Acorn Grove Nursery
Good★ 3.8 on GoogleBirth to 8+Open for decades
A day nursery in Cheetham Hill for children from birth to 8+, open 09:00 to 15:30, 5 days a week. They do not publish prices, so that is the first thing to ask. Rated Good by Ofsted in December 2023. Open since 2005, with 65 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 Manchester
This is not this setting's price. It is the median hourly fee across all providers in Manchester 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
M8 0NEWhat 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.
- 18 April 2024 — Concern: actions taken what Ofsted published
Ofsted inspector, 14 December 2023 · read the full report
What it is like to attend
Children are happy and thoroughly enjoy spending time at this nursery. They are warmly welcomed by caring staff. Staff build positive relationships with all the children. They are attentive and nurturing in their approach. This helps children to feel safe and secure in the nursery. Children gain a good awareness of expected behaviours. Staff have high expectations for all children. They are positive role models and encourage children to show good manners and respect for each other.
Staff provide children with clear instructions. This helps children understand the rules in the nursery, such as why they need to use 'kind hands'.
Staff use books to help children recognise their own feelings. Children practise pulling faces in mirrors to represent different emotions. They are learning how to manage their own feelings effectively. Children's communication and language are promoted well. They hear repeated words as staff read books and sing nursery rhymes that they choose. Staff also introduce new words to children as they play.
What Ofsted told them to improve
To further improve the quality of the early years provision, the provider should:
- support staff to provide high-quality interactions with quieter, less-confident children to engage them better in learning n develop the way staff differentiate activities, to help provide further challenge to the most able children.
- 14 December 2023Good
- 15 January 2018Good
- 4 August 2017Inadequate
Rated Good or Outstanding at 2 of the last 3 graded inspections.
Still missing for Acorn Grove Nursery
- 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.