Lily Pad Day Nursery

A fairy garden, a hall for movement and separate outdoor spaces for each age group give Lily Pad Day Nursery in Brackley a character built around active play. A dedicated baby sleep area makes space for rest, too.

At its 9 January 2025 inspection, Ofsted rated the nursery Good and found safeguarding effective. The setting has capacity for 115 children in total, which is a whole-nursery figure rather than a room size. Its groups are called The Butterflies, The Frogs and The Otters, with progression shaped around age and development.

Morning, afternoon and full-day bookings sit alongside an Otters-only school-day option. That variety matters for families whose childcare needs do not follow the same timetable throughout the preschool years.

Rooms and Ages

The Butterflies take children from 3 months, with the next stage beginning around 20-24 months: their provision separates younger and older babies, pairing quieter tactile exploration with more opportunities to practise movement, alongside a dedicated sleep area and baby garden.

The Frogs cover the transition from 20-24 months through to 30-36 months, combining resources for experimentation and independent choices with their own freely accessible garden and daily use of the larger playground.

The Otters begin around 30-36 months and continue towards starting school, bringing more structure to active play, early language and number work, with access to their own garden and the shared playground.

These transition bands allow parents to consider both age and development when discussing a move between groups.

Learning and Activities

The Early Years Foundation Stage (EYFS) provides the framework for learning, development and care: children build communication, physical skills and early understanding through play and everyday experiences. Alongside it, the group-wide curriculum organises learning around Life Skills, Discovery, Communication and Relationships. At Brackley, those areas connect to home routines, experimentation, friendships and expressing ideas.

In The Otters, take-home books support shared reading; games and songs introduce sounds, letters and numbers. Daily core skills activities revisit developing abilities. Children contribute to a Learning Journey folder documenting their progress, giving them a part in recording their learning.

Optional sessions add another choice. Sing and Sign supports emerging communication in The Butterflies; The Frogs can opt into Boogie Mites and Rhythm Time. The Otters also have optional Rhythm Time and Boogie Mites, alongside Zumbini, Rhythmic Gems and Tiny Toes Ballet.

The January 2025 activities included number-card games involving matching and comparison, helping children practise taking turns while working with early mathematics. Sensory exploration was equally concrete: younger children experimented with frozen yoghurt as paint and with edible materials made from biscuits and baby rice. Familiar books, spontaneous songs and opportunities to invent stories brought language into play throughout the nursery.

There was a clear limitation. In January 2025, some adult-led group sessions did not sustain every child's involvement because their planning did not consistently match children's interests and needs. The improvement priority was better organisation of those activities. Parents should weigh that specific weakness alongside the breadth of experiences.

Outdoor and Community Life

The central hall accommodates parachute play, ball activities and movement to music. Outdoors, the rear playground includes logs for jumping and a mud kitchen, while the fairy garden creates a setting for imaginative games. Each age group has its own secure outdoor area, with doors kept open for movement between spaces when conditions allow.

The Otters also take activities into local care homes, joining residents for classes. In January 2025, outings included the market and residential homes, while regular walks introduced children to nature and people nearby. Those experiences extend learning beyond nursery resources: children encounter different generations, places and everyday routines.

Relationships and Communication

Every child has a key person, giving families a consistent relationship within their age group. For babies, staff work with parents around sleep, feeding and nappy routines. The Frogs continue that partnership through eating, sleeping and toilet training when a child is ready. The practical value is continuity between home habits and nursery care.

Famly App updates in The Butterflies cover feeds, sleep and nappy changes, helping parents follow their baby's daily routine.

In January 2025, families could borrow learning bags for activities at home, and staff shared progress and the next steps for learning. Parents were invited into playrooms and to special events. This connected home learning with nursery experiences, rather than leaving communication solely to practical messages.

Inclusion and Wellbeing

At the January 2025 inspection, Ofsted found that assessment and targeted support helped children make good progress, including those with special educational needs and/or disabilities (SEND), and that staff supported moves between rooms and on to school effectively. The mechanisms were identifying gaps in development, responding with focused support and working with other professionals. That is more useful to families than a broad promise of inclusion.

Quiet indoor spaces with softer lighting gave children somewhere to settle their emotions in January 2025. Staff supported self-care through everyday practice: younger children used cutlery, while older children put on outdoor clothing and served food for themselves. Physical activities included climbing, balancing and dancing. Care and learning were closely connected through those ordinary tasks.

School readiness at Brackley includes toileting, communication, curiosity and using cutlery, alongside early reading and number activities. The emphasis is on abilities children can use in their next setting, rather than treating preparation as academic work alone.

Sessions and Attendance

The address is 77 Halse Road, Brackley, NN13 6EQ. Opening hours are 7.30am to 6pm, Monday to Friday, with operation across 52 weeks except public holidays. The minimum booking is 1.5 sessions.

A Full Day runs from 8am to 6pm; Morning Session bookings run from 8am to 1pm, and Afternoon Session bookings from 1pm to 6pm. Breakfast Club adds the period from 7.30am to 8am. For The Otters only, School day bookings run from 9am to 3pm, with an additional hour available before, after or on both sides.

Enquiries can be made through the Brackley enquiry form, by email at brackley@lilypadnursery.com or by telephone on 01280 495095.

Funding and Paid Extras

Universal Childcare and Working Family Funding are accepted, alongside Childcare Vouchers and Tax Free Childcare. Funding is claimed across 38 weeks and allocated over 12 monthly invoices; that describes billing and should not be confused with a promise of any particular funded attendance pattern.

For non-funded sessions, meals and snacks are included, as are nappies, wipes and creams. During funded sessions, families can pay an optional charge for access to food, consumables and additional activities, or supply their own meals, snacks and consumables under the relevant parent-provided policies and opt out of additional activities.

A deposit is required for each booked session at registration, and a non-refundable administration charge applies to non-funded sessions. Payments are made monthly in advance, with card payments through Famly App or payment by BACS; cash is not accepted. Current prices come in the nursery's written quotation, and the Brackley fees and funding page explains the charging structure.

• Group-session engagement. The January 2025 improvement priority concerned involving children consistently in adult-led activities. At a visit, ask how sessions are adapted when a child loses interest or needs a different way to participate.
• Baby-room organisation. The Butterflies separate younger and older babies and provide a dedicated sleep area. Ask how your child's routines and developing mobility would shape their place within that provision.
• Minimum booking and preschool hours. The minimum is 1.5 sessions, while the 9am to 3pm option is restricted to The Otters. Discuss how your intended pattern would work as your child moves between groups.
• Funded-session choices. Food, consumables and optional activities have different arrangements during funded hours. Agree which items you will supply and which optional services you want before accepting the quotation.

Lily Pad suits families seeking morning or afternoon sessions as well as full-day care, with a separate school-day pattern for preschool children. Its strongest practical features are the division of baby provision, age-group gardens and a hall that gives energetic play an indoor setting.

The January 2025 Good judgement provides a positive inspection position, balanced by a precise concern about group activities. For families, the decision rests on how the relevant room's routines, outdoor opportunities and attendance pattern fit their child, together with a clear choice about extras during funded sessions.