The Avenue Private Day Nursery School

Jelly and pasta play give The Avenue a practical, hands-on character: spare clothes belong in the nursery bag. This Leigh setting combines daytime nursery care with school-age clubs, so its offer reaches beyond the preschool years.

At its July 2022 inspection, Ofsted rated the nursery Good, judged safeguarding effective and found that children with SEND received strong support through work with specialist professionals. That is a dated assessment, rather than a description of today's staff practice.

The current age range runs from birth to five, while daytime nursery care is offered for children from six weeks to four years. There are five rooms. Attendance choices include mornings, afternoons and full days, with a minimum booking commitment.

Five rooms organise the nursery accommodation, and messy play includes jelly and pasta. These materials give children something tangible to explore rather than keeping learning confined to adult-led instruction. The practical consequence is simple: send a change of clothes.

The early years foundation stage sets the requirements for children's learning, development and care. In parent language, it brings learning and everyday care together, including communication, physical development and early mathematical understanding.

In July 2022, mathematical ideas were woven into play: children discussed shapes on a robot they had made and represented passing cars with marks before counting them. The examples show how an ordinary observation or construction activity could become an opportunity to use numbers and describe shapes.

Outdoor activity also had a clear purpose in July 2022. Children used binoculars to search for spiders, connecting their observations with earlier conversations about webs and climbing. Climbing equipment gave them opportunities to practise balance, while regular lessons at a local pool extended physical activity beyond the nursery.

Language work in July 2022 involved sustained conversation and adults introducing more precise vocabulary. However, the July 2022 inspection identified a need for staff to recognise when activities required adjustment, so children stayed involved and received sufficient challenge. Families should weigh those concrete learning examples alongside that improvement point.

Each child has a key worker who follows their development. That gives families an identified person responsible for tracking how their child is progressing, rather than leaving this solely to whoever happens to be present.

In July 2022, staff discussed children's development with parents and offered ideas for continuing learning at home. Communication therefore included practical advice, as well as an account of the nursery day. The current team has training in first aid, safeguarding, food hygiene, and health and safety; these are arrangements for care, rather than a separate assurance about its effectiveness.

Health education in July 2022 included conversations about nutritious food, activity and rest. Children also used a timer to understand limits on screen time. These examples made healthy choices concrete and understandable for young children.

Breakfast is included with full-time day care, with cereal, toast and fruit among the choices. This makes the morning meal part of that attendance pattern.

Sessions and Attendance

The nursery is on The Avenue, Leigh, WN7 1ET. Opening hours are 7.30am to 6pm, Monday to Friday, while the full-time daytime care pattern runs from 8am to 6pm. The distinction matters when matching a booking to working hours.

The minimum booking is four sessions: four afternoons, four mornings or two full days. Families can therefore choose shorter sessions or full days, but the booking commitment still needs to fit their week. The nursery operates across the year, closing for bank holidays and one week at Christmas.

School-age care serves children aged four to eleven. The Before or After School Clubs include taking children to school or collecting them afterwards, with Leigh C E Primary School and Sacred Heart Primary School among the schools served. Holiday Club runs from 7.30am to 6pm on weekdays and provides breakfast and tea. These are childcare transport arrangements, rather than a Reception admissions pathway.

Telephone, email and a contact form provide enquiry routes.

Funding and Paid Extras

Funded childcare is offered for two-, three- and four-year-olds, and the charge structure refers to 15 hours free childcare funding. Private childcare is also offered. Families should obtain current prices in a written quotation, matched to their chosen attendance pattern.

For full-time day care, breakfast is included. Keep that specific inclusion separate from the funded entitlement when considering the overall arrangement.

• Weekly commitment. The minimum is four sessions, which can be mornings, afternoons or two full days. Compare that commitment with the care you need before choosing a pattern.
• Keeping children challenged. In July 2022, staff needed to become better at adjusting activities. During a visit, ask how practitioners now recognise when a child needs extra challenge or a different approach.
• Funded-place costs. Funding and an included full-time breakfast are separate parts of the offer. What meal and consumable arrangements would apply to your child's funded hours?

The Avenue suits families seeking morning or afternoon sessions as well as full-day childcare, especially where school-age transport or holiday care could also be useful. Messy play and a key worker give its current offer a clear practical shape. The July 2022 assessment provides a positive starting point, balanced by the specific need to improve how activities are adapted. The minimum attendance commitment is the other important fit test.