Westwood Smarties
GoodBirth to 8+Open for decades
A day nursery in Manchester for children from birth to 8+, open 09:15 to 14:45, 5 days a week. They do not publish prices, so that is the first thing to ask. Rated Good by Ofsted in June 2025. Open since 2009, with 44 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 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 8DNWhat 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, 19 June 2025 · read the full report
What it is like to attend
Children have a lovely experience at this home-from-home nursery. They arrive eager to play and confidently separate from parents. Staff are nurturing and get to know children well. They have a good understanding of children's likes and routines, particularly those children with special educational needs and/or disabilities (SEND). Staff recognise that some children benefit from time in the sensory room before they enter the classroom and adapt their routine accordingly.
This promotes children's emotional well-being and helps them to feel happy at nursery.
Children access an ambitious curriculum that helps them to develop a positive attitude to learning. Younger children concentrate intently as they break open blocks of ice to find sea animals. They use their problem-solving skills to work out that hitting the ice with pebbles breaks it up more quickly than waiting for it to melt. Staff introduce a range of vocabulary, such as 'hard', 'dripping', and 'shiny' to help children describe what they see and feel. Older children are keen to take part in dough activities. They skilfully create structures and are resilient when learning how to form small dough balls in the palms of their hands. Children are motivated learners who are well prepared for the next stage of learning.
What Ofsted told them to improve
To further improve the quality of the early years provision, the provider should:
- enhance the curriculum for literacy development, particularly in the outdoor area, to further support those children who prefer to learn outdoors n strengthen the procedures for professional development to help staff improve their skills and provide more consistency in the quality of interactions.
- 19 June 2025Good Safeguarding: Yes
- 23 September 2024Needs improvement
- 18 October 2018Good
Rated Good or Outstanding at 2 of the last 3 graded inspections.
Still missing for Westwood Smarties
- 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.