Wonderland Day Nursery

In May 2025, a balance bike licence and daily talking trails gave Wonderland Day Nursery’s learning a practical character: children built language through physical activities and small-group outings. Ofsted rated the nursery Outstanding on 6 May 2025.

Based in Ashton-on-Ribble, Preston, the nursery has capacity for 62 children, with an age range of 2 to 59 months. Its strongest inspection examples concern carefully chosen experiences, independence and communication.

In May 2025, practitioners planned each child’s play diet around experiences they had already encountered and those they had yet to try. This gave planning an individual starting point. Stories connected learning, while daily talking trails were small-group outings with vocabulary chosen to extend children’s understanding.

The early years foundation stage is the framework for children’s learning, development and care. The May 2025 examples show how this translated into play: counting had a purpose, and exploring size and shape connected with early writing.

Physical challenges carried learning too. In May 2025, children experimented with ways to raise and stack tyres; earning a balance bike licence involved riding safely, caring for equipment and understanding the language associated with it. These activities brought movement, problem-solving and communication together.

Music also widened children’s experiences. During that same period, children explored songs and instruments from African countries and learned the names of different drums. Food from friends’ home countries provided another connection with the wider world.

At its May 2025 inspection, Ofsted found safeguarding effective and reported excellent progress for children with SEND, supported through collaboration with professionals and individually tailored help.

In May 2025, babies used signing to communicate what they needed. Practitioners invested time in getting to know them, supporting settling through familiar relationships. Parents could share a meal in the baby room during weaning, linking care at home with nursery routines.

In May 2025, family involvement included shared activities. In May 2025, parents joined baking and science activities with their children. Staff also helped children develop independence in personal care and prepared them for moving on to school.

The nursery employed 15 staff in May 2025. Training was directed towards teaching areas where children would benefit, with monitoring used to assess its effect.

The address is Wonderland, 70a Waterloo Road, Ashton-on-Ribble, Preston, PR2 1EN. Opening hours are 8am to 6pm, Monday to Friday, across the year, with closures for bank holidays and one week at Christmas.

The nursery provided government-funded childcare in May 2025.

• Learning through movement. The May 2025 balance bike licence combined riding, equipment care and vocabulary. On a visit, ask how these challenges are adapted for your child’s stage of development.
• Starting with a baby. Shared weaning meals and signing featured in May 2025. Ask how settling and communication would work for your baby now.

Wonderland suits families seeking care across the year. Its May 2025 inspection gives substance to the Outstanding judgement through examples of individual planning, purposeful physical challenges and opportunities for parents to participate. For babies, that inspection’s strongest detail was the attention given to relationships and communication.