Heirs and Graces Day Nursery

An Old School House, separate stages from Babies to Pre-School, and a practical emphasis on doing things for oneself give Heirs and Graces Day Nursery its character. Based in Denton Green, St. Helens, it accepts children from three months to five years and has capacity for 146 children. That is whole-nursery capacity, rather than the size of an individual room or play group.

At its February 2024 inspection, Ofsted rated the nursery Good overall and found safeguarding effective. The strengths and reservations beneath that judgement matter more than the label: communication, independence and relationships featured strongly, while outdoor learning and the organisation of some group activities needed sharper attention.

Care is organised through age-related rooms, with individual baby routines, play-based learning and preparation for school as children grow. Full days and half days are offered, with half days restricted to children over two; term-time-only attendance is another option.

Rooms and Ages

The rooms have approximate age bands, with a changing emphasis as children grow.

Babies, approximately birth to 16 months, emphasises sensory exploration and close personal care in a calm room, with feeding, sleep and play organised around each child's routine. That matters for families whose baby's day still follows a personal rhythm rather than a shared timetable.

Tots, approximately 16 to 27 months, develops movement, early interaction and communication through music, messy play and physical activity. Toddlers, approximately two to three years, puts greater emphasis on independence, sharing and language through construction, stories and creative play.

Early Learners, for children approaching three, introduces more structure through playful work with numbers, early literacy and problem-solving. Pre-School, approximately three to four years, combines child-led play with guided group activity to develop communication, confidence and practical independence for starting school.

Learning and Activities

The Early Years Foundation Stage (EYFS) shapes the curriculum: children learn through play, conversation and practical experiences, developing language and the skills they need to manage everyday life. This is the common early-years framework. Here, making choices, solving problems and expressing ideas are explicit parts of the approach, alongside learning plans shaped around individual interests and development.

In February 2024, songs, rhymes and stories formed a substantial part of communication activities. Adults extended vocabulary and used questions to encourage children to think. Book-sharing included turning pages and identifying pictures, while drawing and painting gave older children opportunities to practise movements associated with later writing. The connection is useful: language and early literacy were woven into activity rather than confined to a formal lesson.

French classes, sign language classes and sports sessions are additional activities covered by the optional consumables payment on funded bookings. They carry a cost decision alongside childcare.

Outdoor and Community Life

Animal experiences added another dimension in February 2024: children learned about ponies and helped care for the nursery rabbit. These were concrete opportunities to encounter living things and take responsibility, rather than simply discuss the wider world.

Outdoor learning needed improvement at that date: activities did not consistently address children's next learning steps, and some children lost interest. This mattered especially for children who preferred learning outside.

Relationships and Communication

Short settling sessions help children become familiar with nursery life before usual attendance begins. Babies then follow individual routines for naps, feeds and play, keeping their daily care personal.

The Family App brings parents photographs and activity updates, information about sleep, eating and nappy changes, and messages from staff. Parents can send questions and their own notes back through it. This gives communication a two-way route and keeps everyday care details visible alongside learning.

In February 2024, parents also met staff to contribute to developmental assessments and discuss what their children would work on next. Home activity suggestions linked those conversations with family life. Current home-learning advice includes shared reading, everyday household tasks and giving children small choices, with the key person available for ideas suited to a child's stage.

Inclusion and Wellbeing

At the February 2024 inspection, Ofsted found that children with SEND received effective targeted help and made good progress through coordination between the SENCO, families, staff and other professionals. A SEND coordinator works with families and external professionals to arrange early interventions.

In February 2024, staff helped children recognise feelings and explain whether they were happy or sad. Practical independence was visible too: children handled their drinking water, used cutlery, served food and put on coats. These small tasks give children opportunities to take part in their own care.

Routines were less consistent at some mealtimes and during larger-group play in February 2024, when children sometimes disengaged and noise increased. That sits alongside the positive examples of independence and is a useful point to explore when considering how a child's day will be organised.

Heirs & Graces Grub Hub provides freshly prepared meals and snacks, with seasonal menus including dishes such as salmon pasta and Lancashire hotpot. The nursery's dietary policy is to work with families on individual requirements.

Sessions and Attendance

The address is The Old School House, Greenfield Road, Denton Green, St. Helens, WA10 6SG. Opening hours are 7.30am to 6pm, Monday to Friday, across 51 weeks of the year, with bank holidays closed.

Flexible booking includes full days and half days, with half days restricted to children older than two. Term-time-only places are also offered.

For year-round attendance, billing is annualised so the regular monthly payment stays consistent. Bank holidays and nursery closures remain chargeable under those terms, as does non-attendance for family holidays or birthdays. A reduced-fee holiday allowance is incorporated into annualised billing, so the written quotation should be read as a complete attendance agreement rather than simply a price for days used.

Funding and Paid Extras

Funded childcare includes working-parent funding of up to 30 hours per week for eligible children from nine months, universal funding for three- and four-year-olds, and benefits-related funding for eligible two-year-olds. Funding can be used during term time or spread across the year. Eligibility conditions still apply to the relevant entitlement.

For year-round delivery, the working-parent entitlement is stretched to 22 hours per week and universal funding to 11 hours per week. Children starting during the summer term may receive fewer hours because fewer funded sessions remain. Extra childcare hours above the entitlement are paid privately and annualised.

Meals and non-food consumables are charged separately on the funded portions of a booking. The consumables charge covers items including nappies and wipes, together with enrichment activities; both this payment and the meals payment are optional, with alternative arrangements offered for families who opt out. Funded hours with no additional charges can also be accommodated. These terms make the distinction between funded childcare, paid extra hours and additional payments essential when comparing quotations.

Current prices come in the nursery's written quotation. The school-readiness work includes cooperation with local schools to support transition, alongside practical independence, communication and early literacy and maths through play.

• Outdoor learning. February 2024 brought a specific recommendation to connect outdoor activities more closely with children's next steps. On a visit, ask how the outdoor day now supports a child who prefers learning outside.
• Group routines. Some mealtimes and larger-group activities lost children's attention in February 2024. Ask how these parts of the day are organised now and how staff keep children involved.
• Attendance choices. Half days are restricted to children over two, while term-time-only and year-round arrangements have different funding and billing implications. Consider the pattern your family needs alongside the chargeable closures in year-round terms.
• Dietary requirements and extras. The nursery works with families on dietary needs, and funded-booking meals and consumables payments are optional. Confirm current dietary arrangements and the alternatives to those payments before agreeing a booking.

Heirs and Graces suits families seeking age-related rooms, individual baby routines and a play-based route towards communication and independence. Its attendance offer serves both families needing full days and those seeking half days for children over two, with term-time-only attendance providing another practical choice.

The February 2024 Good judgement gives the review a clear inspection anchor, but the recommendations about outdoor learning and group routines deserve equal weight. The strongest decision points are how those routines work for your child, which attendance pattern fits family life, and how funded hours and optional extras combine in the quotation.