Overton Nursery & Pre-School Centre

A lending library, play that prepares children for a new sibling, and routines children can manage themselves give Overton a recognisable character. In May 2026, books travelled home for families to share, while dolls and water play helped toddlers explore changes in family life. These are useful connections between nursery learning and life at home.

At its 21 May 2026 inspection, Ofsted judged behaviour, attitudes and establishing routines to be Strong standard, with achievement, welfare and wellbeing, curriculum and teaching, inclusion, and leadership and governance at Expected standard; safeguarding standards were met. The improvement priorities were clearer teaching of early mathematics and healthy lifestyles. Those priorities deserve attention alongside the strengths.

Based in Upton, Wirral, Overton accepts children from one month to five years. Full days, morning and afternoon sessions, a School Day option and hourly childcare give families several ways to organise attendance.

Rooms and Ages

In May 2026, the toddler room used dolls, bathing activities and pretend play to help children expecting a sibling explore what that change might mean. The resources answered a real concern in children's lives, rather than treating role play as an activity detached from home.

For babies, the same month's provision included soft-play equipment for practising climbing and building strength. Older children worked with play dough and tools for making marks. These examples show different physical challenges for different stages: movement and exploration for the youngest children, with more controlled hand movements for older children.

Learning and Activities

The early years foundation stage is the framework for children's learning, development and care, with play and everyday routines providing opportunities to develop language, movement and independence. At Overton in May 2026, sensory exploration included searching through sand for treasure, while conversations around play gave children opportunities to practise using language.

The lending library extended reading beyond nursery: children could borrow books to enjoy with their families. Learning also included Chinese New Year and Diwali, introducing children to festivals and differences between people's experiences. These were examples of the curriculum in May 2026, rather than a calendar of promised events.

Mathematics needed more consistency that month. Staff had identified gaps in children's knowledge and were beginning to bring mathematical language into play and routines, but opportunities were still being missed across the team. For parents, the useful distinction is between having mathematics in the curriculum and making those learning opportunities happen reliably throughout the day.

Outdoor and Community Life

In May 2026, older children organised hide-and-seek outdoors, deciding who would count and how the game should work. A shared painting activity gave children another reason to collaborate, this time making a large canvas together. The hide-and-seek game gave older children an opportunity to organise play themselves.

Music and movement started the morning during that month's visit. Babies responded to bubbles with sounds and words, while children's careful interest in a ladybird offered a small example of curiosity about living things. The day combined energetic activity with opportunities to notice, talk and investigate.

Relationships and Communication

In May 2026, key people used knowledge of children's home circumstances to plan activities around their emotional needs. Settling arrangements were adapted to the individual child, rather than following one fixed timetable. This matters when a child needs reassurance or is dealing with change beyond nursery.

At the May 2026 inspection, Ofsted found that children made steady progress, that staff used assessment and care plans to support children with special educational needs and/or disabilities, and that work with families and outside professionals helped coordinate support. Strategies were shared with parents for use at home, connecting support across the child's day.

Inclusion and Wellbeing

Picture cards helped explain changes in routines in May 2026. Staff also adjusted communication and personal care to individual needs, including protecting privacy during toileting and nappy changes. Practical adaptations such as these make an expectation easier for a child to understand and take part in.

Mealtimes offered opportunities for conversation that month, and children practised independence through washing themselves after lunch, clearing plates and tidying toys. Teaching about healthy food and drink was less consistent: staff sometimes missed chances to explain choices. Social lunchtime routines and learning about health are related, but both need attention.

The current staff team includes early years practitioners and a qualified Primary School Teacher. Many staff have worked at Overton for years, giving the team continuity. That is useful context for families weighing relationships alongside the practical attendance options.

Sessions and Attendance

Opening hours are 7am to 6pm, Monday to Friday. Overton operates across the year, closing for bank holidays and Christmas, and also offers term-time-only places. There is no deposit or minimum session requirement.

A Full Day runs from 7am to 6pm; the Morning Session finishes at noon, and the Afternoon Session runs from noon to 6pm. The School Day option is 9am to 3pm, with a Full Week option also offered. Hourly childcare can cover a short period or extend another session, which gives families a way to adjust attendance around their own routines.

Breakfast Club runs from 7am to 9am and includes a walking bus to Overchurch Schools. After School Club runs from 3.20pm to 6pm, with school collection, a snack, activities and homework support; Holiday Club for children aged five and over runs from 7am to 6pm. These are additional school-age services alongside the early years provision.

Getting There

The address is 160 Royden Road, Upton, Wirral, CH49 4RH, at The Overton Centre. Families can contact the nursery by telephone on 0151 678 5635, by email at info@overton-centre.co.uk, or through its contact form.

Funding and Paid Extras

Eligible families can use 15 hour and 30 hour funded places, either during term time or stretched across the year. Funded childcare does not require the purchase of extra hours, food or optional extras. Private childcare is also offered, with current prices supplied in the nursery's written quotation.

Food depends on the booking: Full Day and Full Week include breakfast, both snacks and a hot lunch of two courses; Morning Session includes breakfast and a snack, Afternoon Session a snack, and School Day a morning snack and hot lunch. On funded sessions, meals and additional snacks are excluded, with a separately charged hot lunch or a packed lunch from home as options.

Consumables are excluded from funded hours, as are additional hours and optional extras. The sessions and fees page sets out the booking structure; fees and optional charges are reviewed annually by March, with advance notice of changes.

• Mathematics across the day. In May 2026, teaching of early mathematics varied across the team. At a visit, ask how staff now build counting, comparison and mathematical language into children's play.
• Learning about healthy choices. The May 2026 improvement priorities included healthy lifestyles. Ask how meals and activities now help children understand food and drink choices.
• Funded attendance and extras. Funding can be term-time or stretched, while food, consumables and additional hours sit outside the entitlement. Request a written breakdown for the attendance pattern you intend to use, including how consumables are handled.

Overton suits families wanting morning or afternoon sessions as well as full days, with hourly childcare and term-time attendance adding flexibility. No deposit and no minimum session requirement make the booking model especially useful for parents whose needs do not fit a fixed weekly package.

The May 2026 picture combines well-established routines, home-linked play and practical support with two clear teaching priorities. The lending library and personalised toddler play give substance to the learning experience. Consistency in mathematics and teaching about healthy choices are the points to explore before deciding.