New Brighton Day Nursery CIC

Twice-weekly woodland trips, coastal exploration and a sensory room with a fishtank give New Brighton Day Nursery CIC a recognisable character. Outdoor learning has substance here: children travel by minibus to woodland sites, investigate beach habitats and return to the Foresty Beach Hut to discuss their experiences over lunch. The emphasis is on doing, noticing and talking.

Based at New Brighton Children's Centre in Wallasey, the nursery accepts children from birth to five. At its 9 June 2022 inspection, Ofsted judged overall effectiveness Good and behaviour and attitudes Outstanding, found safeguarding effective, and recognised prompt identification of children needing additional help, with staff using support plans and working with external professionals.

The purpose-built setting gives each room direct outdoor access, with adjoining sleep rooms and step-free spaces throughout. These are practical advantages for young children: active play, rest and time outside have places of their own. Full-day, morning and afternoon attendance patterns give families different ways to use the setting.

Rooms and Ages

Little stars introduces babies and younger children to exploratory play, using a carpeted movement area, non-slip messy-play flooring and resources such as treasure baskets, tunnels and familiar household objects. The emphasis is on discovering through movement and the senses, rather than expecting children to use equipment in one prescribed way.

Explorers develops construction, imaginative play and friendships alongside investigations of colour, texture and the natural world. Butterflies combines children's interests and investigations with learning to participate in a group, while its school transition programme uses role play and work with families and receiving teachers.

Natural light and underfloor heating complement the step-free layout and adjoining sleep rooms.

Learning and Activities

The EYFS sets the expectations for children's learning, development and care; here, children work towards these through play, exploration, communication and relationships. Alongside that shared framework, the nursery uses a Reggio inspired, child-led approach: resources and activities develop from what children are interested in investigating. Natural objects and loose parts give children materials they can rearrange and use in different ways.

There is concrete enrichment alongside this approach. Kiddley Divey brings music, puppets and storytelling; Break the mould CIC delivers weekly sports coaching, and Beeyogabeeme provides weekly yoga. Baby Bloom adds songs and sensory experiences.

In June 2022, children mixed paints to investigate colour, discussed insects and recalled details from books. Emotional learning also took tangible forms: babies explored facial expressions in mirrors, while older children used stories, discussion and drawing to consider feelings.

Outdoor and Community Life

Forest School takes children into natural settings for practical, child-led exploration. The nursery has a site at Royden Nature Reserve through its partnership with Wirral Council Rangers, plus access to another at Mount Primary School. Minibus trips to the sites take place twice weekly, with activities including den building, wildlife observation, climbing and learning to use tools.

Beach School applies a similar approach to the coast. Children explore shells, tides and rock pools, investigate crab habitats and make marks in sand. Sessions end with reflection and lunch in the Foresty Beach Hut, making time to revisit what happened rather than treating the outing as a separate diversion.

The nursery grounds support outdoor activity between trips. A dedicated Outdoor Ranger works with spaces including a Mud Kitchen, Bug Hotel, Bike Park and Track, and a Reconditioned Boat with Sail. Planting areas and a mini-orchard connect growing with picking and eating. That gives children opportunities to revisit natural processes over time, as well as explore new places on outings.

Relationships and Communication

Settling begins with a two-hour introduction, extended when needed, with parents invited to accompany their child and meet the key person. Families complete an introductory profile covering their child, helping staff plan the first weeks around individual development and routines. This gives the relationship a practical starting point.

Storypark is the nursery's app and online communication tool, providing daily room updates with photographs or videos and access to key workers. Parents can contribute observations from home, update preferences and routines, and take part in individual learning plans. Communication can therefore work in both directions, rather than stopping at a daily account from staff.

Room changes include short periods in the new room with the existing key person, following discussion with parents. For the move to school, staff liaise with receiving schools, arrange teacher visits and use the minibus for small-group induction trips when schools invite children. These arrangements support familiarity with the next setting; they do not establish an admissions advantage.

At the June 2022 inspection, Ofsted asked the nursery to improve the transfer of information when a child's key person was absent, because covering staff sometimes lacked clear learning intentions and did not extend the child's existing knowledge. This is an important qualification to the otherwise personal care model: continuity depends on the wider team understanding the child too.

Inclusion and Wellbeing

The sensory room brings together tactile materials, lights, scents, sounds and a fishtank, with resources intended for different ages and developmental stages. Whole-team Makaton training supports children's communication and self-expression. The MyHappyMinds Programme sits alongside puppet and storytelling training to support emotional regulation, language and wellbeing.

Families can also use workshops, stay-and-play sessions and early-years resources, while the nursery works with specialist early-years professionals when needed. Disabled access extends throughout the building. Together, these are identifiable arrangements for participation and support, rather than a blanket promise about how every child's needs will be met.

Lunches come from Can Cook, whose chefs prepare the catering meals on the delivery day using a three-week menu cycle; the nursery kitchen handles breakfast and afternoon snacks or teas. The nursery's dietary policy is to accommodate dietary requirements, food allergies and intolerances.

Sessions and Attendance

Opening hours are 7.30am to 6pm, Monday to Friday. The nursery operates for 51 weeks, closing for bank holidays and the Christmas week. It offers full-day sessions alongside morning attendance from 8am to 1pm and afternoon attendance from 1pm to 6pm.

Extra sessions can be booked subject to space. Fees are paid monthly in advance, and discounts apply to full-time bookings and siblings.

Parents supply nappies, wipes, creams and formula or breast milk where needed, plus spare clothing and suitable outdoor kit. Waterproof layers and wellies have an obvious role in a nursery with woodland and beach activities. The uniform is optional.

Getting There

The address is New Brighton Children's Centre, Mount Pleasant Road, Wallasey, CH45 5HU. Enquiries can be made by calling 0151 630 0992 or emailing info@newbrightondaynursery.org.uk.

Funding and Paid Extras

In June 2022, the nursery provided funded early education for two-, three- and four-year-old children. Private attendance is charged through session bookings. Deposits are refundable under the deposit policy, while late collection attracts an additional charge.

• Continuity of care. The June 2022 improvement point concerned cover for an absent key person. At a visit, ask how learning plans, routines and individual support are handed over to the covering practitioner.
• Outdoor participation. Twice-weekly woodland trips and Beach School are substantial parts of the offer. Discuss how outings are adapted to your child's age, confidence and support needs, and what outdoor clothing they will use.
• Funding and the total bill. Parents bring nappies, wipes, creams and milk feeds where required, while attendance charges follow the booking pattern. Ask which funded entitlement and delivery pattern apply to your booking, and whether meals or activity charges sit alongside it.
• Dietary needs. Can Cook supplies lunches, while the nursery kitchen prepares breakfast and afternoon snacks or teas. Families managing allergies should confirm current ingredient checks, food preparation arrangements and communication between the two.

New Brighton Day Nursery CIC suits families seeking substantial outdoor experiences, child-led exploration and regular communication about their child's day. Morning and afternoon sessions make it relevant to shorter attendance patterns as well as full-day care. Royden Nature Reserve, Beach School and the sensory room give the offer depth beyond a generic account of nursery play.

The June 2022 Good judgement provides a dated quality benchmark, with children's behaviour a particular strength. The information-sharing improvement point deserves attention when considering the key-person model. Storypark also suits parents who want to contribute to their child's learning.