Explorers Bootle
GoodBirth to 5Open a few years
A day nursery in Bootle 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 They do not publish prices, so that is the first thing to ask.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 July 2025. Open since 2023, with 104 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 Sefton
This is not this setting's price. It is the median hourly fee across all providers in Sefton 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
L20 3DGWhat 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, 16 July 2025 · read the full report
What it is like to attend
The provider has taken swift and effective action to address the weaknesses identified at the previous inspection. They have recruited several new highly qualified staff to the nursery. Leaders have more time to ensure that staff receive the support that they need to improve their work with children. The provider's arrangements for the key-person system are a strength of the nursery. This has had a positive impact on the quality of care and education that children receive.
Children settle quickly on arrival and are greeted warmly by staff. They learn how to behave well. This is because staff have high expectations of how children should behave. For example, staff use the nursery's toy potato head to demonstrate to children how to use their mouth for kind words, feet for walking when indoors and hands to share. Children relish being given special duties, such as to be a
'lunchtime helper' to give out plates and cups at mealtimes. They demonstrate positive attitudes to learning.
What Ofsted told them to improve
To further improve the quality of the early years provision, the provider should:
- focus professional development more precisely so that staff are clearer on how they can further strengthen their practice - strengthen the curriculum for mathematics to help children to become confident mathematicians.
- 16 July 2025Good Safeguarding: Yes
- 17 January 2025Inadequate Safeguarding: Yes
Rated Good or Outstanding at 1 of the last 2 graded inspections.
Still missing for Explorers Bootle
- 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.