Playtots
GoodBirth to 8+Long established
A day nursery in Liverpool 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 They do not publish prices, so that is the first thing to ask.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 November 2024. Open since 2016, with 16 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 Knowsley
This is not this setting's price. It is the median hourly fee across all providers in Knowsley 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
L33 9TWWhat 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, 26 November 2024 · read the full report
What it is like to attend
Children are greeted at the door by the friendly staff. They immediately rush in to explore the activities on offer. Staff offer a range of experiences, which they carefully plan to meet children's needs and interests. As such, children are quickly engaged in their play and learning opportunities. Staff provide a narrative to children's play. They model a two-way flow of conversation and introduce new vocabulary. When reading stories, staff talk about living on Earth and discuss what the word 'earth' means in the story.
Staff engage children in circle-time activities, where they discuss what children's favourite things are. Children take turns around the circle to share their favourite things, with staff repeating back what they have said. This encourages children's developing communication and language skills and supports their sentence structure and pronunciation.
Staff have high expectations for children's behaviour. They instil routines and boundaries to support children to know what to expect. Children soon learn the routine of the day and take cues as to what is happening next, such as songs to signify tidy-up time. Staff model manners and politeness when speaking to children and each other, which promotes a culture of respect in the setting.
What Ofsted told them to improve
To further improve the quality of the early years provision, the provider should:
- refine group activities, such as story time and singing, to maintain all children's interest and engagement n strengthen the use of effective questioning to ensure that staff consistently provide opportunities to develop children's thinking skills.
- 26 November 2024Good Safeguarding: Yes
- 10 January 2019Good
Rated Good or Outstanding at 2 of the last 2 graded inspections.
Still missing for Playtots
- 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.