Kids Planet Mere House

Bug hunting, muddy puddles and children putting on their own outdoor clothes give Mere House a recognisable character. In January 2026, nature exploration sat alongside everyday independence: children examined creatures, talked about their discoveries and returned them to their habitat. Learning had a practical purpose.

Kids Planet Mere House serves Ashton-in-Makerfield, with capacity for 51 children and an age range from 3 months to 5 years. At its January 2026 inspection, Ofsted judged all six education and care areas to be at Expected standard and found safeguarding standards met. Those area judgements are the useful starting point for understanding its quality.

Morning, afternoon, short-day and full-day bookings give families several ways to use the nursery, rather than a single attendance pattern.

Learning and Activities

The early years foundation stage sets the requirements for children's learning, development and care here. In parent terms, the day combines play, conversation, physical activity and learning to manage everyday tasks, with attention to what each child needs next.

In January 2026, staff used children's interests to shape activities. Magnifying glasses and tools turned a search for bugs into opportunities to describe creatures and use mathematical vocabulary. This was more than time spent outside: children had something concrete to investigate and discuss. Regular singing and shared stories supplied another route into language, with children returning to familiar songs and stories in their own play.

Weekly music and movement sessions were also part of the January 2026 experience. They gave children opportunities to practise controlling their movements alongside outdoor activity. Older babies had opportunities to develop walking skills, while toddlers squeezed dough and handled mark-making tools. These are different stages of physical development, supported through different experiences.

Outdoor and Community Life

January 2026 routines allowed children to move freely outdoors, where running, balancing and climbing were part of their play. Wet weather brought puddles to jump in; children learnt to manage the clothing needed for outdoor activity. That combination matters: the practical task of dressing belonged to the experience, alongside the movement itself.

Independence continued indoors. Children served themselves food, helped prepare the table and took responsibility for putting resources away. A tambourine signalled the move towards tidying, giving children an audible cue for what came next. For a child learning to manage transitions, those repeated signals make the sequence of the day easier to understand.

Home learning bags extended the January 2026 activities into family life. They supplied recipes and ingredients for a bird-feeding project, or ingredients for soup, giving parents something specific to do with their child. The connection between home and nursery was practical rather than dependent on a screen.

Relationships and Communication

In January 2026, settling visits included time for staff to learn about babies' routines at home and bring those routines into nursery care. Familiar patterns can give a new starter something recognisable while relationships develop. Babies spent time close to their key person, including listening to songs as they settled to sleep.

Sleep information was recorded for parents through an app in January 2026. Staff remained near sleeping babies, carried out touch checks and logged both checks and sleep times. These details give parents a more useful account of rest than a simple statement that their child had a nap.

The current offer includes Famly, the group-wide parent app used for updates during the day. It provides a connection to nursery life while a child is in care. Sports activities are also included within the group's offer at this branch, adding physical activity alongside its other experiences.

Inclusion and Wellbeing

At the January 2026 inspection, Ofsted identified SEND planning and support cycles lasting 12 weeks, but also found that some children with communication difficulties needed more targeted help, the new curriculum needed more consistent implementation, and resources for younger children needed fuller assessment. These are material considerations, especially for families whose child needs additional communication support.

In January 2026, key persons helped identify emerging needs, staff discussed progress with parents, and the central SEND team assisted with adaptations while referrals were pending. Leaders also worked with speech and language services and health professionals. There were mechanisms for identifying and responding to needs; the concern was how consistently support reached every child who needed it.

Stories and props were used in January 2026 to help children express feelings. Staff talked through emotions with children, connecting what they felt with possible reasons for it. That gave emotional learning a place within ordinary conversation and play.

Sessions and Attendance

The nursery opens Monday to Friday, from 7.30am until 6pm, across 52 weeks of the year. Bank holidays and the period between Christmas and New Year are closures, so year-round care still requires family planning around those breaks.

Full Day runs from 7.30am to 6pm; Morning runs from 7.30am to 12.30pm; Afternoon runs from 1pm to 6pm. Short Day starts at 8am and ends at 3.30pm. A Full Time option uses the 7.30am to 6pm window, and ad hoc hourly care is also offered. The morning and afternoon patterns are separate bookings, with different start and finish times.

Enquiries can be made by telephone on 01942 717 694 or by email to merehouse@kidsplanetdaynurseries.co.uk. Tour requests and applications are also offered.

Getting There

The address is Nicol Mere Primary School, Roman Road, Ashton-in-Makerfield, Wigan, WN4 8DF. Attending nursery at a primary-school address does not guarantee a Reception place; families still use the local authority admissions process for a state-school application.

Funding and Paid Extras

Funded childcare is offered alongside private care. Current prices come in the nursery's written quotation, and the distinction between funded and privately paid attendance matters when comparing the total cost.

The group-wide inclusive offer at this branch covers meals and snacks, plus formula, wipes, nappies and sun cream within the fee. On days when early years funding is applied, meals, consumables and activities carry separate charges, with the charge category determined by the funded hours used that day. Families comparing bookings should therefore consider both the childcare pattern and the extras attached to funded attendance.

• Communication support. January 2026 findings identified gaps in targeted help for some children who struggled to communicate. At a visit, ask how your child's support would be adapted and how its effect would be reviewed.
• Younger children's resources. In January 2026, resources needed fuller checks for suitability for younger children, alongside work to embed the curriculum. Ask to see how activities are selected for babies and how staff decide what is appropriate.
• Funded attendance and extras. Funded days have separate meal, consumable and activity charges. Ask for a written breakdown for your intended Morning, Afternoon or Short Day pattern, including the funded entitlement and how it is spread across the year.
• Roman Road address. The nursery's address includes Nicol Mere Primary School, while its tour and contact address uses WN4 8EG rather than WN4 8DF. Confirm the correct entrance and postcode when arranging your visit.

Mere House suits families seeking morning or afternoon care as well as those needing a short day or full day. Its January 2026 experience gave children concrete opportunities to investigate nature, manage everyday tasks and carry learning into family life through activity bags.

The inspection position supports a measured choice: Expected standard across the assessed areas, with specific work needed on communication support, curriculum implementation and resources for younger children. For families with additional communication needs, the detail of an individual support plan should carry considerable weight in the decision.