Claremont Neighbourhood Nursery

Sand-filled buckets, scooter play and children serving their own lunch give Claremont Neighbourhood Nursery a practical, hands-on character in its August 2022 account of daily life. This Salford setting has capacity for 50 children, with an accepted age range of 1 to 59 months. Its address is 160-162 Swinton Park Road, M6 7PA.

At its 3 August 2022 inspection, Ofsted judged the nursery Good, found safeguarding effective and reported good progress for children, including those receiving funded childcare and those with special educational needs or disabilities. Those are dated judgements. The most useful detail beneath them is how play, language and small acts of independence fitted together.

The early years foundation stage provides the framework for children's learning, development and care: in parent terms, play supports communication, physical skills and growing independence. Claremont's hands-on approach gives children opportunities to explore and try things themselves.

In August 2022, imaginative play included bottle-feeding dolls and constructing a house from wooden blocks. Firefighter role play brought a hosepipe into the activity. These examples show children using familiar experiences as material for their own ideas, rather than simply completing an adult's task.

Language was woven into play in August 2022. Staff introduced words, sang with children and encouraged interest in books; babies repeated a word while watching cornflour fall from their hands. That connected vocabulary with something they could see and feel. Drawing with pencils and manipulating dough also gave children opportunities to practise precise hand movements.

Outdoor activity in August 2022 included tricycles and scooters, while babies experimented with spades, sand, buckets and pouring water. The activities served different stages of movement and exploration. Babies also practised standing and taking early steps.

St Patrick's Day and Pride featured in August 2022's account of learning about differences between people, with dressing up associated with Pride. Bus journeys took children into the surrounding community. These were examples of learning extending beyond indoor play; they should be read as part of that period's nursery life.

A key person gave children a familiar adult to turn to in August 2022. Children sought comfort and physical reassurance from staff, linking their play with a dependable relationship. For a parent weighing care for a very young child, that everyday interaction matters as much as the activity itself.

Independence began with manageable tasks in August 2022. Keeping drawings in their own pigeonholes and learning safe stair use gave children small responsibilities beyond play. Lunch offered another route to independence: older children dished up their meals and swept afterwards, while babies handled cutlery. Babies also joined in tidying toys. Care routines therefore gave them opportunities to participate, rather than leaving every task to an adult.

The team includes a deputy manager with the SENDCO role, room leaders and a cook. The SENDCO provides an identifiable role for discussions about additional needs. In August 2022, links with schools and outside professionals formed part of the nursery's partnership work, while staff training included paediatric first aid.

Home-cooked food featured in children's meals in August 2022. Eating was also part of learning to manage utensils and serve themselves.

Claremont operates at 160-162 Swinton Park Road, Salford, M6 7PA. Opening hours are 7.30am to 6pm, Monday to Friday, across the year, with closures on bank holidays and for one week at Christmas. Those closures matter when planning care around work commitments.

Enquiries can be made by telephone on 0161 745 9303 or through the contact form. The nursery offers visits, and its information page provides an application form and parent pack. These give families a concrete route from an initial enquiry to applying.

In August 2022, the nursery provided funded early education for children aged two, three and four. That is a dated participation statement, rather than a promise about an individual family's entitlement or attendance arrangement.

• Staff development and learning. The August 2022 inspection identified activities that did not consistently extend learning, and called for more precise staff feedback and better targeted professional development. On a visit, ask how staff now adapt an activity when a child loses interest or is ready for a greater challenge.
• The attendance agreement. The opening window runs from 7.30am to 6pm, with bank-holiday and Christmas closures. Before committing, ask which booking pattern and funded-hours arrangement would apply to your child, including the treatment of meals and consumables.
• Support for additional needs. A deputy manager holds the SENDCO role. A visit is an opportunity to discuss how that role would work with your child's particular needs and any outside professionals already involved.

Claremont suits families seeking care across the year who value hands-on play and opportunities for children to manage everyday tasks themselves. Its August 2022 picture combines imaginative activity, outdoor movement and familiar adult relationships. The Good judgement gives that picture a clear inspection context, while the staff-development findings remain a useful subject for a visit. Families whose schedules can accommodate the bank-holiday and Christmas closures have a practical starting point here.