Daydreams
GoodBirth to 5Open for decades
A day nursery in St. Helens for children from birth to 5, open 07:30 to 18:00, 5 days a week. They do not publish prices, so that is the first thing to ask. Rated Good by Ofsted in May 2025. Open since 2008, with 44 places.
Places, hours and the day
Who they take, when they are open, and what a day there includes.
Where it is
WA10 3HLWhat 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, 20 May 2025 · read the full report
What it is like to attend
Children thrive and are well cared for in this safe, nurturing setting. The warm and welcoming staff team members put children at the heart of everything they do.
Leaders are ambitious for all children, including those with special educational needs and/or disabilities (SEND). Learning is carefully sequenced throughout the provision to help children achieve their full potential. Children are happy and inquisitive learners. For example, they gleefully mix dough, count dinosaurs and explore the texture of paint as it runs through their fingers.
Staff encourage a love of stories and rhyme. Staff read books to children that have ambitious and rich vocabulary. Children enjoy joining in and repeat phrases when talking about a favourite character. Babies observe closely and give big smiles to staff, as they use puppets to sing songs that are familiar to them. Children respond to staff's gentle words, which help them to settle.
What Ofsted told them to improve
To further improve the quality of the early years provision, the provider should:
- support staff to know when to give children time and consistently challenge children's understanding and thinking, so that they make the best possible progress.
- 20 May 2025Good Safeguarding: Yes
- 12 August 2019Good
- 27 February 2014Outstanding
Rated Good or Outstanding at 3 of the last 3 graded inspections.
Still missing for Daydreams
- 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.