Ladybirds Neighbourhood Nursery
Good★ 4.2 on GoogleBirth to 8+Open for decades
A day nursery in Runcorn for children from birth to 8+, open 08:00 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 They do not publish prices, so that is the first thing to ask.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 September 2024. Open since 2005, with 66 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 Halton
This is not this setting's price. It is the median hourly fee across all providers in Halton 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
WA7 5LUWhat 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 September 2024 · read the full report
What it is like to attend
The nursery provides all the children in its care with a supportive, clear and ambitious curriculum. This helps children to be curious, engaged individuals who make good progress in their learning. Staff understand the importance of continuously enhancing the environment, and children benefit from their planning
'in the moment'. For example, staff add a pretend coffee shop to the autumn area when children show an interest in pretending to make hot drinks now that the weather is changing. This allows children to build on their curiosity and imagination and to develop new interests in their own time.
Leaders understand the importance of providing a language-rich environment. They encourage staff to provide lots of opportunities for children to use key words. This allows children to express their ideas and try out new vocabulary throughout the day. Children have the opportunity to develop their personal skills and confidence as they progress through the nursery. Staff help children to understand the importance of taking calculated risks. For example, staff and children wear puddle suits and slide down the hill on wet tarpaulin. This allows children to explore risks in a monitored manner in the presence of adults. Children learn to behave safely, and to think and respond to risks as they occur.
What Ofsted told them to improve
To further improve the quality of the early years provision, the provider should:
- monitor and evaluate the impact of curriculum strategies more closely, to help maintain high-quality provision for children n support all staff to use assessment even more effectively and precisely target individual children's next steps in learning.
- 27 September 2024Good
- 26 October 2018Good
- 18 November 2015Good
Rated Good or Outstanding at 3 of the last 3 graded inspections.
Still missing for Ladybirds Neighbourhood 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.