Little Angels Day Nursery

Nine babies is the published limit for the Baby Room at Silcock Street, a useful starting point for families weighing the scale of their baby's first childcare setting. Little Angels Day Nursery's under-three unit has capacity for 25 children from birth to three years. This is the Silcock Street nursery, rather than the separately identified preschool and out-of-school provision sharing its postcode.

At its July 2023 inspection, Ofsted rated the nursery Good overall. The detail gives parents more to work with than the grade alone: babies explored textures, toddlers experimented with water and paint, and children developed relationships across the two age groups. There were also clear improvements to make in curriculum planning and the organisation of group activities.

Opening hours are 7.15am to 6pm, Monday to Friday. The kitchen serving all three Little Angels sites is based in this under-three unit.

Rooms and Ages

The Baby Room accommodates up to nine babies at Silcock Street, with accessible resources supporting early development and opportunities for outdoor play. That room limit is separate from the nursery's overall capacity: it describes the scale of the youngest children's space, rather than how many children attend across different days.

The Toddler Room combines early number and literacy experiences with sensory exploration and free access between indoor and outdoor areas. Choosing where to play gives children a practical way to exercise growing independence. These are different emphases for different stages, rather than an expectation that babies and toddlers should tackle the same activities.

Learning and Activities

The early years foundation stage sets the requirements for children's learning, development and care here. In everyday terms, learning includes play, communication and developing practical skills, rather than simply preparing children for formal lessons.

In July 2023, babies squeezed and handled materials including shaving foam and sand, exercising their fingers through exploration. Toddlers poured into containers, experimented with paint colours and constructed block towers. Those examples connect physical coordination with early mathematical ideas: handling, filling and building gave children something concrete to investigate.

Books also had a clear place in the July 2023 nursery day. Children could reach them independently, choose stories and practise turning pages; staff revisited unfamiliar vocabulary to help it become familiar. Reading was an interaction, with adults talking about stories alongside children.

The limitations mattered too. In July 2023, some baby-room practitioners needed a clearer grasp of the overall curriculum so that planning could target learning more precisely. Group activities sometimes continued too long or involved too many children, leaving some disengaged. Interesting materials alone were not enough: adults also needed to recognise when an activity required a different pace or arrangement.

Relationships were an important part of daily life in July 2023. Practitioners knew the children assigned to them and considered their interests and next learning steps. Babies and toddlers spent time together, allowing relationships to develop before children moved rooms. For a family concerned about that change, the practical value was familiarity with other children before moving rooms.

At the July 2023 inspection, Ofsted found safeguarding effective and identified knowledgeable special educational needs coordination, with outside-agency partnerships helping children receive additional support. These are dated judgements about practice at that visit.

In July 2023, staff helped children learn to share and wait for a turn through calm reminders. Everyday care also became an opportunity to practise independence: children worked on dressing, handwashing and toileting, with adult help where needed. The emphasis was on gradually doing more for themselves.

Outdoor play took place daily in July 2023, including in different weather conditions. Conversations about brushing teeth and making healthy food choices complemented that physical activity. Home-cooked food is prepared in the kitchen at the Silcock Street under-three unit and supplied to the group's three sites.

Sessions and Attendance

The nursery opens Monday to Friday between 7.15am and 6pm. It operates across the year, closing for bank holidays and a week at Christmas. Those closures matter for families arranging childcare around work, especially where holiday cover needs to be planned separately.

Getting There

The address is The Old Sub Station, Silcock Street, Goldborne, Warrington, WA3 3DG. The under-three unit's telephone number is 01942 272110, and enquiries can also be made through the contact form. Selecting the under-three unit keeps the enquiry directed to this setting rather than the separate preschool service at the same postcode.

Funding and Paid Extras

In July 2023, the nursery provided funded early education for two-year-olds. That describes participation at the inspection date, rather than establishing a family's current entitlement or booking arrangement.

• Baby-room planning. In July 2023, some practitioners needed a better understanding of the overall curriculum. On a visit, ask how the team now connects a baby's interests with the next steps in their learning.
• Group activities. In July 2023, some activities lost children's attention because of their length or group size. Ask how practitioners adjust an activity when toddlers stop engaging.
• Funding and the total bill. Funded education for two-year-olds formed part of the July 2023 offer. What are the current funded attendance arrangements, and how are meals and non-food consumables treated in the written quotation?

Little Angels suits families seeking an under-three setting with a defined baby-room limit, outdoor access and opening hours that span the working day. The nine-baby cap and on-site kitchen provide concrete points of comparison with other nurseries.

The July 2023 picture combines attentive relationships and practical, exploratory play with weaknesses in planning precision and group teaching. Families should give those teaching questions as much weight as the room arrangements when deciding whether this is the right fit.