Little Sparks Ltd
GoodTakes funded hours★ 5.0 on GoogleBirth to 8+Open for decades
A day nursery in Accrington for babies from a few weeks old up to school age, open 07:30 to 18:00, 5 days a week. £63.00 a day for 2- 3 years ( tweenies 2 years and ov, and they take the funded hours. Rated Good by Ofsted in November 2022. Open since 2009, with 50 places.
What it costs
Prices change without notice. Treat these as what to ask about, not a quote.
| Age | Full day | Session | Hourly | Weekly | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 0 -2 years ( babies and younger tweeniesbirth to 2y | £65.50 | £44.50Half day afternoon, 5 hrs £48.50Half day morning, 5 hrs | – | £287.70Full week full time | |
| 2- 3 years ( tweenies 2 years and ov2y to 3y | £63.00 | £42.50Half day afternoon, 5 hrs | – | £273.00Full week full time | |
| 3- 4 years ( preschool )3y to 4y | £59.50 | £40.00Half day afternoon, 5 hrs £45.50Half day morning, 5 hrs | – | £269.85Full week full time | |
| All ages | – | – | £8.00Extra hours care | – |
Extras
Charged on top of the session rate.
- £3.00 Early start
- £3.00 Late Finish
What a funded hour still costs
Funded hours cover the childcare. These are charged alongside them.
- £6.00 a half day Half dayadd an all inclusive option to their funded days, includes all meals, all snacks, all drinks ( Formula milk
- £12.00 a day Full dayadd an all inclusive option to their funded days, includes all meals, all snacks, all drinks ( Formula milk
Where this came from
The outlined line is the one the price was taken from.
Funded hours
15 and 30 hours of free childcare, Tax-Free Childcare, and funded places for eligible two-year-olds.
Worth knowing. Parents and carers are able to add an all inclusive option to their funded days.
What childcare usually costs in Lancashire
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.
Places, hours and the day
Who they take, when they are open, and what a day there includes.
Where it is
BB5 5STWhat 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, 11 November 2022 · read the full report
What it is like to attend
Children are happy and demonstrate that they feel safe in the home-from-home environment. All staff share the manager's ethos of ensuring children and their families feel a true sense of belonging within the nursery. As children arrive, they are excited to explore and play with their friends. They leave their parents with ease and greet staff with smiles. Children are confident and self-assured, because their opinions are truly valued. For example, they engage in meaningful discussions with staff, as they decide the nursery menus for the week ahead.
Children are engaged and motivated in their chosen activities, and show a willingness to learn and try new things. For example, babies and toddlers enjoy stepping on the sensory tiles. They laugh as they feel the different sensations under their feet. Older children create letters and safely use scissors, as they cut tape and wrap up parcels. They develop the strength in their hands, which prepares them well for future learning, such as writing. Following the COVID-19
pandemic, staff have supported children with their social interactions. They ensure children form respectful and supportive relationships with staff. This helps children to develop their confidence.
What Ofsted told them to improve
To further improve the quality of the early years provision, the provider should:
- strengthen procedures to monitor staff practice to raise the good quality of teaching to the highest level n enhance arrangements for children to learn about what is right and wrong, so all children clearly understand what is expected of their behaviour.
- 11 November 2022Good
- 13 January 2017Outstanding
- 19 September 2012Good
Rated Good or Outstanding at 3 of the last 3 graded inspections.
Still missing for Little Sparks Ltd
- 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.
- Is £63.00 a day still the rate? 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.
- Do you have a place for a child of my age now? 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.