Little Green Day Nursery

A natural garden for digging and den building, an all-weather space for bikes and scooters, and preschool children who prepare snacks and help with washing up: Little Green Day Nursery gives practical independence a clear place in the day. Its purpose-built rooms sit at Oadby Place in North Reddish, Stockport. The nursery accepts children from 3 months to 5 years and has capacity for 44 children in total.

At its 28 October 2022 inspection, Ofsted rated the nursery Good and found safeguarding arrangements effective. That is a dated judgement. The current offer combines child-led play, activities planned around individual interests and opportunities to practise everyday tasks, rather than leaving self-care until children are about to start school.

Full-day, morning and afternoon bookings give families different ways to use the nursery. The covered outdoor classroom, parent zone app and Gold Tooth Safe Award, linked to its toothbrushing work, add useful substance to the picture.

Rooms and Ages

Three bright, purpose-built rooms provide the indoor accommodation. Children can choose activities for themselves as well as join experiences led by adults, so their day includes both independent exploration and more directed learning.

The youngest children use the caterpillar room, while the Ladybird Room is the preschool space, where children combine individual and group learning with practical responsibilities and can move between indoors and the covered outdoor classroom. Paint mixing, snack preparation, washing up and mealtime helper duties turn ordinary routines into opportunities to make decisions and finish a task.

Learning and Activities

The Early Years Foundation Stage (EYFS) provides the framework for learning and care: children develop skills through play, with adults planning activities around their interests and observing what they can do next. It is the foundation here. Each child's key person uses their interests to shape activities, while the preschool programme also develops listening, communication and the physical skills needed for reading and writing.

Independence has concrete tools behind it. Low-level bathroom facilities make handwashing and self-care easier to practise, while paint mixing stations let children make choices about their creative work. Preschool children also take part in safety checks. These are small responsibilities with a clear purpose: doing something for themselves becomes part of the nursery day.

Home learning extends that work. Preschool families receive monthly challenges through parent zone, can borrow learning bags, and children may choose a library book to take home and exchange each week. Parents are encouraged to send back comments, photographs or videos, giving the key person material to connect nursery activities with a child's interests at home.

The surprise reader session brings a family member into preschool to share a familiar story. An annual EYFS evening lets parents explore the activities children do and why they are used. Both give families a more concrete understanding of learning through play than a progress update alone.

In October 2022, daily songs, rhymes and stories supported language learning, and children explored leaf printing and puppet play. The improvement actions required adults to model language accurately and consistently, give children time to formulate answers and absorb unfamiliar words, and provide more authentic experiences through play. Some interactive equipment lacked batteries, for example, and a plastic pumpkin stood in for the real ingredient during pretend soup-making.

Outdoor and Community Life

Two outdoor environments serve different kinds of play. The all-weather area includes a builders yard alongside wheeled toys and ball games; the natural garden provides trees, digging, den building and a mud kitchen. Crates, wood and tyres can be used creatively, while the explorer's box contains magnifying glasses, trowels, tweezers and bug containers. Children have equipment for looking closely as well as space for moving about.

In October 2022, children also visited a local park and library, and preschool children grew produce in an allotment before picking and eating it. Those experiences connected outdoor exploration with food and the wider community.

Relationships and Communication

Every child has a key person, with care routines discussed with parents and adapted to the child's age and individual needs. Parent zone allows families to see activities and progress, contribute their own updates and share photographs or videos. For the youngest children, daily diary entries include bottles, meals, sleep and nappy changes. That detail is useful when home routines need to fit around the nursery day.

Progress is tracked each term, and key-person meetings take place twice a year. Preschool room changes also include a handover between key people, so information about development and settling travels with the child. Parents can contribute what they see at home rather than receiving a one-way account of progress.

In October 2022, settling arrangements could be extended and room transitions staggered for children needing more time. Babies sought their key person when tired and received comfort before sleep. The important detail is the individual response: the transition process accommodated children who needed a slower pace.

Inclusion and Wellbeing

At the October 2022 inspection, Ofsted found that staff supported children with special educational needs and/or disabilities through Makaton and objects of reference, identified needs early and involved parents, while translated key words and signing helped children learning English as an additional language. These were practical communication supports, rather than a general promise of inclusion.

The nursery has its own cook preparing meals around children's dietary requirements, and drinks are milk or water. Families send sun cream in summer.

Work with Stockport’s Oral Health Advisor supports toothbrushing, and the nursery holds the Gold Tooth Safe Award; participation in the brushing scheme requires parental consent. Low-level toilets and potties support preschool children still developing toileting skills, and a nap can be accommodated for a preschool child who needs one. Greater Manchester Sports provides regular staff training about physical activity in young children.

Preparation for school includes dressing, toileting, longer periods of listening and attention, and developing confident communication. Receiving teachers are invited to meet children with written parental permission, and information is shared with parental permission. This gives the new teacher a fuller picture of the child and connects the move with familiar adults and routines.

Sessions and Attendance

The address is Unit 1-2, Oadby Place, Leicester Street, Stockport, SK5 6NG. Opening hours are 7.30am to 6pm, Monday to Friday, with year-round opening and bank holiday closures.

A Full Day runs from 7.30am to 6pm; Morning bookings run from 7.30am to 12.30pm, and Afternoon bookings from 1pm to 6pm. A Full Week pattern covers Monday to Friday, and extra hours can be arranged.

Booking changes must be requested in writing, either through a change-of-bookings form or by email. General enquiries can be made by telephone on 0161 230 7733.

Funding and Paid Extras

Paid sessions and funded sessions from 9 months are offered, with funded sessions running Monday to Friday. Current prices come in the nursery's written quotation. Parents provide summer sun cream, while preschool uniform tops and jumpers are a family choice. Outdoor clothing also needs planning: children need suitable shoes and wellington boots, which can stay at nursery or travel in their bag.

• Language and play materials. The October 2022 actions addressed accurate, consistent language modelling, thinking time and authentic play resources. On a visit, ask how staff now model language, pace questions and equip practical play.
• The funded booking arrangement. Funded sessions start from 9 months, alongside paid morning, afternoon and full-day patterns. Ask how funded hours fit your intended attendance and how meals and consumables are treated in the quotation.
• Outdoor kit and care routines. Garden play involves digging, den building and the mud kitchen, and families supply summer sun cream. Spare clothing and wellington boots are practical parts of preparing for nursery.

Little Green Day Nursery suits families seeking either full-day care or shorter morning and afternoon sessions, with practical independence woven into play and everyday routines. The natural garden, covered preschool outdoor classroom and home learning activities give the offer substance. For parents of younger children, the key-person relationship and daily care diary are useful anchors.

The Good judgement dates to October 2022, and the language and resource concerns deserve attention alongside the strengths. The clearest reason to choose this nursery is its combination of hands-on learning, outdoor choice and detailed communication with home.