Red Squirrels Nursery
GoodBirth to 8+Open for decades
A pre-school in Appleby-In-Westmorland for children from birth to 8+, open 08:30 to 16:00, 5 days a week. They do not publish prices, so that is the first thing to ask. Rated Good by Ofsted in November 2022. Open since 2007, with 19 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 Westmorland and Furness
This is not this setting's price. It is the median hourly fee across all providers in Westmorland and Furness 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
CA16 6NXWhat 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, 25 November 2022 · read the full report
What it is like to attend
Children arrive happy and confident in this welcoming setting. They are greeted by kind staff who know them and their families well. As a result, children settle quickly and feel safe and secure. Children separate well from their parents, who comment on how much their children enjoy attending.
Children are provided with a stimulating learning environment and take part in a wide range of activities. For example, they learn to use a variety of tools, such as pens, sticky tape and scissors. This helps to develop their hand muscles in readiness for early writing. During outdoor play, they run, skip and jump as they eagerly find pictures of woodland animals in their purpose-built 'nature area'.
Children understand daily routines and listen attentively to staff's requests.
What Ofsted told them to improve
To further improve the quality of the early years provision, the provider should:
- focus professional development opportunities more precisely on supporting staff to raise the quality of their teaching to the highest level n share ideas with parents to help extend children's learning at home.
- 25 November 2022Good
- 31 March 2017Good
- 15 May 2014Good
Rated Good or Outstanding at 3 of the last 3 graded inspections.
Still missing for Red Squirrels 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.
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.