Happy Tots Private Day Nursery
GoodTakes funded hours★ 4.3 on GoogleBirth to 8+Open for decades
A day nursery in Manchester for children from birth to 8+, 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 They do not publish prices, so ask.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 July 2025. Open since 1999, with 94 places.
What it costs
Prices change without notice. Treat these as what to ask about, not a quote.
Funded hours
Free 15 and 30 hour childcare for 2-5 year olds.
Worth knowing. We stretch the funding across 50 weeks as opposed to the term time 38 week period.
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
M8 4NBWhat 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, 7 July 2025 · read the full report
What it is like to attend
Children are welcomed by happy and enthusiastic staff as they arrive at this nursery. They separate easily from their parents and settle quickly into activities with their key person. Staff focus on improving children's communication and language, supporting their growing vocabulary and extending their language skills through play and experiences. In the baby room, staff blow bubbles with the babies, who giggle excitedly as they blow them bigger and bigger. Staff model language, such as 'big bubbles' and 'bubble pop' to encourage babies to copy.
Older children talk about their constructions, with children making farms and castles. Staff seamlessly provide dolls and animals to extend their play and promote storytelling.
Staff have high expectations for children's behaviour. Routines are used well to embed rules and boundaries. Children respond to cues, such as the clean-up song, where they help to tidy away the toys for lunch. This supports children's behaviour expectations, as they know what is expected and what is coming next. Behaviour is positive and well-managed. Leaders encourage children to learn about their local community by providing opportunities to visit local shops, park, the farm, and making links with the local library. Children benefit from outings on the tram, where they learn about road safety, safety around strangers, and how to buy tickets, as well as the experience of the trip.
What Ofsted told them to improve
To further improve the quality of the early years provision, the provider should:
- support staff to develop the curriculum to strengthen opportunities and experiences for children's engagement and learning outdoors.
- 7 July 2025Good Safeguarding: Yes
- 24 January 2025Inadequate Safeguarding: No
- 7 February 2019Good
Rated Good or Outstanding at 2 of the last 3 graded inspections.
Still missing for Happy Tots Private Day Nursery
- What it costs
- 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
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.
- 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.