Asmall Nursery

Water experiments, a visiting fire engine and games with older children gave Asmall Nursery a recognisable character in June 2022: practical learning with a close connection to its host school. At its 9 June 2022 inspection, Ofsted rated the nursery Outstanding, praising the education and children's development. The detail behind that judgement matters more than the label.

Based at Asmall Primary School in Ormskirk, Asmall Nursery accepts children aged 12 to 60 months. Caterpillar Room and Butterfly Room are its named nursery rooms. It operates during term time, making the school calendar a central consideration for families planning childcare.

Rooms and Ages

Caterpillar Room and Butterfly Room give families two named points of reference within the nursery. The accepted age range starts at 12 months and extends to 60 months; that whole-setting range should be kept separate from how children are grouped within the rooms.

Learning and Activities

The early years foundation stage sets the requirements for children's learning, development and care. In parent language, it brings communication, physical development and learning through play into the nursery day.

In June 2022, language teaching grew out of what children were doing. Staff talked through play and introduced vocabulary connected to the activity, including the parts of a teapot during water play. A fire engine visit then gave children a real encounter with equipment they had explored through pretend play. Words had something concrete behind them.

Problem-solving was equally practical that June. Children experimented with funnels and containers when water sprayed from a teapot, while staff encouraged them to work out solutions together. In pretend firefighting, children negotiated who would handle different parts of the hose. These examples show children making decisions and cooperating, rather than simply following an adult's instructions.

Outdoor and Community Life

In June 2022, outdoor equipment included beams for balancing, trikes and a wall for climbing. Different movements gave children opportunities to practise coordination and strength. Smaller physical movements also received attention through resources intended to prepare fingers for writing.

The mud kitchen brought number work into imaginative play that June: younger children counted mud as they made pretend cakes. Beyond the nursery, children took part in weekly swimming lessons, park walks centred on listening and Spanish lessons. Only swimming carried a weekly frequency. Together, these experiences connected physical activity, language and exploration beyond the room.

Relationships and Communication

In June 2022, staff used photographs and several forms of communication to help parents during settling. They recognised that leaving a child could be difficult for the family as well as the child. Updates gave parents a way to understand how their child was spending the day while that separation was still new.

Children were encouraged to attempt tasks themselves in June 2022. When an idea failed, adults helped them consider another approach. The emphasis was on giving children room to try, with adult help to think through what happened next.

Inclusion and Wellbeing

At the June 2022 inspection, Ofsted found effective safeguarding and excellent support for children with special educational needs and/or disabilities, including activities adapted to children's interests and ways of learning, alongside targeted help involving other professionals.

In June 2022, safeguarding practice included monitoring attendance and accidents, regular staff training and risk assessments of the areas children used. These were practical routines for noticing concerns and managing the nursery environment.

The host-school connection also had a concrete form that June. Nursery staff worked with school teachers on games involving older children, helping nursery children build friendships before moving on. Familiar people and shared activities gave the transition an emotional dimension as well as an educational one.

Sessions and Attendance

Asmall Nursery opens Monday to Friday, from 7.45am to 5.45pm, during term time. Full-day sessions run from 7.45am to 5.45pm, with morning blocks from 8.45am to 11.45am and afternoon blocks starting at 12.30pm. It closes for school holidays. Families can choose shorter attendance blocks or a full day within the term-time calendar.

Getting There

The address is Asmall Primary School, Tennyson Drive, Ormskirk, L39 3PJ. The nursery shares the school's site, with the school connection also reflected in the transition activities described above.

Funding and Paid Extras

Funded childcare is offered for 15/30 hour sessions within the term-time operation. Lunch is charged separately, including alongside funded sessions. Current prices come in the nursery's written quotation; the sessions and prices page provides the funding enquiry route.

Attending Asmall Nursery does not guarantee a Reception place at Asmall Primary School. Families still need to use the local authority admissions process. Familiarity with the school and its children is useful preparation, but the school application remains a separate decision.

• School-holiday cover. Asmall Nursery operates during term time and closes for school holidays. Families needing care across the year must account for those breaks in their childcare plans.
• Funded-session costs. Funding is offered for 15/30 hour sessions. At a visit, what would your proposed attendance pattern involve, including meals, consumables and any paid hours, in the written quotation?
• Moving to Reception. The shared site and June 2022 games with older children give the school connection substance. Nursery attendance does not guarantee admission, so keep the Reception application separate from the nursery choice.

Asmall Nursery suits families seeking full-day care or shorter morning or afternoon sessions during term time, who value a nursery based alongside a primary school. Its June 2022 strengths were grounded in practical examples: children solving water-play problems, adults extending conversation and shared games easing the move towards school. The holiday closure is the decisive practical limitation. For a family aligned with that calendar, the combination of hands-on learning and school familiarity gives Asmall a clear appeal.