The Stables Day Nursery Monton

In May 2023, ramps for crawling babies, tunnels for toddlers and large building blocks for preschool children gave Monton’s nursery day a practical, physical character. In May 2023, these resources helped children explore movement at different stages: pulling up to stand, judging spaces and balancing materials. The detail matters. Learning involved children’s bodies as well as their conversation.

At its 4 May 2023 inspection, Ofsted rated The Stables Day Nursery Monton Good and found safeguarding effective, with children, including those with special educational needs and/or disabilities (SEND), making good progress. That is a dated assessment, rather than a description of today’s staffing or routines.

The nursery accepts children aged 3 to 60 months and has 74 places in total. Its address is 18 Half Edge Lane, Eccles, Manchester, M30 9GJ.

The early years foundation stage is the framework for children’s learning, development and care. Here, the May 2023 examples show what learning through everyday activity can look like: movement, conversation, stories and practical tasks shared with other children.

For babies, furniture offered something to hold while learning to stand, followed by ramps to crawl across. Toddlers explored tunnels and bridges, practising how to move through and beneath obstacles. Preschool children lifted and balanced substantial blocks, bringing coordination into their construction play. These were different challenges for different developmental stages, rather than one activity repeated across the nursery.

Books and spoken language were another part of the day in May 2023. Stories and rhymes supported children’s interest in reading, while staff talked with them and demonstrated language. The important qualification was vocabulary: staff did not introduce unfamiliar, descriptive words consistently enough. Enjoying a story and extending a child’s language are related tasks, but both need attention.

Mealtime preparation also became an opportunity to learn. In May 2023, children counted their peers before organising table settings, then adjusted chairs to make room for everyone. Number, space and independence met in a task with an immediate purpose. Children could see why the counting mattered.

The two development priorities were clear: make staff training more effective in everyday practice and broaden the words children encounter. Some staff had access to new resources without sufficient understanding of how to use them for learning. For parents, the useful distinction is between having equipment and knowing what to do with it.

Close relationships featured in the May 2023 nursery day. Babies sought their key person’s lap and physical reassurance, while staff helped children manage feelings through conversation and their own example. Children practised sharing resources and playing alongside friends. This gives a concrete picture of the support behind the daily activities.

Sleep had its own preparation. In May 2023, staff lowered lighting and played gentle music for younger babies; older children helped arrange their bedding. Staff monitored children while they slept. Involving older children in getting ready also gave them a manageable part in a familiar routine.

At the May 2023 inspection, Ofsted found that staff recognised learning gaps promptly and managers pursued appropriate help, working effectively with families and other professionals. This is the strongest evidence here about support for SEND: it concerns identifying a need and obtaining help, rather than a general promise that every child’s needs will be met in the same way.

Health and independence appeared together in May 2023. Children discussed the food they ate, including its role in providing energy, and increasingly managed personal-care tasks themselves. Staff followed established hygiene routines. These small responsibilities connected care with learning, giving children opportunities to take part rather than having every task done for them.

Sessions and Attendance

Monton opens from 7.30am to 6pm, Monday to Friday, and from 8am to 4pm on Saturdays. Saturday opening is a useful practical distinction for families whose working week extends beyond Friday. These are opening hours, rather than a promise about the hours of an individual booking.

The enquiry route includes a contact form, the Monton telephone number, 0161 787 9393, and monton@thestablesdaynursery.co.uk. A visit request form also allows families to select Monton.

Getting There

The setting is at 18 Half Edge Lane, Eccles, Manchester, M30 9GJ. Use the Monton contact details when arranging a visit, since The Stables also has a separate Swinton setting.

• Language development. In May 2023, children heard stories and rhymes, but opportunities to introduce more descriptive vocabulary were inconsistent. During a visit, ask how staff now extend children’s words during play and conversation.
• Training in practice. The May 2023 improvement priority concerned translating staff learning into children’s experiences. Ask for a concrete example of how recent training has changed an activity or the use of a resource.
• Saturday care and booking. Monton’s opening week includes Saturday. Discuss the attendance pattern you need and how it fits the nursery’s bookings before making a commitment.

Monton suits families seeking care across a weekday opening window, with Saturday opening also relevant to those working weekends. Its May 2023 assessment gives a positive foundation, and the account of ramps, construction play and purposeful mealtime tasks makes the nursery day tangible. The balance is clear: relationships and everyday learning sat alongside specific work needed on vocabulary and the practical impact of training. Those two priorities deserve attention when choosing the setting.