Play Pals Childcare
GoodBirth to 8+Long established
A day nursery in Wigan for children from birth to 8+, open 8am to 6pm. They do not publish prices, so that is the first thing to ask. Rated Good by Ofsted in March 2025. Open since 2017, with 36 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
WN2 4SSWhat 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, 13 March 2025 · read the full report
What it is like to attend
Staff provide children with a calm and engaging environment. They deploy themselves well across the nursery to support children in play and learning. Staff form strong bonds with children and get to know them extremely well. They have an in-depth understanding of their individual needs and how they learn best. This promotes children's well-being and helps them to feel happy and supported at nursery. Staff promote positive behaviour consistently and are good role models.
They remind children about the nursery rules, such as 'no running inside' and instil good manners. Children follow instructions and non-verbal cues, such as the tidy up bell, automatically. They know what is expected of them at nursery and behave very well.
Communication and language development is a real strength at the nursery and runs seamlessly through the whole curriculum. Staff expose all children to a broad and ambitious range of vocabulary. They choose words from the book of the week, such as 'prune' and 'sow' and talk about what they mean. Staff put new words into sentences and link them to activities children are familiar with. This helps children to make connections in their learning and retain new information. All children make good progress in their development.
What Ofsted told them to improve
To further improve the quality of the early years provision, the provider should:
- implement the curriculum more precisely in the outdoor area to support children's different learning preferences n provide staff with specific feedback on their individual practice to create more consistency in the quality of interactions.
- 13 March 2025Good Safeguarding: Yes
- 2 May 2019Good
Rated Good or Outstanding at 2 of the last 2 graded inspections.
Still missing for Play Pals Childcare
- 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.