Nurturing Hands Childcare

Open-ended indoor resources, sports-coach sessions and a key person for each child shape the day at Nurturing Hands Childcare in Little Hulton. At its January 2024 inspection, Ofsted rated the nursery Good, found safeguarding effective and recognised the support that helped children with special educational needs and/or disabilities (SEND) participate in learning. That judgement provides a useful starting point, alongside specific areas for improvement in everyday teaching.

This family-run setting has capacity for 90 children at 273-277 Manchester Road East. Its current care arrangements include a key person for each child, a SENCO role and a sports coach whose sessions emphasise movement. Full-day and half-day bookings give families different ways to organise attendance.

Learning and Activities

The EYFS provides the framework for children's learning, development and care; here, play, observation and children's interests shape the learning experiences staff plan. Practitioners follow what interests a child, then introduce opportunities that extend their thinking. This makes the child's choices part of the day rather than treating learning as a succession of adult-selected tasks.

Indoors, calm spaces contain open-ended resources for imaginative play and problem-solving. Such materials allow children to decide how to use them, giving scope for independent ideas. Outdoor experiences add opportunities to explore nature and practise judging manageable risks. The emphasis is on discovery and movement rather than simply taking indoor activities outside.

A sports coach leads sessions involving coordination, fitness and balance. These give physical development a specific place in the programme. Multi -sports is a separately charged activity associated with funded childcare, so families considering those sessions should distinguish the childcare hours from the additional activity charge.

In January 2024, children used equipment for balancing and climbing, with staff supporting them as they tried physical skills. Stories were revisited, and toys helped children act out and retell familiar narratives. Repetition gave them another opportunity to remember a story, while retelling let them take an active role in it.

In January 2024, language teaching was uneven, and staff missed chances to help children learn during ordinary routines. These are meaningful qualifications to the positive picture. Activities matter, but so does what staff do during conversations, dressing and transitions between parts of the day.

Relationships and Communication

Each child has a key person based in their room. That practitioner develops the relationship and maintains a learning journal, using observations to connect the child's development with the EYFS. Parents therefore have a specific member of staff linked to both their child's care and their learning record.

In January 2024, children approached their key person for comfort, and staff explained changes to key-person arrangements to parents. Everyday routines included helping children take turns and put toys away before choosing another activity. These examples show how relationships and familiar expectations featured in the inspection-era day.

Monthly bills arrive through the nursery's app. This provides a separate practical communication route for fees, alongside the key person's responsibility for the learning journal; the two serve different purposes.

Inclusion and Wellbeing

The SENCO works with practitioners, families and outside professionals to identify and respond to individual needs. A designated safeguarding lead supports staff with safeguarding procedures. These are named responsibilities within the team, giving families identifiable roles for discussions about support and welfare.

At the January 2024 inspection, Ofsted found that staff used parents' knowledge of children's interests, needs and earlier experiences to support children with SEND, but asked leaders to identify weaknesses in language teaching more closely and help staff use everyday opportunities for learning. For families, the important combination is individual understanding and consistent practice across the day.

A nursery cook prepares children's meals. For funded attendance, lunch, snacks, water and milk are charged separately. Parents supply sunscreen and suitable seasonal clothing, including rainwear and wellies, so outdoor participation also involves preparation at home.

For children who need long-term medicine, parents bring it to nursery, prescribed and labelled with the child's name and clear instructions. This makes preparation for attendance more specific for families managing an allergy or medical condition.

Sessions and Attendance

Full-day bookings run from 7.30am to 6pm. Half-day attendance has two alternatives: 7.30am to 12.30pm or 1pm to 6pm. Both full-time and part-time enrolment are offered, allowing families to choose between a shorter attendance pattern and a full day.

The current opening window is 7.30am to 6pm, with closure on bank holidays. In January 2024, the nursery operated throughout the year on weekdays. Those opening arrangements and the individual session choices are separate considerations when fitting childcare around work.

Getting There

The address is 273-277 Manchester Road East, Little Hulton, Manchester, M38 9AW. General enquiries can be made through the contact form, by telephone on 07541 458845 or by email at enquiries@nurturinghandschildcare.co.uk.

Funding and Paid Extras

Funded childcare is offered for eligible children, including the 30-hour entitlement for working families with children from nine months to four years, alongside 15-hour provision for qualifying two-year-olds and three- and four-year-olds. Funding is described in term-week hours. Eligibility remains conditional, and families using the working-parent entitlement must reconfirm it every three months.

Funded hours and paid extras need separate attention. Lunch, snacks and drinks carry an additional charge on funded attendance, as do activities such as Multi -sports; parents provide sunscreen. These costs sit alongside the funded childcare rather than becoming part of the entitlement itself.

Private full-day and half-day childcare is also offered. Current prices come in the nursery's written quotation, and siblings attending the nursery qualify for a fee reduction. Payment can be made using cash, a bank transfer or a Tax-Free Childcare account.

• Language teaching across the day. The January 2024 improvement priorities concerned uneven vocabulary support and missed teaching opportunities during routines. At a visit, ask how staff now use conversations and everyday tasks to extend children's learning.
• Funded attendance and extras. Food, drinks and additional activities are separately charged on funded attendance. Compare the written quotation for the attendance pattern you need, including those additions.
• Your child's support arrangements. The SENCO works with families and external professionals, while each child has a key person. Use a show-round to discuss how these roles would work together for your child's needs.

Nurturing Hands Childcare suits families seeking either full-day attendance or morning and afternoon half-days, with individual relationships and physical activity featuring in its approach. The key-person journal, SENCO role and sports sessions provide concrete reasons to consider it. Balance those features against the January 2024 priorities for more consistent language teaching and better use of everyday learning opportunities, and account for the separate charges attached to funded attendance.