Partou Oxton Day Nursery & Pre-School

A converted villa, a purpose-built sensory room and redesigned outdoor play areas give Partou Oxton Day Nursery & Pre-School a clear physical character. Its Shrewsbury Road setting combines spaces for energetic play with somewhere quieter for children to explore lights and textures or take a pause. That balance matters across a nursery caring for babies through to preschool children.

The nursery has capacity for 99 children, from birth to five. At its April 2022 inspection, Ofsted rated it Good overall and judged safeguarding effective. That judgement predates the refurbishment, so the newer surroundings and the dated assessment of care should be considered separately.

Full-day, morning and afternoon sessions sit alongside an early drop-off option and term-time attendance. Families can choose between shorter sessions and a longer nursery day.

Rooms and Ages

The baby room has been redesigned as a calm space with resources matched to children's stage of development, while the toddler and preschool areas also have new equipment. A separate pre-school space supports independence as children approach school age. These are different environments within the same setting, rather than one shared play space for every age.

A soft play room adds another indoor option. The sensory room serves children across the nursery: lights and textures provide things to investigate, while its quieter atmosphere creates an alternative to busy play. Its value is practical, especially for a child who needs time to regulate their emotions before rejoining an activity.

Learning and Activities

The early years foundation stage sets the requirements for children's learning, development and care. In everyday terms, learning includes play, conversation, physical exploration and growing independence. Current activities at Oxton are planned around children's interests and experiences; the group-wide child-led approach also gives children scope to make choices and build curiosity.

In April 2022, babies explored paint, soil and sand, while older children used a home corner for imaginative play. Books ran through the day, with children looking independently and adults reading stories. A lending library extended that interest into home life, giving families a way to share books beyond nursery hours.

Language teaching had a clear strength and a clear limitation at that time. Preschool children learnt dinosaur vocabulary and used it in their play, but less-experienced practitioners did not consistently use accurate words with younger children or develop conversations enough to extend learning. More consistent language modelling and richer interaction were the improvement priorities.

Outdoor and Community Life

The landscaped grounds contain water play areas, climbing equipment and artificial grass surfaces. Outdoor classrooms and dedicated free-flow play areas add opportunities to explore beyond the indoor rooms. Children can dig, splash and climb, making movement and investigation part of the nursery environment.

In April 2022, children helped decide how to arrange balance equipment before trying it out. This gave them a role in shaping the activity as well as practising coordination. The current redesigned grounds provide a different physical setting from that earlier snapshot.

Long-serving members of staff provide continuity, helping children and families build relationships over time. Regular updates about a child's day and development are included within the care charge. For parents, this makes communication part of the ordinary service rather than a separate extra.

At the April 2022 inspection, Ofsted found very good support for children with SEND, including coordination with other professionals, and very good partnerships with parents. In April 2022, staff responded promptly when babies became tired or children were unsettled; children also took phonics activities home, including a letter bag used to collect objects beginning with a chosen letter.

Independence was practised through ordinary routines in April 2022: children helped themselves to lunch, poured drinks and washed their hands. Cooking brought another opportunity to make decisions, with children choosing pizza toppings alongside the cook. These small responsibilities gave children an active part in their own care.

Meals are prepared on site using a seasonal menu. Food and drinks have a separate charge, as do nappies, wet wipes and sun cream; both categories are also charged during funded sessions.

Sessions and Attendance

The address is 14 Shrewsbury Road, Prenton, CH43 1UX. Opening hours are 7.30am to 6pm, Monday to Friday. A full day runs from 8am to 6pm, the morning session from 8am to 1pm, and the afternoon session from 1pm to 6pm; early drop-off runs from 7.30am to 8am.

Year-round and term-time attendance are supported. Bank Holidays are closure days, and the nursery closes at 4pm on Christmas Eve and New Years Eve. Charges run across 52 weeks, including Bank Holidays, which matters when comparing the attendance calendar with the annual cost.

Visit booking is offered, and enquiries can be made by telephone on 0151 651 0501. Birkenhead Central and Birkenhead Park stations are nearby, with road access from Claughton, Prenton and Birkenhead.

Funding and Paid Extras

Funded childcare is offered through Wirral Local Authority. The 15 or 30 hours of weekly entitlement can be used across 38 term weeks, or stretched across 52 weeks for year-round attendance, giving 10.96 or 21.92 funded hours each week respectively. Funded childcare covers a maximum of 10 hours a day. Eligibility determines which entitlement applies.

Funding covers the care element. Meals and snacks, including drinks, and consumables remain separate charges on funded and private sessions. The care element includes activities, use of the nursery facilities and developmental updates; current prices come in the nursery's written quotation.

On joining, a non-refundable registration charge or a registration deposit applies, with eligibility governed by the terms and conditions. Families should distinguish this initial payment from ongoing care and extras when considering the overall arrangement.

• Language during play. In April 2022, less-experienced staff needed more consistent language modelling and interaction. During a visit, ask how practitioners now extend conversations with babies, toddlers and preschool children.
• The quieter spaces. The sensory room is intended for children throughout the nursery, alongside soft play and outdoor areas. Ask how your child would use these spaces and how settling sessions would introduce them.
• Attendance and billing. Morning, afternoon and full-day bookings serve different routines, while charges continue across Bank Holidays. Request a written quotation for your chosen pattern, separating care, food, consumables and the applicable joining payment.

Oxton suits families seeking morning or afternoon sessions as well as full-day attendance, with term-time and year-round arrangements to consider. The sensory room, soft play room and landscaped grounds give children several kinds of space for exploration and quieter moments.

The April 2022 Good judgement provides a dated assessment, with language interaction the teaching issue to examine on a visit. The strongest current attraction is the combination of redesigned surroundings and clearly separated care and extras charges, making both the child's day and the family's financial commitment easier to assess.