Happitots Day Nursery
GoodBirth to 8+Open for decades
A day nursery in Bolton for children from birth to 8+, 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 They do not publish prices, so that is the first thing to ask.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 August 2021, though that is 5 years ago now. Open since 1992, with 26 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 Bolton
This is not this setting's price. It is the median hourly fee across all providers in Bolton 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
BL5 3PDWhat 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, 27 August 2021 · read the full report
What it is like to attend
Children have a real sense of belonging in the homely nursery. They genuinely appear to adore the staff, who take care of them. Staff provide soft lighting and calming music to settle children to sleep. Children demonstrate that they feel safe as they snuggle into staff for cuddles. Close bonds are evident as children and staff play harmoniously. They constantly laugh and giggle, and share jokes and happy times together.
Leaders want children to thrive, and they support children to enjoy learning.
Children immerse themselves in exciting, imaginative activities that staff plan based on what they know the children like. For example, boys are interested in dinosaurs, so staff provide natural resources to allow children to replicate the dinosaurs'
What Ofsted told them to improve
To further improve the quality of the early years provision, the provider should:
- strengthen staff professional development to help them to deliver a precisely sequenced curriculum that builds on what individual children know and can do
- help staff to support children's listening and attention skills and to extend children's language and vocabulary n improve partnership with all parents to update and involve them more in children's ongoing care and learning.
- 27 August 2021Good
- 1 October 2019Needs improvement
- 19 January 2016Good
Rated Good or Outstanding at 2 of the last 3 graded inspections.
Still missing for Happitots Day 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.