ILM Day Nursery

Multilingual support and small steps towards independence give ILM Day Nursery its clearest character. At its September 2025 inspection, Ofsted rated the nursery Good and judged safeguarding effective. The setting has capacity for 50 children, with an age range from birth to five, at 60 Snow Hill, Hanley, Stoke-on-Trent, ST1 4LY.

In September 2025, most practitioners spoke more than one language, using that knowledge to help children and their families communicate. Everyday learning also included brushing teeth, washing hands and checking clean faces in a mirror. These are practical foundations for children becoming more capable of looking after themselves.

Attendance is term-time only, with full-day, morning, afternoon and school-day sessions, alongside arrangements tailored to families needing alternative times.

Rooms and Ages

Happy Hatchlings serves children younger than two; Curious Cubs takes children aged two and above; Exploring Eagles is for those aged three and above; and Leading Lions serves three- and four-year-olds. A Dining Room gives meals a named space within the nursery.

Those room names distinguish the stages of the nursery day, while the overlapping older age bands make the child's room allocation a useful part of understanding their experience. Age is one part of the picture. The curriculum also takes account of individual development and what a child is ready to learn next. Observation, planning and assessment are linked to each child's development and needs.

Learning and Activities

The Early Years Foundation Stage (EYFS) guides planning across language, movement, relationships, early reading and writing, maths, understanding the world and creative expression. For children, that means learning through experiences such as stories, making marks, exploring shapes, music and role-play. The framework is the shared foundation for early-years provision, rather than an additional programme unique to ILM.

Children have opportunities to choose, voice ideas and explore first-hand experiences. That gives them an active part in their learning: an activity can include making a decision or explaining a discovery, rather than simply following instructions. The curriculum page describes how these areas fit together.

In September 2025, a play-dough activity illustrated that approach. Children made faces while adults demonstrated how to shape the dough, and a child's suggestion about red lips led to red glitter being added. Handling and shaping the material exercised fingers and coordination; contributing an idea gave the child a say in the result.

Outdoor and Community Life

In September 2025, music crossed the indoor-outdoor divide. Children sang familiar rhymes and danced, with adults joining in and showing movements. Repeated songs provided opportunities to practise language, while dancing brought movement into the activity.

During that inspection period, crafts explored the Stoke centenary as well as Diwali and Chinese New Year. Children participated in fundraising for local causes too. These experiences connected learning with different cultural backgrounds and the surrounding community, rather than keeping it confined to toys and activities inside the nursery.

Relationships have a practical role here. The nursery's approach connects learning with secure relationships involving parents and a key person, and communication with families includes Dojo, used to share updates about children's progress.

In September 2025, staff assessed children's existing knowledge and skills, then used those assessments to plan next steps and spot gaps. Families received electronic updates alongside everyday conversations. That combination gave parents both a continuing account of development and opportunities to discuss the smaller details of their child's day.

At the September 2025 inspection, Ofsted found that children with special educational needs and/or disabilities made good progress through achievable targets and collaboration between staff, parents and specialist services. The practical mechanism matters: adults worked towards shared goals rather than treating additional support as a separate activity.

In September 2025, learning independence included recognising when a nose needed wiping. Children also checked their faces in a mirror after lunch. Washing hands before eating and cleaning teeth after snacks made personal care something children practised themselves. Nutritious food and time outdoors formed part of that day's provision.

Two weaknesses qualify this picture. In September 2025, adults sometimes asked another question or moved the conversation forward before children had time to formulate an answer. Meals could also be interrupted when staff left to handle other duties, breaking children's attention and reducing opportunities for conversation.

Sessions and Attendance

Opening hours are 8am to 6pm, Monday to Friday, during term time. The nursery closes on bank holidays, and families can request its term dates when arranging attendance.

The Full Day runs from 8am to 6pm. Morning sessions run from 8am to 1pm, afternoons from 1pm to 6pm, and the School day from 9am to 3pm. Bespoke sessions accommodate families needing different times. These are meaningfully different choices: the school-day pattern finishes earlier, while the morning and afternoon options divide attendance into shorter periods.

Getting There

The address is 60 Snow Hill, Hanley, Stoke-on-Trent, ST1 4LY. Enquiries can be made by telephone on 01782 280964 or by email at ilmnurserystoke@outlook.com.

Funding and Paid Extras

Funded early education is offered for eligible children, within the nursery's term-time operation. Funding information covers support for eligible two-year-olds, the universal 15-hour entitlement for three- and four-year-olds, and 30 hours for eligible working families; entitlement depends on the relevant eligibility conditions. Families should obtain a current written quotation for their chosen attendance pattern.

• Term-time coverage. Attendance follows term time and excludes bank holidays. Families needing care through school holidays will need to plan that part of the year separately.
• Time to answer. In September 2025, conversations sometimes moved faster than children could respond. At a visit, ask how practitioners now give children space to think and develop an answer.
• Mealtime continuity. September 2025 mealtimes were sometimes disrupted by competing staff duties. Ask how meals are organised now so adults can remain involved with the children.
• The full cost of attendance. Funded provision and several session patterns make the chosen package important. Ask for written terms covering meals, non-food consumables and any additional charges for that pattern.

ILM suits families seeking term-time care, whether they need a full day, a morning or afternoon session, or attendance aligned with the school day. In September 2025, multilingual practitioners helped children and families communicate, children contributed ideas to activities, and personal-care routines encouraged independence; current parent communication includes progress updates through Dojo.

The September 2025 picture also gives families two concrete matters to examine: the pace of adult questioning and uninterrupted support at meals. Those details deserve attention alongside the room choice and attendance pattern. They affect how much time children have to express themselves and how consistently adults can support their day.