The Cottage Nursery
Ofsted report card Jan 2026Takes funded hours★ 4.1 on GoogleBirth to 5Open for decades
A day nursery in Manchester for children from birth to 5, open 07:30 to 18:00, 5 days a week. They take the funded hours. They do not publish prices, so ask. Inspected under Ofsted's new report card in January 2026. Open since 2004, with 103 places.
What it costs
Prices change without notice. Treat these as what to ask about, not a quote.
Funded hours
All parents with 3-5 year olds at the school qualify for the nursery education grant, which will greatly reduce the fees you pay and can even be taken as a free place for 15 hours per week during term time. Many parents will also qualify for the new 30-hour grant which will give another big reduction in fees.
What childcare usually costs in Salford
This is not this setting's price. It is the median hourly fee across all providers in Salford 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
M30 9ALWhat Ofsted found, area by area
Since November 2025 Ofsted gives a standard in each of seven areas rather than one overall grade. Expected standard means it is doing what it should.
What 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.
- 14 January 2026Report card seven areas graded separately Safeguarding: Met
- 20 February 2020Good
- 19 May 2016Good
- 25 March 2013Needs improvement
Rated Good or Outstanding at 2 of the last 3 graded inspections.
Still missing for The Cottage Nursery
- What it costs
- Youngest age taken
- 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
Some of this is above, from the setting or from parents, and it can go out of date. The rest is in no dataset anywhere. Either way it is worth ten minutes on the phone.
- What does it cost, all in? What is on top: meals, nappies, late pick-up, and what happens if you are late.
- How do you apply my funded hours? 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.