The Enchanted Forest Nursery

In January 2026, coastal exploration and real tools gave The Enchanted Forest Nursery in Fleetwood a recognisable character. In January 2026, children explored water safety through beach school and older children used tools in the construction room. These experiences connected play with practical skills.

At its January 2026 inspection, Ofsted awarded Strong standard for achievement, behaviour and routines, curriculum and teaching, inclusion, and leadership, with Expected standard for welfare and wellbeing; safeguarding standards were met. The distinction matters: the next step concerned children's understanding of staying healthy.

The nursery accepts children aged 3 to 59 months and operates at Emmanuel Church, Lofthouse Way.

In January 2026, learning built progressively on children's existing skills. The early years foundation stage provides the framework for learning, development and care: here, play included practising language, exploring quantities and developing movement.

Language teaching had concrete examples. Staff supplied precise colour vocabulary during picture-making and talked through children's play. Tower-building introduced comparisons of size and quantity, while mixing mud and sticks outdoors introduced new words through exploration. Those activities brought communication and early mathematics into things children were already doing.

Beach school involved exploring the coastline and learning about safety near water. The construction room gave older children opportunities to handle real tools. Elsewhere, children worked together to stabilise car ramps, while babies practised early walking skills. The examples show learning through doing, with different challenges for different stages.

At the January 2026 inspection, Ofsted found that key persons developed secure relationships with children and families, children made substantial progress, and personalised support helped children with SEND participate in learning. Assessment included language screening and identifying developmental gaps, with support adapted to individual needs.

In January 2026, practical adjustments included changing session times for individual children and deploying extra staff to support participation. Multi-agency work supported children with more complex needs, and transition arrangements included support plans for moving on to school. These were concrete mechanisms for maintaining continuity between nursery and the next stage.

Sleep arrangements followed individual routines, and babies experienced massage during their day. Children had daily outdoor play, and toothbrushing initiatives introduced oral health habits. Handwashing before meals was encouraged, although helping children understand how to stay healthy remained the improvement priority.

The community hub also ran sessions and informative workshops for nursery families and the wider community in January 2026. It extended contact with families beyond conversations about an individual child's day.

The address is Emmanuel Church, Lofthouse Way, Fleetwood, FY7 6ST. Opening hours are 7.30am to 6pm, Monday to Friday.

The nursery operates throughout the year, closing for Bank Holidays and Christmas. That calendar matters for families arranging care across working weeks and holiday periods.

• Healthy routines. The January 2026 next step was to use everyday routines more effectively to teach children healthy habits. This is the clearest improvement priority to discuss.
• Coastal learning. Beach school included water-safety learning in January 2026. On a visit, ask how these experiences are organised for your child's age and needs.
• Individual support. Adjusted sessions, additional staff deployment and school-transition support plans featured in January 2026. Families whose children need extra support should explore how those arrangements would apply to their child.

The Enchanted Forest Nursery suits families seeking care throughout the year, with closures for Bank Holidays and Christmas. Its January 2026 picture combined tools, language-rich play and individual support arrangements. The improvement priority is equally concrete: making healthy habits more explicit in everyday routines.