footprints, netherton

Rainforest rooms, a mud kitchen and a curriculum built around confidence give footprints, netherton a clear identity: early education with considerable attention to how children communicate, manage feelings and become independent. Based in Magdalen Square, Bootle, the nursery combines toddler play with a more structured preschool stage. The practical differences between those stages are clear, from day beds for younger children to small-group listening activities for older ones.

At its January 2026 inspection, Ofsted judged inclusion and children's welfare and wellbeing to be at a strong standard, with achievement, behaviour and routines, curriculum and teaching, and leadership and governance at the expected standard; safeguarding standards were met. That is a useful distinction for parents: care and inclusion were stronger than the education judgements, rather than every aspect receiving the same assessment.

There are 22 places in total, with a current age range of 24 to 60 months. Attendance is term-time, with morning, afternoon and full-day patterns.

Rooms and Ages

Rainforest 2, the toddler room for ages two to three, combines hands-on play, a home corner and creative spaces with day beds and individual sleep routines, giving children opportunities to practise communication while retaining a place to rest.

Rainforest 1, the preschool room for ages three to four, balances activities chosen by children with adult-led learning, including pencil work, early letters and numbers, sequencing and small-group phonics and listening activities, alongside practice in dressing, handwashing and tidying.

Learning and Activities

The EYFS provides the framework for children's learning and care, with skills developing through play and activities across its areas of learning. Alongside it, the nursery organises its curriculum around five destinations: managing feelings and developing a sense of self, treating others kindly, communicating confidently, becoming independent and enjoying learning. These practical goals complement the EYFS in the nursery's daily activities.

Development Matters 2021 and Birth to 5 Non-Statutory Guidance help practitioners plan activities alongside their assessments of children. The emphasis on independence connects learning with everyday tasks: choosing an activity, putting equipment away and managing clothing all have a place alongside early writing and listening.

In January 2026, adults used repeated stories and modelled vocabulary, while children chose songs and expressed preferences through words or gestures. Conversation was part of snack time too. These examples give parents a more concrete picture than a curriculum label alone: children had opportunities to use language for choices, shared activities and social exchanges.

There were weaknesses to address in January 2026. Mathematical ideas received uneven attention, and some planned activities continued beyond the point at which children stayed interested. The next steps were to make mathematical exploration more consistent through the day and improve activities so that children remained engaged. Families weighing the learning offer should keep both points in view.

Outdoor and Community Life

Bikes, trikes, balance beams and climbing frames provide different ways to move outdoors; the mud kitchen and exploration of plant and animal life cycles add imaginative and investigative play. This gives physical activity and discovery a place alongside the indoor learning.

Children use the outdoors across the year, including light rain, with heavy rain and strong winds excluded. Weather-appropriate clothing and a spare outfit are part of the routine. Messy play is also expected, so clothing that children can manage independently is more useful than an outfit that needs to stay pristine.

Relationships and Communication

A key staff member supports each child and builds a relationship with the family. Settling is adapted to the individual child, and families receive contact if their child finds the early days difficult. The arrangement gives parents a familiar person with whom to share concerns and information, rather than treating settling as a single fixed hurdle.

At its January 2026 inspection, Ofsted found that children had secure connections with their key person and that SEND support combined effective interventions, adaptations to learning and close work with other professionals. These findings help explain the stronger care and inclusion judgements: support involved changes to what adults did, rather than simply a welcoming intention.

Information about the day is shared when children are collected. In January 2026, parents also participated in assessments and were encouraged to continue learning at home. That provides a useful connection between everyday exchanges and discussions about a child's development.

Inclusion and Wellbeing

The nursery manager also holds the SEND coordinator role. Support includes observing development, identifying additional needs, adapting learning and working with external professionals. For a family seeking additional support, these are concrete mechanisms to discuss in relation to their child.

Operation Encompass is a partnership with the Police and Sefton Council that alerts the nursery when a child has experienced domestic abuse, enabling staff to respond sensitively. A setting safeguarding officer provides a first contact for concerns, alongside a company safeguarding officer.

Toilet training is supported through the key person, with a tip sheet and spare clothing forming part of the arrangement. Children who still use nappies need supplies from home. Rest is accounted for in the toddler room through day beds and sleep routines matched to the child.

Sessions and Attendance

The nursery is within Netherton Family Well Being Centre, Magdalen Square, Netherton, Bootle, L30 5QH. It runs Monday to Friday in term time and closes for school holidays, so the attendance calendar matters as much as the session length for working families.

Morning sessions run from 8.30am to 11.30am, afternoons from 12.30pm to 3.30pm, and a full day from 9am to 3pm. The attendance choices are five mornings, five afternoons or two and a half days. The full-day pattern therefore has its own start and finish, rather than simply joining the half-day windows together.

Enquiries can be made by telephone on 07852 647962 or through the nursery contact form. When demand exceeds places, the admission priorities begin with children in local authority care, followed by children with siblings attending the preschool or linked school, children with additional needs and those living closest. These are nursery admission criteria.

Funding and Paid Extras

The nursery offers the 15 hours two-year funding entitlement to eligible children, alongside privately purchased childcare. Funded attendance is term-time. Funding applications go through Sefton Council, followed by contact with the nursery after confirmation; eligibility remains a condition of the funded offer. Current private prices come in the nursery's written quotation.

Full-day children bring a packed lunch from home, while water and milk are provided at snack time. The food policy excludes foods containing peanuts, as well as fizzy and energy drinks.

Parents supply nappies and wipes. Families should also send spare clothes and apply sun cream before nursery in the warmer part of the year; spare sun cream is available. This makes preparation at home part of the daily care arrangement.

• Curriculum follow-through. In January 2026, mathematical learning was inconsistent and some activities lasted too long. On a visit, ask how number ideas now feature throughout the day and how staff adjust an activity when children's attention changes.
• The term-time pattern. Five mornings, five afternoons and two and a half days offer different weekly arrangements, but school holidays are closures. Choose the pattern against your family's whole calendar, including the distinct full-day hours.
• Settling between stages. Rainforest 2 includes rest arrangements, while Rainforest 1 introduces more structured learning. During a visit, discuss how the settling plan and later room transition would work for your child's pace and needs.
• Packed lunches and allergies. Full-day lunches come from home and the nursery excludes foods containing peanuts. Allergy-affected families should confirm current practice and how their child's requirements will be handled.

Footprints, netherton suits families seeking term-time mornings or afternoons, as well as those who prefer the two-and-a-half-day arrangement using full days. Its clearest appeal is the combination of individual settling, practical independence and a defined progression between the Rainforest rooms.

The January 2026 judgements give care and inclusion greater weight than the curriculum. That balance matters. Families prioritising personal support have concrete reasons to consider it, while those comparing the learning offer should give particular attention to the mathematics and activity-engagement next steps.