Abc at Atherton's Children Centre
GoodBirth to 8+Open for decades
A day nursery in Manchester for children from birth to 8+, open 08:00 to 16:00, 5 days a week. They do not publish prices, so that is the first thing to ask. Rated Good by Ofsted in February 2023. Open since 2008, with 40 places.
What you might pay
This setting does not publish its fees, and no national dataset holds them. This is what childcare costs across the council, as a starting point for the call.
What childcare usually costs in Wigan
This is not this setting's price. It is the median hourly fee across all providers in Wigan from the Department for Education's 2025 provider survey. No national data holds what an individual nursery charges, so ring and ask.
Places, hours and the day
Who they take, when they are open, and what a day there includes.
Where it is
M46 0HXWhat the inspector found
One grade is one visit. A run of them tells you whether it has been good for years or has only just got there.
Ofsted inspector, 9 February 2023 · read the full report
What it is like to attend
Children are safe and happy at this lovely nursery. They form very strong bonds with the staff and each other. Children behave well. They understand the importance of sharing, turn-taking and friendly behaviour. Children remind their friends of the golden rules, such as 'kind hands' when they are a little boisterous.
Staff model lovely manners and respectful behaviour, which children instinctively copy. Children are learning about what is expected of them and how to conduct themselves appropriately. These are important qualities needed for their later life.
There is a strong focus on communication and language development at the nursery. Staff have high expectations of what children can achieve. For instance, young children hear new words, such as 'gigantic' and 'squash', and include these in their independent play with support from staff. Staff extend children's sentences by adding descriptive words to broaden their vocabulary. Children are very confident communicators, particularly pre-school children. They hold lengthy backand-forth conversations about their home lives, family members and things they enjoy doing at nursery. Children gain a lot of skills and knowledge needed for the next stage in their development.
What Ofsted told them to improve
To further improve the quality of the early years provision, the provider should:
- support staff to engage quieter children in play and learning more consistently n strengthen the procedures for hygiene practices, such as handwashing after wiping children's noses n focus the feedback staff receive more sharply on their individual practice to raise the quality of education to a higher level.
- 9 February 2023Good
- 3 October 2019Good
- 29 November 2012Outstanding
Rated Good or Outstanding at 3 of the last 3 graded inspections.
Still missing for Abc at Atherton's Children Centre
- What it costs
- Funded hours
- Youngest age taken
- Meals
- Nappies
- Waiting list
No dataset holds any of this. Two parents telling us the same thing puts it on the page for whoever looks next.
What to ask them
None of this is in any national dataset and this setting has not published it, which is exactly why it is worth asking.
- What does it cost, all in? What is on top: meals, nappies, late pick-up, and what happens if you are late.
- Can I use my funded hours here? Whether they stretch them over the year, and the minimum days you have to book.
- Is there a place for my child's age? Baby rooms fill first and waiting lists are common.
- Who would my child's key person be? And how long have the staff been there. No dataset holds this and it matters more than anything above.
- Can I visit at a busy time? Mid-morning on a weekday tells you far more than an empty room after hours.
Day nurseries within a couple of miles
This one is first. Tick it and one or two others to see them side by side.