Daisy Day Nursery

Small steps towards independence give Daisy Day Nursery its character: washing hands, making choices and learning to communicate confidently. At Oasis Church in Wallasey, the nursery combines play-led learning with a clear progression through Buttercups, Poppies and Sunflowers, taking children from babyhood towards school.

Ofsted rated the nursery Good at its 22 August 2023 inspection, finding effective safeguarding, purposeful learning and support for children with additional needs through collaboration between staff, parents and other professionals. That judgement provides a useful foundation, but it belongs to that visit. The improvement point was specific: teaching about oral health needed to reach older children more consistently.

Children can start at three months, and the current age range extends to 59 months. Communication, practical independence and outdoor play run through the nursery’s approach. Full-day and half-day bookings give families different attendance options, with a minimum attendance requirement of two days each week.

Rooms and Ages

Buttercups is the baby room, taking children from three months to two years, with sensory exploration, songs, close adult interaction and opportunities to rest woven into the day. The emphasis is on early communication and movement rather than rushing babies towards the next stage.

For children aged two to three, Poppies uses shared activities, singing and simple problems to develop communication, social confidence and independence. A mixture of guided activities, time outdoors and freely chosen play gives toddlers practice both alongside other children and on their own terms.

Sunflowers takes children from three years to school age, combining early number and literacy activities with imaginative play, creative work and growing independence. Working together in small groups forms part of the day, alongside tasks children can tackle more independently.

Learning and Activities

The Early Years Foundation Stage (EYFS) provides the common framework: language, movement, relationships, numbers and literacy developed through play. Child-led and adult-guided activities respond to children’s interests and energy levels.

Weekly observations are documented in a paper learning journal, with a summary shared each term. Parents can look through and contribute to that journal. This gives families something more substantial than a daily account of activities: a way to follow development over time and connect experiences at home with learning at nursery.

In August 2023, conversation was embedded in play. Babies heard words repeated while sharing books, while older children encountered new vocabulary through pretend games, including police-themed play outdoors. Language learning happened within something children wanted to do, rather than being reserved for a separate exercise.

Independence was equally practical in August 2023: babies used cutlery, toddlers attempted to put on coats, and older children helped prepare tables for meals. These are modest tasks with a clear purpose. They let children practise managing parts of their own day, with adults alongside them.

Outdoor and Community Life

In August 2023, garden play developed movement on different scales: babies pushed toy prams, toddlers painted outdoor surfaces with water, and children climbed, balanced and ran.

In August 2023, children travelled by public transport to New Brighton, took local walks and ordered café food themselves, practising conversation and independence. Outings also included road-crossing guidance.

Relationships and Communication

A dedicated key person discusses routines, preferences and development with each family. Three initial settling sessions usually last between 30 minutes and an hour, with further sessions arranged according to the child’s adjustment.

Blossom is the parent app used for the end-of-day diary, covering food, activities and milestones. It sits alongside conversations with staff and regular opportunities for families to take part in stay-and-play sessions, drop-ins and parents’ evenings. The combination supports both everyday communication and a longer discussion with the key person.

The two-year development review brings together the child’s key worker, parents and health visitor. For children who attend this nursery most frequently, its progress check forms part of that review. This creates a shared discussion of development rather than leaving nursery observations separate from the family’s wider support.

Inclusion and Wellbeing

A SENCO role provides a point of contact for additional needs, and individual behaviour plans can be developed with parents where needed. Cultural and religious needs, as well as English as an additional language, are discussed with the child’s key worker. These are mechanisms families can use to explain what their child needs and agree how daily care should respond.

Behaviour guidance centres on calm explanations, redirecting children and recognising positive actions. Staff help children resolve disagreements rather than requiring an apology irrespective of their understanding. Physical intervention is reserved for preventing injury or serious property damage, with any use documented and discussed with parents that day.

Security arrangements include a buzzer entrance, staff-only keypad access and cameras in rooms and corridors. Collection is restricted to authorised adults; a different collector requires written permission and password verification. These are practical procedures, distinct from the dated safeguarding judgement.

Meals, breakfast, snacks and milk are provided by the nursery, with dietary alternatives arranged through discussion; preschool funded-only attendance has a separate food charge or bring-your-own arrangement. Families supply nappies and, where required, formula or expressed milk, alongside spare clothing and comfort items.

Sessions and Attendance

The address is Oasis Church, Oxton Road, Wallasey, CH44 4EU. Full Day runs from 7.30am to 5.45pm, and Half Day bookings run either from 7.30am to 12.30pm or from 1pm to 5.45pm. These are distinct booking choices, rather than simply an opening window.

Minimum attendance is two days per week. The nursery operates across the year, with bank holidays excluded. Applications begin through an expression-of-interest form, and allocation follows a first-come basis with priority for families who already have a child attending. A waiting list is used when an immediate place cannot be offered.

A deposit is required for a nursery booking. Leaving requires four weeks’ written notice, while reducing attendance requires two weeks’ written notice. Fees fall due on the 26th of the month and are paid by standing order; absence does not remove the payment obligation. Families arranging variable work schedules should take those ongoing commitments into account.

Funding and Paid Extras

Funded childcare is accepted, including 30 Hours Government Funding, with private charges applying to time beyond funded hours. Funding is spread across 52 weeks for equal monthly payments. Entitlement and the cost of the chosen attendance pattern are separate questions: a funded allocation does not make additional attendance free.

For preschool children attending funded-only hours, food is charged separately if families choose nursery meals and snacks; parents can instead send food for the nursery day. Nappies come from home, and formula or expressed milk is supplied by families where required. Current prices come in the nursery’s written quotation, and the fees and funding page explains the preschool food arrangement.

• Two-day commitment. Minimum attendance is two days each week, alongside full-day and half-day options. At a visit, discuss how the half-day choices fit that requirement and the intended weekly routine.
• Older children’s oral health. In August 2023, babies brushed their teeth daily, but teaching older children these habits had become less consistent. Ask how oral-health learning now works in Poppies and Sunflowers.
• Preschool funded-only food. Nursery meals and snacks carry separate charges for this attendance arrangement, with food from home as the alternative. Compare the complete written quotation with the timetable your child will use.
• Settling and individual care. Three initial settling sessions can be extended following discussion. Book a visit in advance and use it to discuss comfort routines, any additional needs and current arrangements for allergies or dietary requirements.

Daisy Day suits families seeking either full-day attendance or shorter half-day bookings who can meet its two-day weekly commitment. Its clearest strengths are concrete: different age-stage rooms, learning journals that parents can contribute to, and daily communication through Blossom.

The August 2023 picture adds memorable examples of children practising independence through meals, outdoor play and New Brighton outings. Those examples are dated, while the current offer gives families practical ways to follow development and shape settling. The decision turns on whether the attendance commitment and food arrangements fit family life, alongside a satisfactory discussion of how oral-health teaching has developed.