Small Wonders
Good★ 5.0 on GoogleBirth to 8+Open for decades
A day nursery in St. Helens for children from birth to 8+, open 07:30 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 They do not publish prices, so that is the first thing to ask.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 January 2025. Open since 2009, with 127 places.
Places, hours and the day
Who they take, when they are open, and what a day there includes.
Where it is
WA11 0JUWhat 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, 14 January 2025 · read the full report
What it is like to attend
Children flourish in this bright and enticing nursery. They build positive relationships with staff, who are kind and nurturing. Staff have high expectations for children's progress and, overall, are highly effective at meeting their needs. The embedded key-person system means staff get to know all children well and support them to understand their emotions. These bonds help children to feel safe and secure.
Leaders have developed a flexible and ambitious curriculum, securely rooted in the knowledge of how children develop and what they need to learn next. Staff follow children's interests and gradually weave learning opportunities into their daily routine. Staff have high ambitions for children's progress and ensure the curriculum is carefully sequenced and adapted to children's individual needs. This helps to ensure that children embed skills across all areas of learning.
Children relish their opportunities for outdoor play. They demonstrate good physical dexterity as they bounce and kick balls and run freely around the secure outdoor area. Staff teach children to take appropriate risks and challenges as they play, building their confidence and resilience and giving them a sense of achievement when they succeed. Children listen and respond well to instructions and smile with pride as they receive praise for their efforts. They are developing highly positive attitudes to learning.
What Ofsted told them to improve
To further improve the quality of the early years provision, the provider should:
- support staff to implement the curriculum for communication and language consistently across all age groups to help children further develop their speaking and listening skills.
- 14 January 2025Good Safeguarding: Yes
- 26 February 2019Good
- 11 April 2016Good
Rated Good or Outstanding at 3 of the last 3 graded inspections.
Still missing for Small Wonders
- 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.