All Saints Nursery

Children’s rights, science experiments and woodland exploration gave All Saints Nursery a recognisable character in March 2022. Based in Bowyer Hall at All Saints Church in Marple, it has capacity for 40 children aged 30 to 60 months.

At its 21 March 2022 inspection, Ofsted rated the nursery Good and found that teaching helped children progress well. The strongest examples combined conversation with practical activity: a volcano experiment introduced new vocabulary, while outdoor exploration gave children opportunities to test themselves.

In March 2022, the curriculum used the United Nations convention on children’s rights to connect rights with everyday responsibilities. Children helped wipe tables after eating, linking their entitlement to a clean environment with looking after shared surroundings. An abstract idea became something they could do.

The early years foundation stage sets requirements for children’s learning, development and care. Here, the March 2022 activities translated learning into play and conversation: staff used sparkling number resources to engage children’s interests and extended chalk drawing into comparisons of foot sizes. Planning reflected what individual children needed to learn next.

Outside, that month’s provision included tyres for climbing and bushes for hiding. Children explored nearby woodland weekly and practised letter sounds during regular mile walks. A walking bus supported by additional funding helped more children join outdoor exploration. These experiences took learning beyond indoor resources.

At the March 2022 inspection, Ofsted found safeguarding effective and described early identification of SEND through language screening, with support drawing on speech and language therapists and local authority advice. That provided concrete ways to identify needs and adapt support.

During March 2022, animated characters helped children put feelings into words, including explaining disappointment about a cup’s colour. Snack time brought younger and older children together; peeling bananas and pouring drinks gave children manageable opportunities to practise independence.

Privacy also received practical attention that month: nappy changes took place away from other children in a quieter space. Six childcare staff worked at the nursery at the time. Staff supervision created opportunities to discuss training, with meetings used to share learning relevant to their key children.

The address is Bowyer Hall, All Saints Church, 155 Church Lane, Marple, SK6 7LD. The nursery operates during term time and closes for school holidays, an important distinction for families arranging care across the year.

In March 2022, the nursery ran Monday to Friday, with session times of 9.15am to 3.15pm. It also provided funded early education for children aged two, three and four at that time. Those hours describe a daytime routine rather than care extending into the evening.

• Outdoor transitions. In March 2022, some children were unclear about getting ready for outdoor play, wandered away and left others waiting. Improving that routine was the required next step; a visit is an opportunity to see how children are guided between activities now.
• School holidays. Term-time operation means this nursery’s calendar needs to fit the family’s holiday-care arrangements.
• Funding and daily extras. How would funded hours, meals and consumables be handled for your child’s proposed attendance?

All Saints Nursery suits families seeking term-time childcare for children aged 30 to 60 months. Its March 2022 strengths lay in purposeful play, outdoor exploration and a practical treatment of children’s rights. The Good judgement supports that account, while the outdoor-transition improvement gives parents a specific routine to look at. The clearest appeal is learning connected to everyday action, from discussing an experiment to taking responsibility for shared spaces.