Apple Blossom Kindergarten
GoodBirth to 8+Long established
A pre-school in Manchester for children from birth to 8+, open sessions in term time, often mornings. They do not publish prices, so that is the first thing to ask. Rated Good by Ofsted in November 2024. Open since 2016, with 20 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
M19 2PFWhat 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, 26 November 2024 · read the full report
What it is like to attend
Staff skilfully plan rich sensory experiences that immerse children in hands-on activities, such as preparing food. Children chop vegetables and mix yeast, water and flour to make bread to accompany their home-made soup. They explore textures and build hand strength through kneading the dough. Children are deeply engaged as they gain a greater understanding of real-world processes. They assist adults with practical tasks, such as folding blankets 'corner to corner' and setting the table, working out how many bowls and pieces of cutlery are needed. Children enhance their problem-solving skills while fostering independence and a sense of responsibility.
Staff prioritise physical activity both indoors and outdoors. Children manipulate apparatus to enable them to spin, stretch and climb. They use small brushes to help adults sweep up leaves. Children carefully observe spiders and worms as they engage with the natural world. One child tells the inspector, 'I hope the worm has friends as it may be lonely when everybody has gone home and it's all alone.'
Children show compassion and emotional awareness as they connect with living things.
What Ofsted told them to improve
To further improve the quality of the early years provision, the provider should:
- build consistent strategies to help children develop a deeper understanding of their actions and behaviour in preparation for their next steps in learning.
- 26 November 2024Good Safeguarding: Yes
- 29 January 2019Good
Rated Good or Outstanding at 2 of the last 2 graded inspections.
Still missing for Apple Blossom Kindergarten
- 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.
Pre-schools within a couple of miles
This one is first. Tick it and one or two others to see them side by side.