substance: a story developed into imaginative play, community experiences encouraged consideration for others, and family knowledge informed support. The dated Outstanding judgement provides a strong starting point for assessing the nursery's current provision.