Fernbees Day Nursery

Shared stories with care-home residents and regular trips into Torkington Park give Fernbees Day Nursery a character that extends well beyond its play spaces. On the grounds of Fernlea Care Home in Hazel Grove, Stockport, children meet older neighbours as part of nursery life. The connection is practical: residents share stories, and children also use facilities within the care home.

Ofsted rated Fernbees Good at its 24 June 2024 inspection and found safeguarding effective. It has 30 places in total, with care starting from six months and continuing through the preschool stage. Baby Bees have a separate area, while Honey Bees and Bumble Bees share an open-plan setting that allows interaction between the older age groups.

The strongest reasons to consider it are the relationships across generations, direct park access and a physical layout that connects indoor play with the outdoors. Full-day, morning and afternoon sessions serve different family routines. The main educational caution is specific: communication and language teaching needed greater consistency in June 2024, including how staff managed babies' use of dummies.

Rooms and Ages

Baby Bees, for children from six months to two years, have a naturally lit area apart from the older children, with space to rest and explore and flexible activities that follow babies' curiosity. Honey Bees, for ages two to three, have their own play space within the open-plan arrangement, emphasising imaginative exploration and children choosing how to play. Bumble Bees, the preschool group, combine quiet reading and messy play with OMi interactive projection, using projected scenes and activities to explore language, early literacy and numeracy.

The layout allows interaction across age groups, with babies able to watch and join older children when appropriate while retaining their separate area.

Learning and Activities

The Early Years Foundation Stage (EYFS) provides the framework for children's learning, development and care: here, play and adult interaction support skills such as communication, movement and understanding the world. Fernbees builds its approach around children's interests, with practitioners observing what draws their attention and extending it through purposeful teaching. Intergenerational Interaction adds something concrete alongside that framework: regular contact with Fernlea Care Home residents, including shared storytelling.

OMi interactive projection adds projected ocean and outer-space scenes, letters and numbers to the books and messy activities children can explore.

In June 2024, younger children investigated textures in an underwater sensory tray, while older children encountered unfamiliar vocabulary through a bee-themed story. Staff also used British Sign Language to help children communicate. These examples show how sensory exploration, stories and gestures contributed to learning at that time; the language consistency concern remains relevant alongside them.

Outdoor and Community Life

Sliding doors across the nursery open onto a soft-surfaced outdoor play area designed for use in different weather conditions. Direct access to Torkington Park supports regular outings, where children explore nature and use the park's slides, swings and climbing frames. Outdoor experience therefore includes both the nursery's own space and a public setting where children can meet others from the community.

The care-home connection extends beyond an occasional visit. Residents share their experiences through stories, and Fernlea's cinema offers opportunities for the generations to watch films together. These are tangible shared spaces, giving children contact with older people through activities they can join in with.

In June 2024, children sang with residents during regular visits and also made outings to the local library and parks. These outings and visits broadened children's knowledge of people who help others and of celebrations and festivals. The day reached beyond the immediate play area, giving children real encounters to connect with their stories and conversations.

Relationships and Communication

In June 2024, staff modelled considerate behaviour, and children shared resources and treated one another respectfully. Babies received responses to their babbling, with adults making eye contact at their level. Preschool children were confident enough to question visitors about why they were there. The examples span early communication and more assured social interaction.

In June 2024, parents received regular feedback about their children's day and progress, alongside information accessible throughout the day through an online parent app. Staff also had supervision meetings to identify further training, including work on communication and language. For parents, that connects the nursery's day with both home learning and the team's professional development at that time.

Inclusion and Wellbeing

At the June 2024 inspection, Ofsted found very good SEND support and good progress, with a proactive special educational needs coordinator identifying emerging learning gaps, seeking parents' consent for specialist help and working with local authority and health services. This is a specific account of support in practice, rather than a general promise of inclusion.

Current first-aid arrangements include training for all nursery staff and an on-site Automated External Defibrillator with paediatric pads. The baby area provides room for resting as well as play. Elsewhere, a toilet block separate from the main activity spaces has toilets designed for young children, supporting the practical task of learning to use them.

A kitchen team prepares meals and snacks in a commercial kitchen; menus are reviewed using feedback from children, parents and staff. Children also regularly eat in Fernlea's restaurant, giving them experience of sharing a dining space with other people.

Sessions and Attendance

Fernbees operates at Fernlea Care Home, 20 Torkington Road, Hazel Grove, Stockport, SK7 4RQ. Opening hours are 7am to 6pm, Monday to Friday, across 51 weeks, with one week closed at Christmas. School holidays and bank holidays are included apart from the Christmas period, which is useful for families whose work continues during those breaks.

There are two full-day choices: Full Day Session 1 runs from 7am to 5pm, and Full Day Session 2 from 8am to 6pm. The morning session runs from 7am to noon; the afternoon session is 1pm to 6pm. A morning booking therefore covers an early start, while the afternoon pattern begins after lunchtime. The two full-day options let families choose between an earlier start and a later finish.

Enquiries can be made through the contact form, by email at fernbees@oleacare.uk or by telephone on 0161 456 8322.

Getting There

Parking on the grounds includes a dedicated area for collection and drop-off. Torkington Park also provides direct access and two public overspill car parks, giving families alternatives to parking immediately beside the nursery.

Funding and Paid Extras

Fernbees offers funded places for families entitled to 15 or 30 hours, alongside privately paid childcare. Private fees include food, snacks and drinks; parents supply nappies and baby formula when needed.

Funded invoices carry separate meal and Additional Services charges as standard, but the associated provisions are optional. The distinction matters when comparing a funded arrangement with a private booking: food included in private fees is treated separately during funded hours. Current prices should be obtained in a written quotation, and the fees page explains the charge structure.

Children over two receive a Fernbees T-shirt when joining. Uniform is optional, although children are asked to wear the T-shirt for outings. That is a practical clothing expectation for families planning a nursery wardrobe.

• Language teaching. In June 2024, staff did not consistently help babies remove dummies, reducing opportunities to practise speech. Ask how the nursery now handles dummies and puts its communication approach into practice throughout the day.
• Shared space and generations. Older groups interact in an open-plan setting, while care-home residents take part in nursery life. On a visit, discuss how these shared experiences and the separate baby area would work for your child's temperament and routine.
• Funded extras. Meal and Additional Services charges are applied to funded invoices as standard, although the provisions are optional. Before agreeing a booking, establish what your chosen package includes and how declining optional provisions works.

Fernbees suits families who value contact with older generations, an open-plan social setting and regular park outings. It also serves different attendance needs: parents can choose morning or afternoon sessions as well as either full-day pattern. The care-home facilities and direct outdoor access make its offer easy to distinguish.

The June 2024 Good judgement is balanced by the language-teaching improvement point. The shared layout and funded charge structure are the key considerations alongside its intergenerational experiences.