Portico Poppets

Six babies is the maximum in the Baby Room at Portico Poppets, where a low partition separates the youngest children from the toddlers and shared mealtimes bring them together. That combination gives parents a useful starting point: a small baby-room cap, within a setting where neighbouring age groups also socialise.

At its July 2022 inspection, Ofsted rated Portico Poppets Outstanding, with language development, relationships with families and purposeful play prominent in its findings. The nursery occupies a single-storey building in Thatto Heath, St Helens, and accepts children from 3 to 60 months. Its three rooms organise care around babies, toddlers and preschool children.

Outdoor space includes grass, tarmac and soft play, giving physical activity several different settings. Weekday opening extends from 7.30am to 6pm, including an early bird arrangement before the main opening time.

Rooms and Ages

The Baby Room 0- 2's has a maximum of six babies and a half-height partition between it and the toddler space, allowing the two groups to share snacks and meals while retaining separate areas. For parents choosing baby care, the room cap is more informative than a whole-nursery place count: it describes the youngest children's own space.

Toddler Room 2-3's arranges resources so children can choose and reach them independently, making access to play materials part of practising everyday independence. In the 3 - 5's Room, activity areas support children's own choices alongside preschool activities shaped around their interests, with outdoor access and child-sized bathroom facilities.

Learning and Activities

The early years foundation stage sets the requirements for children's learning, development and care; in everyday terms, play, communication and physical exploration form part of their education. The clearest examples of how that worked here come from July 2022. Staff prepared words to introduce during planned activities, and younger children were beginning to use that vocabulary themselves. Language was threaded through play rather than confined to a separate task.

In July 2022, children also connected earlier experiences with new ideas. Memories of Buckingham Palace from activities marking the Queen's Platinum Jubilee prompted them to suggest building a cardboard-box castle. The value of that example lies in the connection: children were using something remembered to shape something they wanted to build.

Outdoor and Community Life

PE, physical exercise sessions, and music and movement, combining movement with music, sit alongside obstacle courses in the nursery's activities. The garden's different surfaces give these experiences a practical setting, while sensory exploration areas add another way to investigate outdoors. Movement is part of the nursery day.

In July 2022, outdoor construction brought several skills together. Children moved crates using tricycles, built a bridge and introduced traffic instructions into their game with adult encouragement. Younger children received help to cross it. This was a concrete example of physical challenge, cooperative play and language sharing the same activity, rather than separate learning tasks.

Relationships and Communication

In July 2022, information from home shaped what happened at nursery. When parents shared that a baby had started walking, staff adjusted activities to support those emerging movements. For families, the useful principle is that a milestone shared with practitioners can affect the child's next experiences, rather than simply becoming an update filed away.

Relationships also gave parents room to discuss worries. In July 2022, staff built close connections with families from the outset, and parents used those connections to share concerns. That matters beyond routine feedback about the day: a child's needs can be better understood when home circumstances are part of the conversation.

Inclusion and Wellbeing

At the July 2022 inspection, Ofsted found that children with special educational needs and/or disabilities received highly effective support through early identification, discussions with parents and work with other professionals, and judged safeguarding effective. Additional funding bought resources matched to individual needs, including sensory balls, at that time.

In July 2022, emotional support included a calm area children could choose when overwhelmed, with adults demonstrating slower breathing. Staff also helped children practise sharing and recognise when they needed a pause. These were practical responses to feelings, giving children something to do when an activity or interaction became difficult.

Snack conversations in July 2022 explored food colours and nutrients, connecting everyday eating with new language about health. Children discussed their preferences and learned words linked to nutrition; food became a subject for conversation as well as a routine.

Sessions and Attendance

Portico Poppets is at 1 Leicester Street, Thatto Heath, St Helens, WA9 5QH. It opens on weekdays from 7.30am to 6pm: the main opening begins at 8am, with an early bird session starting at 7.30am. The earlier start matters for families whose working day begins before the main nursery opening.

The nursery operates for 51 weeks annually, closing on bank holidays and for a week at Christmas. Those closures belong in a family's childcare calendar, especially where work continues over holiday periods. Place enquiries can be made through the branch's contact form or by telephone on 01744 811112.

Getting There

Parent parking is provided, and the single-storey building is accessible to all. Rail and bus routes connect the area with St Helens and Liverpool, giving families alternatives to driving.

Funding and Paid Extras

In July 2022, the nursery provided funded early education for children aged two, three and four. The childcare offer and charges information includes a Poppets funding-options pack and fixed-contract pack for 2026; current prices come in the nursery's written quotation.

• Baby and toddler contact. A half-height partition separates the youngest rooms, and children come together for snacks and meals. During a visit, discuss how this arrangement works around your baby's rest and feeding routine.
• Early starts and holiday cover. The early bird session begins at 7.30am, while bank holidays and a Christmas closure interrupt the annual schedule. These are practical details to weigh against your working hours.
• Funding and the total bill. Poppets has separate funding-options and fixed-contract packs for 2026. When discussing your booking, ask how funded hours are delivered and how meals and non-food consumables are treated in your quotation.

Portico Poppets deserves consideration from families who value a small baby-room cap, accessible play resources and outdoor physical activity. Its July 2022 Outstanding judgement gives that choice substantial inspection backing, though the day-to-day examples above belong to that date.

It suits families planning attendance within the main daytime opening and those needing the earlier bird session. The most useful feature for parents of babies is the clear room maximum; for older children, resource choice, outdoor access and physical activities give the nursery day its shape.