Habla Day Nursery

English and Spanish share the day at Habla Day Nursery, giving this Upton setting a clear identity beyond occasional language lessons. Its bilingual approach involves everyday exchanges with practitioners, alongside play, stories and songs. For parents choosing it, the central question is whether that sustained exposure fits what they want for their child.

At its 29 July 2021 inspection, Ofsted rated Habla Outstanding and found that children understood both languages well, with strong communication and literacy development. That judgement is dated. The current setting has 31 places in total and accepts children from six to 60 months, at 49 Salacre Lane, Wirral, CH49 0TN.

Morning and afternoon sessions sit alongside an opening window extending from 7.30am to 6pm. The detail matters for families arranging care around work or a shorter nursery day.

Learning and Activities

The early years foundation stage provides the framework for learning and care: children build communication, physical and social skills through play and interaction. Bilingual learning sits alongside those foundations rather than replacing them.

Habla's group-wide one-person one-language (OPOL) system means Spanish-speaking practitioners use Spanish with children, while English-speaking practitioners use English. This makes language part of ordinary conversation. Children are encouraged to answer in the language used with them, giving exchanges a purpose beyond repeating vocabulary in a separate lesson.

In July 2021, English and Spanish featured across activities, and children joined familiar songs and repeated Spanish phrases. Rhyming books helped children explore sounds, and practitioners' questions encouraged problem-solving. Language and early reading therefore met in the same activity, rather than occupying separate parts of the day.

Mathematical play had equally concrete starting points in July 2021. Children combined collections of objects, compared quantities and used size words to describe vehicles. These examples give parents a useful picture of early numeracy: handling, comparing and talking about things, rather than simply reciting numbers.

Rooms and Ages

In July 2021, younger children investigated textures and pulled objects through openings. In the toddler room, sensory exploration included watching cars run down a ramp and describing their speed. The ramp gave children something observable to discuss, linking physical exploration with language.

Preschool experiences in July 2021 included practising balance and pencil control. These were practical steps towards the next stage of learning, with movement and handling tools both part of preparation for school. The examples describe that inspection period, rather than establishing today's room arrangements.

Outdoor and Community Life

The nursery day includes outdoor play and activities led by adults, alongside opportunities for children to choose what they investigate. Story time, quieter activities and a rest period also have places in the routine. This mix gives the day different rhythms, rather than treating every part of it as an organised group activity.

Across Habla, community experiences include visits to a local residential home. The group also uses everyday objects for play that children can take in different directions. These are opportunities to explore beyond a predetermined answer, while the residential-home visits introduce contact with people outside the nursery's immediate circle.

Relationships and Communication

An English key person is part of Habla's group-wide bilingual arrangements, with attention given to each child's English development as well as their experience of Spanish. That gives parents a clear point of contact within a setting where two languages are in use.

Habla at Home is the group's parent resource area, bringing together Spanish practice, films and ideas for supporting development at home. Its practical value is continuity: families can revisit language and activities beyond nursery hours, including parents who want to learn some Spanish themselves.

In July 2021, parents contributed ideas through meetings with leaders, and children had a say by voting for preferred meals or stories. Staff also shared language strategies with families and offered workshops. These examples show different routes for participation, from a child's immediate preference to a parent's discussion about learning.

Inclusion and Wellbeing

At the July 2021 inspection, Ofsted judged safeguarding effective, describing staff who understood their responsibilities and used recruitment checks, training and risk assessments to support children's safety. That assessment relates to July 2021.

The Habla group's deputy manager holds SENCO accreditation and is its designated safeguarding lead, and its team undertakes paediatric first aid training. The designated safeguarding lead role and paediatric first aid training establish safeguarding and health arrangements.

Conversations about emotions featured in July 2021, with stories helping children discuss feelings and choices. Children also talked about keeping themselves safe, including why a bicycle helmet matters. Both examples put care into language children could use and situations they could understand.

Sessions and Attendance

The Upton nursery opens Monday to Friday, from 7.30am to 6pm, and operates across the year with a Christmas closure. Its morning session finishes at 12.30pm; the afternoon session begins at 1pm and ends at 6pm. The break between those session boundaries matters when matching a booking to a family's daily arrangements.

Enquiries for Upton go to hablaupton@outlook.com or 0151 678 5544. The address is 49 Salacre Lane, Upton, Wirral, CH49 0TN.

Funding and Paid Extras

In July 2021, the nursery provided funded early education for children aged two, three and four. Families should obtain a current written quotation for their proposed attendance pattern.

Meals across Habla are cooked on the premises, with a fortnightly menu covering tea, breakfast, snacks and lunch, including Spanish dishes and provision for specific dietary requirements. Menu planning involves a nutritionist and draws on the Children's Food Trust Eat Better, Start Better Programme, which addresses early-years food and nutrition guidance.

• Spanish exposure. Habla explains that a child's Spanish experience depends on their starting age and attendance, and that understanding does not necessarily mean speaking extensively. Discuss how practitioners would introduce both languages to your child during a visit.
• Session boundaries. The morning finishes at 12.30pm and the afternoon starts at 1pm. Consider which pattern fits your working day and ask how a booking spanning those boundaries is arranged.
• Care and the quotation. With an English key person, two languages and meals cooked on site, a useful visit should cover settling, any additional needs and dietary requirements. Ask for one written quotation separating funded hours, private hours, food and non-food consumables for your intended booking.

Habla suits families who want English and Spanish woven into nursery life and who can use morning or afternoon attendance patterns. OPOL gives that bilingual identity a specific method, while Habla at Home extends opportunities for practice beyond the setting.

The Outstanding judgement from July 2021 provides a strong dated assessment, with concrete examples of language, books, sensory exploration and early mathematics behind it. For families using mornings or afternoons, its appeal is everyday contact with both languages, backed by an English key person and resources for practice at home.