Holly House Day Nursery

A garden stretching over 50 metres and a separate sensory room give Holly House Day Nursery two clear points of character: space for energetic outdoor play and somewhere for babies to investigate textures, light and sound. In Walkden, the nursery combines these physical resources with an approach that gives children room to make choices and explore materials for themselves. The practical appeal starts with what children can actually use.

Holly House takes children from three months to five years and has capacity for 120 children across the setting. That is a whole-nursery figure, rather than the size of an individual room or daily group. At its October 2021 inspection, Ofsted rated the nursery Good overall. That judgement belongs to an earlier period of nursery life and should be read with its date attached.

The current offer includes gradual settling, an individual key person and room changes that depend on readiness. These arrangements matter alongside the larger facilities: a generous garden does not replace the relationship with the adult who knows a child's routines, preferences and ways of communicating.

Rooms and Ages

Five rooms organise nursery life, with age stages covering babies, toddlers and preschool children. Moves between them are discussed with families and staff, with children spending time playing in their next room before making the change. Children change rooms only when they are ready. That gives children time to become familiar with different adults, surroundings and playmates.

The Baby Rooms cover the stage from birth to 18 months, with sensory exploration supported by a separate sensory room, cosy sleeping areas and a garden specifically for babies. The nursery's overall starting age is three months. Keeping an outdoor area for the youngest children gives them their own place to explore, alongside the larger garden used elsewhere in the setting.

The Tweenie Rooms cover toddlers from 18 months to beyond three years. The Pre-School Room serves children aged three to five, emphasising independence through play and care routines, with different activity areas, a separate bathroom and open access to the garden. These are practical opportunities to make choices and manage everyday tasks, rather than treating preparation for school solely as adult-directed work.

Learning and Activities

The Early Years Foundation Stage provides the framework for children's learning, development and care, which here is translated into play, communication, exploration and growing independence. Alongside it, the Curiosity Approach uses open-ended materials within children's reach so that they can investigate how things feel, sound and work. The approach gives children something to think through, rather than simply a finished toy with one prescribed use.

Holly House is working towards Curiosity Approach accreditation. That is a goal, rather than an accreditation already achieved. In preschool, planning responds to children's interests during their own play, with staff using questions to extend thinking and language, while also arranging structured activities for the move towards school. Child choice and adult planning both have a place.

In October 2021, activities included biscuit-making, exploring shapes through pumpkin faces and learning about parts of the skeleton. Staff used repeated words with younger children and discussion with older children to develop language. However, activities sometimes demanded skills children had not yet developed, and the next learning steps were not consistently well matched to what they already knew. Staff needed to become more precise about building learning in a sensible sequence. This is a useful distinction: attractive activities need to be pitched at the right level for each child.

Outdoor and Community Life

The main garden extends over 50 metres and has separate areas for different kinds of play. Near the building, a hard-surfaced space supports bikes and trikes, chalk activities and water exploration. Children can practise movement as well as investigate materials, giving outdoor time an educational purpose beyond a break from indoor play.

Adult-planned experiences sit alongside children's own choices outdoors. Preschool children also take nature walks, gathering materials to explore back at nursery, while babies go on walks locally. These experiences connect the room's learning with things children encounter outside it; the collected materials provide a starting point for further investigation.

Yoga is offered as an additional class for children aged two and over. Most additional classes are included in the daily rate where possible. Children who attend on other days can also come for a class, allowing participation beyond their usual attendance pattern.

Relationships and Communication

Each child has a key person, and babies are allocated a Special Carer to develop continuity between nursery and home. Every baby has a care plan that is reviewed and carried through subsequent room moves. That makes personal routines part of the transition, rather than something that must be rediscovered in each new room.

Settling begins with a nursery tour, followed by an hour spent with a parent and child developing a care plan, then an initial two-hour settling visit. Further settling visits can be arranged for children needing more time before their contracted attendance begins. The sequence gives staff an opportunity to learn about the child while the family becomes familiar with the setting.

Parents can telephone during the day and speak to someone in their child's room. A verbal handover at collection shares moments from the day, and children may bring a dummy or familiar comfort item. These are concrete ways to maintain contact and continuity, especially while a child is getting used to nursery.

Inclusion and Wellbeing

The staff structure includes a SENCO and safeguarding lead roles; staff receive safeguarding training and have paediatric first aid training. These are arrangements for supporting children and responding to concerns. At the October 2021 inspection, Ofsted found safeguarding effective and judged that children with SEND received strong support through work with speech therapists, specialist teachers and health professionals, helping them progress from their individual starting points.

Food is cooked on site, with breakfast, lunch, tea, drinks and snacks included in fees. Menus can be adapted with parents for allergies and other dietary requirements, and older children are encouraged to serve themselves. Meals therefore also provide an everyday opportunity to practise independence.

Sessions and Attendance

Opening hours are 7.30am to 6pm, Monday to Friday, across 51 weeks of the year. The nursery closes for a week at Christmas and on bank holidays. Families planning attendance around work need to account for those closures as well as the daily opening window.

Enquiries can be made by telephone on 0161 790 2779 or through the contact form. Current prices come in the nursery's written quotation.

Getting There

The address is Mayfield Avenue, Walkden, Worsley, Manchester, M28 3JF. A car park behind the building is reached from Mayfield Avenue, while the main entrance is approached from Manchester Road near Walkden town centre.

Funding and Paid Extras

Funded childcare is offered, and childcare vouchers are accepted. Food and drink are included in fees; the additional-class arrangement includes most classes in the daily rate where possible. Families should consider the funded booking and any additional care together, so that the agreed attendance and charge structure fit their needs.

• Learning matched to the child. In October 2021, activities and next steps did not consistently build on children's existing skills. During a visit, ask how staff now choose and review the next challenge for an individual child.
• The transition to a new room. Moves depend on readiness and include time playing in the next room. Discuss how this would work for a child who needs longer to become comfortable with unfamiliar adults.
• Your attendance and funded quotation. The opening window runs from 7.30am to 6pm, with Christmas and bank-holiday closures. Ask which booking patterns and funded-hours arrangements fit your intended attendance, and how meals, consumables and additional classes are treated in that quotation.
• Allergy arrangements. Menus are adapted through discussion with parents. Families managing an allergy should confirm current preparation and serving practice for their child's needs.

Holly House suits families looking for year-round weekday childcare with substantial outdoor space, sensory exploration for babies and a gradual approach to settling and room changes. The Curiosity Approach has a concrete expression here: accessible materials, child-led investigation and questions that extend preschool play.

The October 2021 Good judgement offers a dated quality reference, while its concern about precisely sequenced learning remains a useful subject for a visit. For parents, the strongest combination is physical space and continuity of care: a large garden and separate sensory provision, supported by individual care plans and familiar adults through transitions.