Little Giggles Private Day Nursery & Preschool, Stockport

A lending library, a sensory room and an astroturf garden give Little Giggles in Edgeley a character beyond its play rooms. Parents can borrow books for weekend reading, while children have different spaces for outdoor play and sensory exploration. The setting occupies more than 10,000 square feet of nursery and preschool accommodation at the Hollywood Hotel on Bloom Street.

At its October 2021 inspection, Ofsted rated the nursery Good and found safeguarding effective, with additional funding and agency work helping children with special educational needs and/or disabilities (SEND). That judgement came with clear teaching priorities: activities needed to match children's development more closely, support for home learning needed strengthening, and staff needed to make better use of children's home languages.

The nursery accepts children aged 3 to 60 months and has 156 places in total. These are whole-setting figures, rather than the size of an individual child's group. Breakfast and after-school care also form part of the offer.

Rooms and Ages

Babies have two play rooms, with further spaces organised for children aged one to two, two to three, and preschool children. Age-grouped accommodation makes the room a child joins an important part of the choice, rather than judging the nursery solely by its overall size.

The sensory room gives children a space to explore sensations and practise skills, alongside the larger outdoor area and astroturf garden. These are different kinds of play space, with practical value for families seeking both outdoor activity and sensory experiences within the nursery day.

Learning and Activities

The early years foundation stage provides the framework for children's learning, development and care: play and everyday experiences support communication, physical skills and growing independence. The important question is how those experiences match the child, rather than whether an activity looks ambitious.

In October 2021, children explored books throughout their sessions, and staff used objects such as grass, mud and sticks to bring stories to life. Babies listened to rhymes with their key person, while two-year-olds practised tooth brushing using a model mouth. Those examples connected language and health learning with things children could handle and try.

There was a weakness alongside that enthusiasm. In October 2021, some themed activities demanded more than children were ready for, and staff sometimes introduced new learning before earlier knowledge or skills were secure. For parents, the useful distinction is between a busy activity programme and teaching that builds carefully from what their child can already do.

Outdoor and Community Life

The library extends beyond the nursery day: parents can take books home to share over the weekend. It creates a concrete connection between nursery resources and family reading, rather than leaving books entirely within the setting.

In October 2021, babies had their own outdoor play space, enjoyed rides in the turtle bus and explored the wider community. Older children participated in a pre-school parliament, contributing to decisions, while picture cards helped children express choices when speech was difficult. These were practical ways of giving children experiences beyond an adult-directed activity.

Relationships and Communication

In October 2021, staff supported babies and parents through the move into nursery and gave emotional wellbeing priority in their planning. Babies shared quiet rhymes with their key person, providing a familiar adult connection within the day.

Online communication was in use in October 2021, but some parents were unclear about how to continue children's learning at home. Communication therefore needed to do more than report what had happened: families also needed understandable ways to contribute. The lending library provides a tangible opportunity for shared reading.

Inclusion and Wellbeing

In October 2021, individual support and staff training were funded for children with SEND, with outside agencies involved. Picture cards supported choices, and spoken warnings helped children anticipate changes in routine. These mechanisms matter because participation can depend on how instructions and choices are presented.

Fresh food is cooked on site. The nursery also operates a buzz-in collection policy and uses CCTV throughout the premises; these describe its security arrangements rather than replacing the dated safeguarding judgement.

In the outcome dated 25 March 2024, Ofsted recorded that a significant event had not been notified, acknowledged that managers had interpreted it as not requiring notification, and stated there was no impact on children. The document also stated that the provider remained registered; it did not record a subsequent completion outcome for the notification issue.

Sessions and Attendance

Opening hours are 7.30am to 6pm, Monday to Friday. The nursery operates across the year, with closures for bank holidays and Christmas. For working families, the distinction matters: a weekday opening window and annual closures both affect how childcare fits around employment.

Breakfast Club and After-school Club provide care around the school day, and School Holiday Club is also offered. Free school collections and drop-offs cover St Matthew’s Church of England Primary School, Alexandra Park Primary School and Larkhill Primary School. These are transport arrangements, with no school admissions advantage implied.

Enquiries can be made by telephone on 0161 429 8060 or through the contact form. A nursery tour can be booked using the form's Edgeley, Stockport option.

Getting There

The address is 12 Bloom Street, Edgeley, Stockport, SK3 9LA, at the junction with Grenville Street. The 309 bus serves the location, and parking is provided for families travelling by car.

Funding and Paid Extras

Funded childcare of up to 30 hours per week is offered, subject to eligibility. Families should obtain current prices in the nursery's written quotation, with the attendance agreement distinguishing funded childcare from any privately paid provision.

• Teaching matched to the child. The October 2021 priorities covered appropriately pitched activities, support for learning at home and the use of children's home languages. On a visit, ask how staff choose a child's next steps and share practical ideas with parents.
• Notification practice. The outcome dated 25 March 2024 identified a significant event that had not been notified, while acknowledging managers' interpretation and stating there was no impact on children. Ask how notification decisions are handled now.
• Your child's room. With 156 places overall and age-grouped play rooms, the relevant experience is the individual room. Use a tour to discuss its usual group size, settling arrangements and movement between rooms.
• Funded attendance and extras. The offer includes up to 30 funded hours, subject to eligibility. Before agreeing attendance, ask how those hours would fit your weekly schedule.

Little Giggles suits families seeking nursery care with outdoor and sensory spaces, alongside Breakfast Club or After-school Club arrangements for school-age children. The lending library adds an accessible way to continue reading at home, and school transport may help families using the named collection routes.

The October 2021 Good judgement provides a positive starting point, but the teaching priorities deserve specific attention. The strongest decision will weigh the room a child would join, how staff adapt learning to that child, and the nursery's response to the March 2024 notification finding.