Crank Nursery Limited
GoodTakes funded hours★ 4.6 on GoogleBirth to 5Open for decades
A day nursery in St Helens for babies from 3 months up to 5 year olds, open 07:30 to 18:00, 5 days a week. They take the funded hours. They do not publish prices, so ask. Rated Good by Ofsted in September 2022. Open since 1992, with 120 places.
What it costs
Prices change without notice. Treat these as what to ask about, not a quote.
Places, hours and the day
Who they take, when they are open, and what a day there includes.
Where it is
WA11 7SDWhat 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.
- 8 May 2025 — Concern: actions taken what Ofsted published
- 21 August 2023 — Concern: actions taken what Ofsted published
Ofsted inspector, 1 September 2022 · read the full report
What it is like to attend
Children are excited, motivated learners. They giggle with delight as they conduct various experiments. They work with textures and colours to create different potions in the garden. Pre-school children are amazed to find they can alter the potions by adding different coloured paints and soap flakes. Staff support children's learning well. They skilfully introduce new language and encourage children to express their thoughts and ideas. This helps to support children's critical thinking and processing skills. Children enjoy warm, genuine relationships with staff and their peers. Staff and the management team have high expectations for every child. This reflects in children's behaviour. They behave well and are welcoming, kind and respectful.
Children feel secure at this nursery. They know that staff will meet their needs.
Even the youngest children communicate effectively. For instance, babies express to staff when they need a nappy change. They take staff by the hand and lead them towards the changing station. Routines are very well embedded, and this supports children in sharing their needs before they are yet able to speak. Older children enjoy both group activities and their own individually led play. They show impressive levels of concentration. Pre-school children build complicated train tracks and use their imaginative skills to create exciting story lines and imaginary worlds to play in.
What Ofsted told them to improve
To further improve the quality of the early years provision, the provider should:
- consider ways to further strengthen risk assessment outdoors in the case of an unknown person entering the premises n consider more effective and swift means of helping babies to adapt to some aspects of the nursery routine, such as sleeping in a cot.
- 1 September 2022Good
- 16 November 2016Outstanding
- 25 January 2013Good
Rated Good or Outstanding at 3 of the last 3 graded inspections.
Still missing for Crank Nursery Limited
- What it costs
- 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
Some of this is above, from the setting or from parents, and it can go out of date. The rest is in no dataset anywhere. Either way it is worth ten minutes on the phone.
- What does it cost, all in? What is on top: meals, nappies, late pick-up, and what happens if you are late.
- How do you apply my funded hours? Whether they stretch them over the year, and the minimum days you have to book.
- Do you have a place for a child of my age now? 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.