The Willows Private Day Nursery

A separate sleeping space for babies, outdoor areas beside the nursery rooms and teacher-led sessions for older children give The Willows Private Day Nursery a clear progression through early childhood. Play remains the common thread. The purpose-built setting on Bridgefold Road in Rochdale accepts children from 3 months to 5 years, with rooms organised around babies, toddlers and preschool children rather than a single shared nursery day.

At its April 2022 inspection, Ofsted rated the nursery Good, found safeguarding effective and praised the individual understanding behind its SEND support and children's progress. That assessment also identified two practical weaknesses: some group activities lost children's attention, and support for managing feelings did not work equally well for everyone. Both matter when weighing the more structured activities offered to older children.

The strongest practical features are tangible: babies have space for messy play and sleep, toddlers move between indoor and outdoor provision, and parents receive care and learning updates through EYLog. Opening hours run from 7.30am to 6pm on weekdays.

Rooms and Ages

Squirrels accommodates babies from 3 months to approximately 24 months, with a generous floor area for movement, water, sand and painting activities, a separate sleeping space, a dining area and adjoining outdoor space. Sleep therefore has its own place alongside active play. The baby unit's age guide runs from 3 months to approximately 20 months, narrower than Squirrels' approximately 24-month upper age.

Badgers 1 starts at approximately 24 months in the room overview and combines play-based provision with an adjoining outdoor area, emphasising growing independence. Badgers 2 covers approximately 2½ to 3 years and introduces group activities, including Looking & Listening groups and Sing & Sign, as part of the move towards a more organised day. These are group sessions within the toddler routine; they sit alongside continued indoor and outdoor play.

Owls is for children aged 3 years and over, combining daily letters and sounds activities and an Early Years Teacher-led teaching session with play indoors and outside. The greater structure is a change in the rhythm of the day, rather than a replacement for play. Moves between groups are discussed with parents and take account of development, so the age bands act as guides rather than fixed deadlines.

Learning and Activities

The Early Years Foundation Stage (EYFS) provides the framework for learning, development and care, with children learning through play. Staff observe children's development and plan activities around their interests and stage of learning. A named key person connects that planning with parents, giving families a specific contact for discussing how their child's day and development fit together.

Weekly visiting sessions add another strand to the routine through JoJingles, Moo Music, Glow Worm’s Yoga and AStar Sports. These are sessions with outside agencies that supplement daily activities. Visitors also include Zoo Lab, the Community Dental Team, the Fire service and the Police, bringing people from beyond the nursery into children's learning.

In April 2022, children experimented with mixing paints and took part in dough disco, moving and squeezing dough alongside music to exercise hands and arms. Stories, songs and sound activities also featured in their day. Those examples show the practical connection between play and developing skills, but the same visit highlighted that some group activities lasted too long and became too restricted to sustain everyone's interest.

Outdoor and Community Life

Outdoor learning areas can be used throughout the day and in different weather conditions. Adjoining spaces make outdoor play part of the room arrangements, giving it a place in the ordinary nursery routine rather than reserving it for a separate outing.

In April 2022, a race track gave children space to ride scooters and bikes. Beyond the premises, outings include the park, farm, library and places of worship. These extend the places children encounter beyond their own room, while visits from community professionals provide a different route into learning about other people's work.

Relationships and Communication

Each child is allocated a key person on joining. That practitioner acts as the main carer within the child's group, observes development and records information through EYLog, the parent portal. Updates cover feeds and nappy changes, potty training, activities and teaching sessions, with dietary information included when needed. This gives parents both everyday care details and a view of what their child has been doing.

Families can speak with their key person or managers and exchange information through the portal, which staff access daily. Parents are asked to share accidents at home and changes that could affect their child's wellbeing. Parents' evenings take place twice a year, adding planned discussions about development to everyday communication; newsletters cover nursery matters and forthcoming events.

Inclusion and Wellbeing

A SENCO role and one-to-one support roles form part of the staffing structure. At the April 2022 inspection, Ofsted found that staff understood children's individual needs exceptionally well, that key-person continuity supported SEND provision and that some children needed stronger help to manage feelings and understand their effect on others. The positive finding and the improvement point belong together: individual support was a strength, while emotional regulation required more consistent practice.

Staff undertake safeguarding and paediatric first-aid training, and enhanced DBS checks form part of the recruitment arrangements. These are care arrangements, rather than a substitute for the dated safeguarding judgement. In April 2022, staff also helped children practise toothbrushing and understand the connection between food and oral health, making personal care something children could learn to do themselves.

Cooks prepare fresh meals and snacks in the nursery kitchen, using seasonal menus that change weekly; breakfast, a hot two-course lunch and tea are offered. Separate weaning and under-one menus are provided, and the nursery offers to cater for special dietary requirements, allowing food provision to reflect different stages and needs.

Sessions and Attendance

The address is 49 Bridgefold Road, Rochdale, OL11 5BX. The nursery opens Monday to Friday, from 7.30am to 6pm, and operates across the year, closing on bank holidays and between Christmas and New Year. Those closures are relevant even where a family's working routine continues through the holiday period.

The booking process involves a form and a non-refundable deposit when a suitable place can be offered. A waiting-list arrangement means families are advised to give several months' notice of their requirements; the usual annual movement between groups happens as older children leave for school in August and September. This is a planning rule, rather than a statement about present vacancies.

Getting There

The purpose-built nursery is in a quiet area away from busy traffic and provides parking. Its location gives access to Rochdale town centre and junction 20 of the M62.

Funding and Paid Extras

Funded childcare is offered through the Funded Childcare For Working Parents Scheme, with children aged 9 months and over potentially eligible for 30 hours per week. Eligibility is conditional; the entitlement should not be treated as an automatic allocation for every child in that age group. The fees page provides the funding route and payment terms.

Private childcare fees are reviewed each April and paid monthly by standing order at the start of the month concerned. Payment continues during sickness, other absences, personal holidays and public or bank holidays. Families should budget for their booked attendance rather than assuming that a missed day reduces the bill. Current prices come in the nursery's written quotation.

• Group learning and feelings. In April 2022, some group activities failed to hold attention, and behaviour strategies did not help every child regulate feelings. During a visit, ask how staff now adapt group sessions and support children who become overwhelmed.
• Baby-room moves. Squirrels' age guide extends to approximately 24 months, while the baby unit's age guide runs from 3 months to approximately 20 months. Moves involve developmental judgement and parental discussion. During a visit, ask how these transition ages would apply to your child, including changes to sleep and outdoor play.
• Planning and commitment. The waiting-list arrangement calls for several months' notice of requirements, and booking a suitable place involves a non-refundable deposit. Fees also continue during absence, making the agreed attendance pattern a financial commitment.
• Funding and care costs. The working-parent entitlement depends on eligibility, while the nursery provides meals and caters for dietary needs. Which meals, non-food consumables and additional hours would your written quotation cover, and how would any dietary requirements be managed in current practice?

The Willows suits families seeking care across the year, a separate baby sleeping space and a gradual move towards teacher-led preschool activities. EYLog and twice-yearly parents' evenings give communication a defined structure, while visiting agencies and community outings add experiences beyond the room routine.

The April 2022 Good judgement provides a positive inspection baseline, with strong individual SEND support balanced by clear concerns about group engagement and emotional regulation. For parents, the useful test is how those two areas work now alongside the nursery's room progression, outdoor access and practical care arrangements.