Jack In The Box Day Nursery

In February 2025, birdwatching with binoculars, stories shared with a key person and community gardening gave Jack In The Box Day Nursery a recognisable character: everyday experiences became opportunities to talk, investigate and grow more independent. This Platt Bridge setting serves babies, toddlers and preschool children at 81 Ribble Road, Wigan, WN2 5EG.

Ofsted rated the nursery Outstanding at its 6 February 2025 inspection, finding exceptional progress and an ambitious, carefully sequenced curriculum. The detail behind that judgement matters more than the label: children explored real objects, used increasingly precise language and practised managing their feelings.

The nursery accepts children from three months to five years and has 51 places in total. Attendance choices include full days, morning and afternoon sessions, and a shorter 9am to 3pm day.

Rooms and Ages

Four rooms divide the nursery into a Baby Room, Two Toddler Rooms and a Pre School Room. That gives babies, toddlers and preschool children separate spaces, rather than one shared room covering the whole age range.

In February 2025, babies chose books for themselves and shared stories close to their key person; toddlers experimented with play dough and farm-themed play; older children examined birds’ nests using binoculars. These examples show how learning differed with children’s development, from sensory exploration to more detailed observation and discussion.

Learning and Activities

The early years foundation stage sets the framework for learning, development and care: children build language, physical skills and understanding through play and everyday experiences. In February 2025, that took concrete forms here. Babies pressed fruit and herbs with rolling pins, discovering what happened when they applied pressure. Toddlers practised different movements with dough while staff added words to describe actions and size.

For older children, looking closely at birds led to conversations about feathers, beaks and hatching. Mathematics also emerged through play: children examined shapes and their properties, recognised numbers on pretend eggs and considered how many chicks might be inside. The useful thread is the connection between something children can handle or observe and the language needed to explain it.

Storytelling brought another route into communication. In February 2025, staff varied their voices and paused for effect, encouraging children to remember details and respond. Books were used both for shared enjoyment and for active conversation.

The February 2025 farm activity shows the detail of that language work. Staff talked about how quickly horses moved and whether cows might want oats, introducing words including fast, big and little. These were concrete subjects for toddlers to describe, with movement, size and food giving the conversation substance. For older children, shape exploration included counting sides and considering properties: mathematical talk went beyond naming an object to examining what made one shape different from another.

Outdoor and Community Life

Outdoor apparatus supported counting during February 2025 activities. Community gardening also brought children into contact with adults with disabilities, giving inclusion a practical setting through shared work and learning from other people’s skills.

At the February 2025 inspection, Ofsted found safeguarding effective and outstanding support for children with SEND and those learning English as an additional language, including visual prompts, calm communication, assessments and referrals when needed. Those mechanisms matter: support addressed both understanding the daily routine and identifying where outside professional help could be useful.

Emotional understanding had tangible resources in February 2025. Emotion boards and cosy areas helped children recognise and express feelings, while group conversations explored how people felt. This made emotions something children could discuss, rather than leaving staff to respond only after a disagreement.

Independence was practised through manageable jobs. During that same month, younger children helped lay tables and poured drinks from jugs; preschool children practised putting up a hand to ask a question in preparation for Reception. School preparation therefore included everyday habits alongside learning activities.

Sessions and Attendance

Opening hours are 7.30am to 6pm on weekdays. A full-day session follows that window; mornings run from 7.30am to 1pm, afternoons from 1pm to 6pm, and the shorter day runs from 9am to 3pm.

The full-time booking option requires five days each week, Monday to Friday. The nursery operates across the year, closing on bank holidays and between Christmas and New Year. Families can therefore weigh the shorter sessions against the full-time commitment rather than treating all attendance choices as interchangeable.

Getting There

The address is 81 Ribble Road, Platt Bridge, Wigan, WN2 5EG. Admission enquiries can be made through the contact form, by telephone on 01942 707195 or by email at hello@jackintheboxdaynursery.co.uk.

Funding and Paid Extras

Funded childcare and privately paid sessions are offered. Funded sessions carry an additional session charge, with different charges for children under two and those over two. Current prices come in the nursery’s written quotation.

• Attendance commitment. The full-time option requires five weekdays, while morning, afternoon and 9am to 3pm sessions offer different daily windows. Discuss which booking pattern fits your working week during a visit.
• Funded-session charges. Additional session charges differ for under-twos and over-twos. What does the charge cover, including meals and consumables, and how would it apply to your intended attendance?
• Support in practice. February 2025 findings describe visual prompts, emotional-support resources and referrals. During a visit, discuss how these arrangements would work for your child’s communication or support needs.

Jack In The Box suits families considering full-day care, morning or afternoon attendance, or a shorter 9am to 3pm day. Its strongest case is the February 2025 picture of purposeful play: sensory exploration for babies, language woven into activities and practical work on emotions and independence. The five-day condition on the full-time option and the separate funded-session charges are the main practical considerations.