Nursery Rhymes Day Nursery, Cheadle

Books, conversation and physical challenges shaped the picture of Nursery Rhymes Day Nursery, Cheadle at its June 2023 inspection. At 98 Stockport Road, the nursery cares for children from three months to five years, with capacity for 33 children in total. Its named rooms trace that journey from Baby Stars to Shooting Stars, with movement between them agreed individually rather than treated as an automatic birthday milestone.

At its June 2023 inspection, Ofsted rated the nursery Good and found safeguarding effective. The strongest practical examples involved language: babies chose objects to accompany songs, while older children discussed books and connected stories with their own experiences. These are useful ways of making conversation part of play rather than a separate exercise.

There is a choice between full-day, morning and afternoon attendance, alongside term-time places. That breadth matters for families whose childcare needs do not all follow the same working day.

Rooms and Ages

Baby Stars covers three to 24 months; Rising Stars covers 22 to 36 months; Shining Stars covers 24 to 36 months; and Shooting Stars covers 36 to 60 months. The overlapping age bands make the individual transition arrangement important: a move can take account of the child, with parents involved in deciding the pace.

Those room names give families a useful starting point for understanding the nursery's organisation. The whole-setting capacity is separate from the number of children using any particular room, so it should not be read as a baby-group size.

Learning and Activities

The Early Years Foundation Stage provides the framework for children's learning, development and care, with play offering opportunities to practise communication, physical skills and independence. It is the foundation of nursery education here, rather than an extra programme.

In June 2023, babies used song props and joined in actions, while older children spent time sharing books with staff in reading areas. Discussion extended beyond naming pictures: children related a fairground story to things they had experienced themselves. For a parent choosing early-years care, the value lies in the exchanges around the activity, giving children reasons to listen, contribute and develop their vocabulary.

Staff also adjusted their language to children's play, using questions and rewording what children said. Books could travel home through a lending library. That links nursery experiences with family reading and gives parents a concrete resource to use, rather than simply an instruction to read more.

There was an important qualification to the learning picture in June 2023. Some activities lacked sufficiently specific learning aims, making it harder to hold children's attention and sustain concentration. The improvement priority was to sharpen staff understanding of what children should learn from each experience. For families, an engaging activity and a clear purpose need to work together.

Outdoor and Community Life

The Cheadle setting has large gardens. In June 2023, outdoor play included balancing beams and blocks to jump from, with staff helping children judge what they could manage physically. These are concrete opportunities to practise coordination and make decisions about manageable challenges.

The emphasis was on children taking part themselves. Learning how to cross a beam or attempt a jump adds a physical dimension to the day alongside stories and conversation, rather than making outdoor time merely a break from indoor activities.

In June 2023, Ofsted found that children needing additional help were identified promptly, received individual attention and made very good progress with SEND support, including preparation for school. That is a dated judgement about the care delivered at that visit, with early intervention and inclusion providing the substance behind it.

Staff knew their key children well in June 2023, including their development and next learning steps. Parents were involved through shared resources, books and healthy recipes. The practical benefit is continuity: information about a child's interests and needs can inform both nursery activities and what happens at home.

Everyday independence also received attention at that time. Staff prompted handwashing after nose-blowing and bathroom use, and talked about dental health. Consistent reminders made personal care something children could gradually take responsibility for themselves.

Sleep supervision was explicit in June 2023: staff stayed with sleeping babies in the room. Staff also undertook child-protection training and understood how to respond to worries about a child's welfare or an adult's suitability. These observations belong to that inspection period, rather than establishing today's staffing deployment.

The second improvement priority concerned staff development. In June 2023, leaders used supervision meetings and observations to support practitioners, but did not consistently assess whether training had changed practice or identify who needed further help. That distinction matters: attending training is only useful when the learning reaches children's daily care.

Food is cooked on the premises by the nursery cook, with meals, snacks and drinks included in private fees. For babies, those fees also cover puréed food and cow's milk; parents supply formula milk.

Sessions and Attendance

Opening hours run from 7.30am to 6pm on weekdays. Morning sessions run from 7.30am to 12.30pm, and afternoon sessions from 1pm to 6pm; full-day attendance is also offered. A minimum of two sessions each week applies, so the shortest booking still involves a recurring weekly commitment.

Term-time attendance is payable for 42 weeks a year, providing another pattern alongside full-year care. Full-year fees are calculated across 51 weeks and paid monthly in advance, with the festive closure week excluded from charges. The nursery is closed on bank holidays. Families can therefore compare their required attendance pattern with both the weekly minimum and the payment arrangement.

The address is 98 Stockport Road, Cheadle, Stockport, SK8 2AJ. Enquiries can be made through the contact form by selecting Cheadle, or by telephone on 0161 428 6661.

Funding and Paid Extras

Funded hours are offered from nine months: eligible working parents may claim 30 hours across 38 weeks, eligible two-year-olds may receive 15 hours, and three- and four-year-olds have the 15-hour universal entitlement. These are separate entitlement routes, so a family's circumstances determine which applies.

Private fees include food and drink, while funded hours carry a separate, optional consumables and services charge covering items such as meals, snacks, nappy care and sun cream, together with additional services. Parents choosing that alternative can supply their own consumables and pay separately for additional services. Formula milk remains a parent-supplied item for babies.

This distinction is important when comparing a funded booking with private attendance: funded education and the wider care package have different charging arrangements. Current prices come in the nursery's written quotation, with the funding and fees information explaining the structure.

• Room transitions. Rising Stars and Shining Stars have overlapping toddler age bands, and moves are agreed individually. On a visit, ask how the nursery decides which room and transition pace will suit your child.
• Learning purpose and staff development. The June 2023 improvement priorities concerned precise activity aims and checking the effect of training. Ask for examples of how those priorities now shape children's experiences.
• Funded care costs. The consumables and services charge applies to funded hours and is optional, with an alternative involving supplies from home and separate service payments. Compare those arrangements in the written quotation for your intended pattern.
• Weekly commitment. At least two sessions per week are required. Morning, afternoon and full-day options give different ways to meet that minimum, so consider which combination fits your family routine.

Nursery Rhymes suits families seeking morning or afternoon sessions as well as full-day attendance, with term-time care offering another route. Named rooms and individually agreed transitions make the progression through nursery easier to understand, while the June 2023 examples of book-sharing, conversation and physical play give the educational picture substance.

The balanced view includes the improvement priorities: learning intentions needed greater precision, and training needed closer evaluation. For parents, this is a nursery to assess through the quality of those everyday interactions and the fit between its session choices, weekly minimum and funded-care charging structure.