Rose Tree Day Nursery

Natural play materials, a toothbrush for each child and a family app that carries daily diaries give Rose Tree Day Nursery a recognisable character. This Rock Ferry setting combines opportunities for children to choose their own play with practical routines for personal care. The details matter: independence here includes both deciding what to explore and learning to look after yourself.

Ofsted rated the nursery Good on 9 August 2023. There are 30 places in total, with an accepted age range of 2 to 60 months. Separate baby, toddler and preschool rooms organise the day around different stages of development rather than treating the whole age range as one group.

Communication deserves close attention. In August 2023, staff regularly used songs, conversation and books, but some questions exceeded children's understanding and some babies practised speaking with dummies still in their mouths. Improving staff knowledge of language development was the identified next step. That gives families a specific point to explore alongside the nursery's current speech screening and referral arrangements.

Rooms and Ages

The Baby Room takes babies up to 2 years old, with a milk station, sleeping cots and play resources supporting feeding, rest and an emphasis on talking and listening.

Children aged two to three use the Toddler Room, where accessible natural materials support imaginative play and let children choose what to explore.

From age 3, the Pre-School Room encourages children to contribute to displays and practise inclusive behaviour alongside learning across the EYFS areas. Similarities between the rooms are intended to make changes of room feel familiar, while resources remain appropriate to the children's stage.

Learning and Activities

EYFS provides the framework for children's learning and care: children explore early reading and writing, numbers, shapes and measuring through activities, while play encourages exploration, persistence and developing ideas. Rose Tree adds elements of the Curiosity approach, using natural materials and open-ended play to encourage imagination. Resources are available for children to initiate learning themselves. These elements shape play alongside the EYFS.

In August 2023, fiction and information books featured regularly in activities, including books about numbers. Staff also demonstrated counting during everyday experiences. These examples show how early mathematics and language were woven into play at that time, rather than confined to a separate lesson.

Outdoor and Community Life

Outdoor play forms part of the nursery's daily provision, subject to safe weather conditions, and local outings include walks and visits beyond the premises. These give children experiences outside their usual indoor surroundings. In August 2023, children also made regular visits to older people at a local care home, bringing contact with another generation into their learning about people and families.

Garden picnics and stay-and-play events let families share nursery life, while Graduation for School Leavers marks the move towards school.

Relationships and Communication

Every child has a keyworker, giving families an identified person connected to their child's emotional needs. Settling arrangements take account of individual children and family circumstances. In August 2023, staff allowed children time to seek another cuddle from a parent before separating; babies received gentle conversation and songs during nappy changes. These were small, specific examples of responsive care at that visit.

EYlog is the family app for photographs, observations, reports and electronic daily diaries, with messages passing in both directions. Parents can contribute information as well as receive it. A paper keepsake record holds creations and memories alongside the electronic learning journey, giving families something tangible to retain.

Daily handovers cover matters such as sleep, food, friendships and activities. The collection procedure also requires an agreed password when a designated adult collects instead of a parent. Communication therefore serves both the account of a child's day and the practical arrangements for who takes them home.

Inclusion and Wellbeing

Wellcomm screening supports the nursery's process for identifying speech and language needs, with referrals where necessary. Meetings with families can lead to a graduated approach, intensive support plans and contact with the Local Authority Special Educational Needs Officer. Where planning with families indicates that it would help, the nursery applies for Educational Health Care Plan Assessments.

At its August 2023 inspection, Ofsted found that support for children with SEND drew effectively on parents and external specialists, and that safeguarding arrangements were effective. Current safeguarding procedures provide a designated lead on duty throughout opening hours and describe recruitment checks and staff training.

Quiet areas support sleep, rest and relaxation. Activities help children recognise emotions, and staff can offer individual or small-group support when feelings become difficult to manage. Toothbrushing is another practical routine: each child receives a toothbrush and support to learn its use. Personal care is part of the day.

A specialised catering service supplies food, and the allergy policy provides for an assessment with parents before a child starts, shared with staff. This gives allergy-affected families a defined planning process to discuss, rather than relying on a general assurance about suitable meals.

Sessions and Attendance

Rose Tree operates at 484 Old Chester Road, Rock Ferry, Birkenhead, Wirral, CH42 4PE. Opening hours are Monday to Friday, 7.45am to 6.15pm, and attendance runs across the year. Full-day and half-day bookings are offered; morning and afternoon options are sold for the baby, toddler and preschool rooms.

Half-day slots are billed monthly across 12 months. Extra hours carry an additional charge and must be arranged and paid for at least 24 hours beforehand. This makes the agreed attendance pattern important for families whose working hours change from day to day.

Admissions give priority to looked-after children, followed by children known by the local authority to have SEND whose needs the nursery can best meet, vulnerable children receiving specified support, siblings and local families. A full-time request may take precedence over a part-time one depending on work commitments, occupancy and room availability. The nursery operates a waiting list; this is an allocation rule, not an indication of free places.

Enquiries use telephone or email. A completed registration form and signed contract are required, and the booking process includes a booking fee and written acceptance. Ending attendance or reducing sessions requires written notice of one month, with the termination terms specifying a full calendar month and fees remaining payable during notice.

Funding and Paid Extras

Funded early education and privately paid childcare are offered. Funded bookings use a parental declaration setting out when the free sessions will be taken; the nursery reserves the right to specify or limit funded sessions according to business requirements. Funded bookings can be made a term ahead, with allocation on a first-come basis subject to availability. Participation therefore does not promise a particular attendance arrangement.

Lunch and snacks are included in paid session charges; during funded sessions, meals and additional activities may attract separate charges. Parents supply sealed formula for bottle feeding, while nappies are provided by the nursery, without describing that provision as inclusion in the fee.

Current prices come in the nursery's written quotation. The terms and conditions also make fees payable during a child's absence and set out charges for late collection.

• Language development. In August 2023, overly advanced questions and dummy use during talking limited some children's speech learning. At a visit, ask how staff now adapt questions and manage dummies during conversation, alongside Wellcomm screening.
• Attendance and funding. Full-time requests can receive preference over part-time requests, while funded sessions may be specified or limited. Discuss how your proposed pattern fits these rules before agreeing the contract.
• Baby routines and allergies. The Baby Room has cots and a milk station, and the allergy policy includes an assessment with parents. Use a visit to discuss your baby's sleep and feeding routine, or confirm current allergy practice for your child.
• Contract flexibility. Monthly billing across 12 months, advance booking for extra hours and notice requirements affect changing arrangements. Read these together with the written quotation before committing to a pattern.

Rose Tree suits families seeking full-day attendance or shorter morning and afternoon sessions, with natural play materials, keyworker relationships and two-way EYlog communication central to its offer. Baby care facilities and defined support processes add practical value. The August 2023 Good judgement sits alongside a language-development improvement point; changing attendance needs also require careful consideration of the contract rules.