Windmill Day Nursery
GoodBirth to 8+Open for decades
A day nursery in Thornton-Cleveleys for babies from 3 months up to school age, open 08:00 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 They do not publish prices, so that is the first thing to ask.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 March 2024. Open since 2001, with 49 places.
What it costs
Prices change without notice. Treat these as what to ask about, not a quote.
What childcare usually costs in Lancashire
This is not this setting's price. It is the median hourly fee across all providers in Lancashire 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
FY5 2TZWhat 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, 5 March 2024 · read the full report
What it is like to attend
Children enjoy coming to the setting to see staff and their friends and happily play together. They are confident to leave their parents at the door. Staff provide an environment where children run in and choose the activities they wish to take part in. Staff have formed strong relationships with children, and children enjoy the warmth, security and understanding of their key person. Children are confident and show that they feel safe and secure as they chat away, discussing what they have had for their breakfast and where they went at the weekend. Children of all ages behave well and play harmoniously together. Staff organise the day to allow lots of opportunities for children to practise taking turns and sharing. Staff support some children who are still learning these skills. They guide children in a sensitive and consistent way. For example, staff remind children to be kind and take turns riding the tricycles outdoors.
Staff provide a variety of exciting learning opportunities for children to choose from to ignite their thirst for learning. Children relish the opportunity to get messy as they squish and squeeze wet sand in a tray. Staff encourage children to role play and pretend the large cardboard box is a boat. Children pretend they are swimming in the sea as they demonstrate swimming actions with their arms. Children pretend they are jumping into the sea, giggle with their friends and chat excitedly about it being wet. Staff snuggle with younger children while they enjoy sitting and listening attentively to stories. The children follow instructions to find the animals they can see in the story.
What Ofsted told them to improve
To further improve the quality of the early years provision, the provider should:
- place an even sharper focus on identifying children's next steps in learning to help staff further support their progress n support staff to use spontaneous opportunities to promote children's thinking and problem-solving skills.
- 5 March 2024Good
- 22 May 2018Outstanding
- 24 June 2015Outstanding
Rated Good or Outstanding at 3 of the last 3 graded inspections.
Still missing for Windmill Day Nursery
- What it costs
- Funded hours
- 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.
- Do you have a place for a child of my age now? 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.