Cottontails Day Nursery

A weekly curiosity cube, a garden reached directly from Little Learners Room and a dedicated sleep and sensory room for babies give Cottontails Day Nursery in Burtonwood a recognisable character. Learning starts with objects to investigate, spaces to explore and room routines that change as children grow. The practical detail is strongest at room level.

Ofsted rated the nursery Good on 6 July 2022. That judgement provides a dated assessment of its education and care, rather than a description of every aspect of its present operation. The setting has capacity for 74 children, accepting children from 3 months, with an upper age limit of 60 months.

For parents comparing early childcare, the useful combination is physical space and communication: babies have somewhere calmer for sleep and sensory activity, older children have garden access, and families can exchange messages with their child's carer through an online system. The nursery is on Mercer Street, Burtonwood, Warrington, WA5 4JJ.

Rooms and Ages

Baby Room takes children aged 3 to 18 months, combining opportunities for movement indoors and outdoors with a sleep and sensory room. Feeding arrangements, comforters and naps are treated individually, so the room's organisation accommodates care routines alongside exploration. That matters for a child whose need for rest may differ from another baby's.

Toddler Room begins at 18 months and extends to 2 years and 8 months, with indoor climbing frames, construction, messy play and role play supporting movement, experimentation and growing independence. Activities are adjusted to children's interests and development. Circle and song time sit within a day that also includes meals and naps, with staff helping children understand the changes between activities.

Little Learners Room combines early number exploration, language and mark making with direct access to the private garden. Daily circle time gives children opportunities to contribute ideas and hear other children speak. The emphasis is on using developing skills in play, rather than reserving them for a separate lesson.

Pre-School has spaces for imaginative play, art, mathematics and early reading and writing, alongside free exploration and themed learning. Qualified teachers work within this stage. Children can pursue personal interests as well as take part in a shared topic, giving the day both common starting points and room for individual choices.

Learning and Activities

The early years foundation stage is the framework for children's learning, development and care: here, its everyday expression includes play, conversation, physical exploration and early number and language experiences. Cottontails adds concrete ways of introducing those experiences. In Little Learners Room, the curiosity cube launches learning each week through objects that children examine and question; its contents change as the topic develops.

Pre-School also uses the curiosity cube weekly, linking its contents to a termly theme. Topics include growing, vehicles and space, alongside subjects prompted by children's interests. The cube gives children something tangible to discuss before activities develop the topic further. It is an invitation to ask questions, rather than simply receive an explanation.

Makaton supports early communication, with signs used alongside other ways of helping children understand and express themselves. Toddler Room combines signs with spoken explanations and visual cards when preparing children for changes in the day. Families receive support with communication skills at home too, connecting nursery practice with familiar interactions beyond it.

In July 2022, staff used play to extend children's thinking: footprints in sand prompted comparisons of size, while fallen brick towers became opportunities to try building again. Preschool children contributed their experiences during group discussions about transport. These examples show the educational purpose behind ordinary materials: comparing, explaining and persisting were part of the activity itself.

Outdoor and Community Life

The garden is part of the learning space, with a Toddler and Nature Garden and opportunities to explore outside throughout the day. Little Learners Room's direct garden access makes outdoor exploration a practical extension of its indoor activities. Trips and visiting guests also connect Toddler Room's topics with experiences beyond the classroom.

Babies take community walks and trips too. During July 2022, children joined older community members for regular sessions at the local library, and parents had accompanied children to the local park. Those dated examples add substance to the nursery's community emphasis: children encountered people beyond their immediate age group and shared activities with family members.

Relationships and Communication

Settling begins with stay-and-play sessions and a gradual introduction to nursery. Staff take time to learn about the child and family, including the routines that matter for feeding, sleep and comfort. This gives parents an active part in the transition, while allowing familiarity to develop in stages.

The online nursery system records meals, toileting and learning experiences, and lets parents communicate directly with their child's carer. For Pre-School families, the app also carries development profiles, topic information each term and weekly learning updates with suggestions for home activities. These are useful differences in the information parents receive: daily care details answer immediate questions, while learning updates explain what children are exploring.

During July 2022, staff knew their key children well and used assessments to choose what to teach next, allowing time for existing learning to become secure. Families received ideas for learning at home through an online system. The account of that period supports a relationship between observation, next steps and parent communication, rather than progress tracking as an isolated administrative task.

Inclusion and Wellbeing

At its July 2022 inspection, Ofsted found safeguarding effective and SEND support good, including visual prompts, signing and additional adult help. That assessment is dated. The examples explain how support worked during that period: staff used different communication methods and adult assistance to help children participate.

Baby mealtimes were the improvement point in July 2022. Food arrived too slowly for some babies, who became unsettled while waiting, and the nursery was asked to reconsider how meals were organised. This is a specific care issue for parents to explore, especially where feeding routines are central to a baby's comfort.

Calm spaces within classrooms give children somewhere to pause and relax, and Pre-School includes yoga. Food is cooked on site by the Burtonwood chef using a seasonal, three-week menu. The nursery offers dietary alternatives, including vegan, vegetarian and dairy-free dishes, according to children's preferences and allergens.

Sessions and Attendance

Opening hours are 7am to 6.30pm, Monday to Friday, throughout the year except bank holidays. The early start and evening closing time are useful practical reference points when considering work schedules and care arrangements. These are opening hours, rather than a timetable for a particular booked session.

Contact is through admin@cottontailsdaynursery.com or 01925 224 735. The address is Mercer Street, Burtonwood, Warrington, WA5 4JJ. Keeping the Burtonwood address in view matters when choosing between Cottontails locations, as this review concerns the Mercer Street nursery.

Funding and Paid Extras

In July 2022, the nursery provided funded early education for children aged two, three and four. That is a dated participation statement, rather than a promise about a family's present entitlement or booking. Current prices come in the nursery's written quotation.

School preparation is described through Pre-School's learning spaces, personal interests and shared topics. Reading, writing and mathematics sit alongside opportunities to play imaginatively and communicate with others. The emphasis is on developing skills for the next stage, with time for children to explore ideas independently as well as join planned activities.

• Baby feeding routines. The July 2022 improvement point concerned babies waiting for lunch and becoming unsettled. On a tour, ask how food is now served in Baby Room and how individual feeding routines fit the timetable.
• The move into Little Learners Room. Its age descriptions differ between 2 years and 2 years and 8 months as the starting point. Clarify how the transition from Toddler Room is decided for your child, rather than assuming the move happens at a fixed birthday.
• Dietary needs. The seasonal menu includes alternatives for different diets and allergens. Families managing an allergy should confirm current preparation and serving arrangements, including how their child's requirements reach the adults handling food.

Cottontails suits families looking for childcare from babyhood through the preschool stage, with room environments that give concrete shape to each part of that progression. A sleep and sensory room, indoor climbing frames, direct garden access and the curiosity cube are useful reasons to consider it. Each serves a different purpose, from rest and movement to questioning and exploration.

The July 2022 Good judgement is a useful quality reference, with baby lunchtime organisation the specific issue to examine. For parents who value gradual settling, regular information about care and learning, and opportunities to continue communication activities at home, the strongest case lies in how those arrangements connect nursery life with family routines.