Sylvan House Day Nursery

Dinosaur searches made counting purposeful, while an octopus introduced new vocabulary: Sylvan House Day Nursery's learning experiences during the 2022 inspection put children's curiosity to work. At its August to September 2022 inspection, Ofsted rated the nursery Good overall.

The nursery cares for children aged 3 to 60 months in Worsley. Its inspection-era strengths centred on learning that connected across rooms, close relationships with key people and growing independence. Those strengths sit alongside a significant leadership concern about notification and information sharing.

The early years foundation stage sets the requirements for children's learning, development and care, bringing learning and everyday wellbeing into the same framework. During the 2022 inspection, activities built on children's interests: searching for dinosaurs involved numbers, while exploring an octopus extended their vocabulary. Staff encouraged children to try again when an answer proved difficult.

Books reached beyond English. During the 2022 inspection, babies shared stories with adults, older children visited the library, and staff and parents read in children's home languages. Singing included Hungarian songs and action songs, giving children further opportunities to listen and join in.

Environmental responsibility also had practical expression during the 2022 inspection. Children picked up litter on walks, and a nursery committee proposed changes that children and staff could make to help the environment. Learning about feelings continued between rooms, connecting new experiences with earlier learning rather than treating each stage separately.

At the August to September 2022 inspection, Ofsted found safeguarding effective and exceptional progress for children, including those with special educational needs and/or disabilities, but identified a failure to notify it promptly about a significant staff-related event; children's welfare had not been compromised because of the induction safeguards.

During the 2022 inspection, children developed close attachments to their key person. New staff had to demonstrate competence before caring for children alone, while coaching and training supported the staff team. These arrangements gave relationships and staff preparation a practical structure.

Independence was equally concrete during the 2022 inspection: children served their own lunch and used eco wipes and a mirror to clean their faces. Staff also worked with local primary schools on curriculum planning, helping prepare children for the move to school. This was preparation through skills and communication.

The address is 9 Farm Lane, Worsley, Manchester, M28 2PU. Opening hours are 7.30am to 6pm, Monday to Friday, across the year except bank holidays. That weekday opening window is a useful starting point for matching childcare with working hours.

During the 2022 inspection, the nursery provided funded early education for children aged two, three and four. This describes its funding provision at that time.

• Leadership and information sharing. The August to September 2022 findings identified delayed notification of a significant staff-related event and a slow response to emerging recruitment issues. The improvement action called for faster, more effective information sharing, making leadership communication a material consideration.
• Care across the age range. Children aged 3 to 60 months attend. On a visit, how are settling, sleep and daily routines organised for the youngest children?

Sylvan House suits families seeking weekday childcare across the year who value learning through concrete experiences, books and increasing independence. Its August to September 2022 picture combined strong educational judgements with a consequential leadership weakness. Both belong in the decision: the children's experiences carried real substance, while information sharing required improvement.