Partou Footprints Day Nursery & Pre-School
Good★ 4.9 on GoogleBirth to 8+Long established
A day nursery in Atherton for children from birth to 8+, open 07:15 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 They do not publish prices, so that is the first thing to ask.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 2023. Open since 2017, with 135 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 Wigan
This is not this setting's price. It is the median hourly fee across all providers in Wigan 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
M46 9DSWhat 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.
- 9 September 2026 — Concern: actions taken what Ofsted published
Ofsted inspector, 4 August 2023 · read the full report
What it is like to attend
Children have a wonderful time at this setting. They learn by experiencing meaningful activities. Staff teach the children about life cycles in real time, starting with tadpoles and caterpillars. Children keep watch on eggs in the incubator and delight at seeing them hatch into chicks. Pre-school children take care of the vases of fresh flowers in their classroom. Toddlers explore their senses and discover how materials change. They use tweezers and other props to hunt for toy animals hidden in trays of soil, foam and dry oats. Younger children enjoy picking the pips out of a pomegranate. This supports their fine motor skills as they explore the properties of various fruits.
A carefully constructed curriculum builds on what children already know and can do. As children progress through the rooms, the levels of learning are enhanced to continue to help them to make good progress. This ensures that when they leave they are ready for school. The setting has good links with the feeder schools, which children enjoy visiting to see plays. Staff have developed strong community links.
This means children can go out and visit various places and experience the local community around them. Children visit the library, the fabric shop, the park and the local play centre. This helps children to develop a sense of identity and feel part of the world in which they live.
What Ofsted told them to improve
To further improve the quality of the early years provision, the provider should:
- support staff to help parents better understand the setting's approach to education and care to fully promote continuity in children's learning.
- 4 August 2023Good
- 2 January 2018Good
Rated Good or Outstanding at 2 of the last 2 graded inspections.
Still missing for Partou Footprints Day Nursery & Pre-School
- 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.