New Ferry Day Nursery

Play dough, water jugs and babies reaching for balls give New Ferry Day Nursery's August 2022 picture its character: learning built around small, practical discoveries. The setting has capacity for 51 children aged 0 to 60 months at Grove Street in New Ferry.

At its 16 August 2022 inspection, Ofsted rated the nursery Good and judged safeguarding effective. That is a dated assessment, rather than a description of today's daily practice.

In August 2022, children explored quantities by pouring water between jugs, while shaping play dough exercised the muscles used for early writing. Babies practised reaching and grasping with balls. These were simple activities with clear developmental purposes.

The detail matters: children discovered that differently sized jugs needed different amounts of water, giving an everyday pouring activity a purpose beyond keeping them occupied. Stretching and moulding dough brought physical practice into play, while reaching for a ball gave babies something concrete to work towards. In that August 2022 account, learning involved handling objects and trying things out. For parents, these examples help explain how practical play can serve different stages of development.

The early years foundation stage sets requirements for children's learning, development and care: play supports learning alongside attention to children's wellbeing. In August 2022, staff planned around children's interests and the skills they needed next. Stories, familiar songs, instruments and props gave children opportunities to listen and use words.

During those August 2022 activities, practitioners used questions and supplied vocabulary to develop children's speech. This put adult interaction alongside the resources: an instrument or story was a starting point for conversation, rather than the whole learning experience. Planning around individual interests also meant considering the next skill each child needed. That individual attention is an important distinction from the group activities described below, where younger children's opportunities to contribute were sometimes squeezed out.

Group activities needed adjustment at that time. Older children sometimes answered questions intended for younger children, leaving the younger participants less involved. The practical issue was whether a shared activity gave children at different developmental stages enough opportunity to participate.

In August 2022, settling sessions had been extended to give new children more time to become familiar with staff. Daily conversations covered children's play and learning, but the information reaching parents was uneven. Some families needed clearer ideas about continuing that learning at home.

Behaviour support also needed more explanation in August 2022. Staff prompted manners and sharing, and helped with minor disagreements, but did not consistently explain how a child's actions affected someone else. This matters because managing a dispute and helping children understand it are different tasks.

Physical play that month included tricycles, scooters and balancing toy eggs on spoons. Children also had healthy food choices, bringing movement and everyday wellbeing into the day. Older children used water butts independently in August 2022, adding a practical opportunity to do something for themselves. Riding, balancing and carrying objects called on different physical skills, so the account went beyond a general statement that children were active.

In August 2022, staff checked risks inside and outdoors and assessed whether play resources were suitable and safe to use. Safeguarding training covered recognising possible signs of abuse, and staff knew the procedures and contacts for raising concerns. Recruitment checks also formed part of the arrangements. These details explain the work behind the dated safeguarding judgement: attention to equipment and surroundings sat alongside recognising concerns about a child and knowing how to report them.

The address is 24-26 Grove Street, New Ferry, CH62 5AZ. Opening hours are 7.30am to 6pm, Monday to Friday, with year-round opening and closure on Bank Holidays.

In August 2022, the nursery provided funded early education for children aged two, three and four. Families should obtain a current written quotation for prices.

• Participation in group activities. In August 2022, younger children sometimes lost their opportunity to answer. During a visit, ask how activities now accommodate different developmental stages.
• Learning shared with families. Information about learning was inconsistent in August 2022. Ask how your child's next steps and ideas for home learning will reach you.
• Understanding behaviour. August 2022 practice needed clearer explanations of how actions affect others. Ask how practitioners help children work through disagreements.

For families seeking year-round childcare within a weekday opening window, New Ferry Day Nursery merits consideration. Its August 2022 assessment combined a Good judgement with practical play and extended settling sessions. The decision should also weigh the three clear improvement priorities: participation in group learning, communication with parents and children's understanding of behaviour.