Home From Home Day Nursery

Stories about helping others and practical steps towards pouring a drink give Home From Home Day Nursery its character in the November 2023 account. Based in Waterloo, Liverpool, it accepts children from birth to five years old.

At its 21 November 2023 inspection, Ofsted judged the nursery Good, with a carefully sequenced curriculum that prepared children for their next stage of education. The improvement priorities were specific: explaining vocabulary more effectively, allowing children more time to tackle difficult tasks, and giving practitioners clearer guidance on improving their work.

In November 2023, learning followed the early years foundation stage, the framework for children's learning, development and care. Here, that meant connecting stories, conversation and practical play with skills children could use during the day.

The Helpful Hedgehog supported learning about helping others, as did The Little Red Hen. Children remembered plots and story details, giving staff something concrete to build conversations around. Back-and-forth talk was common, although unfamiliar words sometimes needed better explanation: during action songs, children did not always connect a movement with its meaning.

Physical learning had a practical sequence. Children practised scooping with tools in sand before applying that movement to pouring drinks. Independence was less consistent when getting ready for outdoor play. Adults sometimes stepped in too quickly with wellington boots and puddle suits, reducing opportunities for children to keep trying.

At the November 2023 inspection, Ofsted found safeguarding effective, with staff trained to recognise concerns, report them and supervise children appropriately. Safety also had an everyday application: children learnt to use the staircase banister to steady themselves.

In November 2023, practitioners talked with children about feelings and helped them make friends. Adults demonstrated considerate behaviour rather than relying only on instructions. Parents' accounts of learning and experiences at home informed staff's work, making communication a two-way exchange.

Food also formed part of daily care at that time. Home-made cottage pie and soup featured on the menu, alongside an emphasis on avoiding unnecessary sugar.

The address is 18 Alexandra Road, Waterloo, Liverpool, L22 1RJ. Opening hours are 8am to 6pm, Monday to Friday, across the year, with closures for bank holidays and one week at Christmas.

In November 2023, the nursery provided funded early education for two-, three- and four-year-olds. That is a dated participation fact, rather than a promise of a funded place for an individual family.

• Language and independence. The November 2023 priorities concerned explaining unfamiliar words and letting children persevere with tasks such as dressing for outdoor play. These are useful points to explore through examples of present-day practice.
• Support for practitioners. In November 2023, leaders needed to give staff more precise guidance on refining their work. How that guidance now shapes everyday interactions deserves attention alongside the overall Good judgement.
• Attendance and funding. For a child attending within the weekday opening window, what booking patterns and funded-hours arrangements would apply, including the treatment of meals and consumables?

Home From Home suits families looking for weekday childcare in Waterloo who value story-based learning and practical steps towards independence. Its November 2023 assessment gives a positive foundation, with clear reservations about vocabulary teaching, overhelping and staff guidance. Those concrete priorities make the judgement more useful than the grade alone.