NurseryWise Childcare in England
Day nursery in Lancaster

Lancaster Day Nursery

Outstanding★ 4.3 on GoogleBirth to 8+Long established

A day nursery in Lancaster for children from birth to 8+, open 07:00 to 18:00, 5 days a week. They do not publish prices, so that is the first thing to ask. Rated Outstanding by Ofsted in July 2022. Open since 2015, with 66 places.

Call 01524 230724Their website

Cost

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 Lancashire

£5.80an hour, typical for a 2 years old
£5.50an hour, typical for a 3 and 4 years old

This is not this setting's price. It is the median hourly fee across all providers in Lancashire from the Department for Education's 2025 provider survey. No national data holds what an individual nursery charges, so ring and ask.

The basics

Places, hours and the day

Who they take, when they are open, and what a day there includes.

Who they can take
Birth to 8+Registered from birth. Whether there is a baby room is a question for the call.
When it's open
07:00 to 18:00, 5 days a weekFrom their Google listing
Funded hours
Not published, so ask them
Google rating
4.3 out of 5From 6 Google reviews. NurseryWise has none of its own.
How many children
66 placesLarge for England
How long open
11 yearsLong established
Address
Morecambe Bay Hospitals Nhs Trust, Royal Lancaster Infirmary, Lancaster, LA1 4RP

Where it is

LA1 4RP
Ofsted URN EY491949On the register since 29 July 2015
Ofsted

What 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 has looked into a concern about this setting. That means something was raised and Ofsted acted on it. It does not by itself say what was found — the document does.

Ofsted inspector, 14 July 2022 · read the full report

What it is like to attend

Children thrive at this exceptional setting. They are cared for by a highly qualified staff team who are supported by an inspirational manager. The enthusiasm the manager has for providing high-quality care for the children is adopted by the staff team. Children are offered personalised settling-in sessions in order to ensure they feel safe and secure while they are at nursery. The dedicated key-person system supports children and families in the early stages of their journey at nursery. The provider believes that children's basic needs must be met before they can start learning. This is implemented effectively in practice. Staff focus on attachments with children throughout nursery. Consequently, children are settled and confident to embark on their learning journey.

Children behave exceptionally well. They have exemplary manners and are kind and courteous. Their attitudes towards their learning are positive and they are willing to have a go at activities. Staff enhance children's learning by offering support if and when required in order to provide challenge for them. For example, babies roll cars along the floor and staff provide alternative ways of doing this, introducing ramps and modelling words and sounds. As a result, babies are exposed to language that prepares them for their first words.

Children's health and safety is of great importance to the staff team. They have robust systems in place to ensure children's individual needs are met. For example, at mealtimes, a traffic-light system is in place to identify children with allergies, intolerances and dislikes. Name cards, coloured plates and cups work well to make sure their specific needs are always fully met.

  • 14 July 2022Outstanding
  • 11 August 2016Good

Rated Good or Outstanding at 2 of the last 2 graded inspections.

Still missing for Lancaster 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.

Before you ring

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.
Compare

Day nurseries within a couple of miles

This one is first. Tick it and one or two others to see them side by side.

Lancaster Day Nursery

Day nursery · Morecambe Bay Hospitals Nhs Trust, Royal Lancaster Infirmary, Lancaster, LA1 4RP

OutstandingBirth to 8+07:00 to 18:00, 5 days a week★ 4.3 Google, 666 placesLong established

Mucky Pups Pre School

Day nursery · Lancaster Boys and Girls Club, Dallas Road, Lancaster, LA1 1TP

GoodTakes funded hoursBirth to 5From 1 year08:00 to 18:00, 5 days a week24 placesOpen for decades
0.3 mi
5 min walk
01524849106Their website

Rising Stars Nursery

Day nursery · Firbank Childrens Centre, Firbank Road, Lancaster, LA1 3HL

GoodTakes funded hours£8.00 an hourBirth to 8+From 1 year08:30 to 17:00, 5 days a week88 placesOpen for decades
0.8 mi
17 min walk
01524383366Their website

Appledore Montessori

Day nursery · Lancaster Steiner School, Lune Road, Lancaster, LA1 5QU

GoodBirth to 508:00 to 17:30, 5 days a week★ 5.0 Google, 923 placesOpen a few years
0.9 mi
17 min walk
07891843937Their website

Pick two or three to compare.

Everything here comes from Ofsted's published childcare register, under the Open Government Licence. Ratings are quoted exactly as Ofsted gave them, with their dates. Read the full Ofsted reports · How we put this together.

All childcare in Lancaster