Brookside Nursery & Out of School Care Club

Warm relationships and outdoor play sit alongside important weaknesses in how consistently children are supported to learn. At its September 2025 inspection, Ofsted rated Brookside Requires improvement and judged safeguarding effective. That combination deserves careful attention: children’s comfort with staff matters, but so does the quality of their everyday interactions.

Based at Brookside Community Primary School in Clitheroe, the nursery has 50 places in total and accepts children aged 24 to 60 months. Its opening hours are 7.30am to 6pm, Monday to Friday.

In September 2025, children chose activities independently, including making play-dough spiders and listening to stories. Staff recognised their achievements with scissors and counting. These were practical opportunities to develop confidence through doing things for themselves.

The early years foundation stage sets the framework for children’s learning, development and care. Here, the September 2025 curriculum covered its seven learning areas, with particular emphasis on communication, independence and attention. Books were selected each week and shared with families, giving parents a connection to the learning taking place.

Outdoor space was used daily in September 2025. Children climbed, jumped and ran, and visited the on-site forest school for outdoor exploration, including mixing and pouring. Planned outings took learning beyond the premises, through town-centre walks and visits to the market, park and library.

There were substantial limitations. In September 2025, staff deployment left some children with too little sustained interaction, while inconsistent responses to behaviour interrupted activities. Some conversations also did too little to extend language. The issue was the consistency of adult support across the session.

In September 2025, children parted readily from their families and sought staff for comfort, including cuddles and shared stories. Parents received conversations about progress and information about weekly learning, helping them continue activities at home.

At the September 2025 inspection, Ofsted found that leaders recognised children with special educational needs and/or disabilities (SEND), arranged referrals, set individual targets and used funding effectively to support their needs. These are concrete support mechanisms rather than a general promise of inclusion.

Hygiene needed more attention in September 2025: adults did not consistently reinforce handwashing after toileting or sneezing. Staff received supervision, appraisals and training, but professional development was not sufficiently tailored to individual needs. Better support for practitioners was part of the improvement work required.

The address is Brookside Community Primary School, Bright Street, Clitheroe, BB7 1NW. The setting operates across the year, closing for bank holidays, Christmas and the final two weeks of the summer holidays.

In September 2025, funded early education was provided. Nursery attendance does not guarantee a Reception place at Brookside Community Primary School.

• Behaviour and learning. In September 2025, inconsistent behaviour support disrupted learning, and a required action carried a deadline of 31 October 2025. Ask how consistent responses are now put into practice.
• Adult interaction. September 2025 staff deployment left some children short of meaningful engagement. A visit should explore how practitioners support children during freely chosen activities.
• Everyday self-care. Handwashing routines and individually tailored staff support both needed attention in September 2025. Ask how these improvements have become part of the daily routine.

Brookside suits families seeking care for children aged 24 to 60 months across the year, with a weekday opening window extending from early morning into the evening. Its September 2025 account combines affectionate relationships, outdoor activity and family communication with weaknesses in behaviour support, staff deployment and hygiene teaching. Those weaknesses should carry substantial weight in a family’s decision.