Cliff House Nursery & Pre-School

A Pirate Ship, a mini-orchard and vegetables grown for the nursery kitchen give Cliff House Nursery & Pre-School a character built around doing things. Its detached building in Ribbleton, Preston, sits within a quarter acre of enclosed gardens, with separate outdoor provision for the youngest children. Growing, exploring and imaginative play have physical space here.

At its August 2023 inspection, Ofsted rated the nursery Good and found safeguarding effective, while identifying uneven staff practice and weaknesses in checking how training and policies were put into use. That balance matters: there was much to value in children's experiences, alongside specific management work to address.

Cliff House has 56 places in total and accepts children from 3 months to 60 months. Half-day and full-time attendance patterns give families different ways to use the setting; its opening window is 8am to 6pm.

Rooms and Ages

Three room bands organise the provision: Baby Room for 0 to 23 months, Play Room for 24 to 36 months and School Room for 37 to 60 months. These are room age bands rather than a promise of admission from birth; the nursery's accepted age range starts at 3 months.

For the youngest children, a dedicated playground section has safety surfacing, a sandpit and sit-and-ride toys, giving crawling and newly walking children space for their own pace of movement. Children in the toddler stage use much of the ground floor, while preschool children have classrooms indoors and outdoors, with early reading skills, number work, simple technology and practical independence shaping their activities.

Learning and Activities

The Early Years Foundation Stage (EYFS) provides the framework for learning, encompassing communication, physical and social development alongside literacy, mathematics, understanding the world and creative expression. In everyday terms, play, conversation, movement and exploration are part of learning, rather than breaks from it. Each child's key worker plans activities and follows their development within that framework.

Stage 1 Phonics introduces skills for reading and writing. Preschool preparation also includes managing clothes and fastenings, recognising a written name, listening and becoming confident with classroom routines. These are concrete steps towards managing a school day. They sit alongside painting, singing, dancing and other play.

A visiting music specialist provides a weekly session with activities accessible to children with different needs.

In August 2023, mathematical language accompanied ordinary play: staff counted during climbing and discussed the size and quantity of produce in the allotment. Books also prompted action, with babies copying animal sounds and older children using familiar stories in outdoor play. These examples show how number and language could become part of an activity children already wanted to pursue.

Outdoor and Community Life

The garden supplies several different kinds of play. A large lawn allows running and ball games; the all-weather playground has a climbing frame and Pirate Ship; the mud kitchen and herb garden offer materials for sensory exploration. The mini-orchard and vegetable patch connect outdoor activity with food, while the Summer House adds another feature to the outdoor setting.

Children help plant and harvest the nursery's fruit and vegetables. This gives the garden a purpose beyond exercise: children can follow food from growing to cooking and eating. In August 2023, children collected courgettes from the allotment and passed them to the chef for nursery meals.

Relationships and Communication

Individual routines are central to baby care. Parents discuss sleep patterns, preferences and established habits with staff, and receive daily information about sleep, food and new developments. That makes the exchange useful for the next part of the child's day at home, as well as giving parents an account of nursery life.

Settling begins with the All About Me document, which brings together information about home language, family life, health, cultural practices and development. Taster visits start with a parent or carer present and progress towards short periods independently, with an allocated staff member supporting the child. The process gives staff information to work with before asking a child to manage separation.

The iconnect Parent Zone system lets parents view their child's learning journey and contribute observations and photographs themselves. Communication therefore runs in both directions. A child’s key worker can use information from home alongside nursery observations when planning activities, rather than treating the nursery day as a separate account of development.

Inclusion and Wellbeing

Support for special educational needs and disabilities has practical mechanisms behind it. The SENCO works with key workers and families; Targeted Learning Plans incorporate advice from involved professionals and are shared with parents. With parental permission, a Request for Guidance can go to the IDSS (Inclusion Disability & Support Service). This creates a route from an identified concern to advice and planned support.

Physical access receives detailed attention. Ramps serve the side entrance and garden exits, while ground-floor rooms share a level surface; adjustable seating and activity surfaces offer further adaptations. Visual timetables, objects of reference and sensory resources, including a Dark Den, provide other ways to support participation.

At the August 2023 inspection, Ofsted found that assessments, support from special educational needs coordinators and collaboration with other agencies helped staff adapt activities and support children's progress. That is a dated assessment of practice, alongside the nursery's continuing arrangements for plans and parent communication.

Meals and snacks are made in the nursery kitchen, with cooked lunches, breakfast choices and afternoon food; babies receive meals suited to their stage of weaning. The nursery's dietary approach includes accommodating allergies and religious or ethical requirements through its own kitchen, making the handling of an individual child's needs an important discussion for affected families.

When children move to another setting, transition visits and meetings bring parents and new providers into the planning. Observations, reports and learning plans are passed on. For a child receiving additional support, this gives the next setting practical information about what has already been tried and what arrangements need consideration.

Sessions and Attendance

The address is 19 Lambert Road, Ribbleton, Preston, PR2 6YQ. Opening hours are 8am to 6pm, Monday to Friday, across 51 weeks of the year; closures include bank holidays and a week at Christmas. Those closure periods matter when arranging care around work.

Attendance can range from a half day to full time. Parents can telephone 01772 795368 or use the contact form, which includes options to request a prospectus or callback.

Getting There

Parents can pull onto the drive to support access to the nursery. For families managing mobility needs, that works alongside the ramps and level ground-floor layout described above.

Funding and Paid Extras

Funded childcare is offered for qualifying children aged 2, 3 and 4, alongside private attendance. Eligibility remains a condition of the funded offer. Current prices come in the nursery's written quotation, allowing families to assess the arrangement they intend to use.

For children under 24 months, nappies and wipes are included at no additional charge.

• Consistency across staff. In August 2023, leaders were asked to check how training affected practice and how reliably staff applied key procedures. On a visit, ask how those checks now work across the rooms, rather than relying solely on the overall Good judgement.
• Your attendance and funding arrangement. Half-day and full-time patterns sit alongside an offer for qualifying funded children. Ask for one written breakdown covering your intended hours, the delivery of funded entitlement, meals and non-food consumables, so the practical arrangement can be considered together.
• Individual dietary needs. Food is prepared in the nursery kitchen and the dietary approach covers allergies and other requirements. Families affected by allergies should confirm current preparation and handling practices for their child's specific needs.

Cliff House suits families considering either half-day attendance or full-time care who want substantial outdoor space and a clear exchange of information with staff. The garden has usable detail: growing areas, imaginative play equipment and provision set aside for younger children. Baby routines and parent contributions to learning records add practical value indoors.

For children needing additional support, the plans, access adaptations and transition arrangements are meaningful reasons to look closely. The balancing question is staff consistency, raised in August 2023. How leaders now check practice across the nursery deserves as much attention as the garden and classrooms.