Headstart Nursery and Pre-School

Age range

3 months to school age (Seedlings, Willows, Chestnuts, Acorns), plus school-aged children for before/after school and holiday club (Oaks)

Staff

Seedlings: 1:3; Willows: 1:3 for under 2s, 1:4 for over 2s; Chestnuts: 1:4 for two year olds, 1:8 for three year olds; Acorns: 1:8

Session types

Full day, Before and after school club, Holiday club

Opening hours

7.30am to 6pm, all year round

Term time / All Year

All Year

Established

2002

Nigel D

6 months ago

This nursery started off with five stars. My daughter started in 2022, it was absolutely amazing. The staff were brilliant. Her key workers were amazingly caring and loving, until they were bought out… although hey key workers were super stars it was tragically clear how much pressure they were under. In no way is this a reflection on them. They were troopers. Sadly, this all changed. When the nursery was bought out, everything changed. From the management to staff - everything was ripped up. Costs were slashed everywhere. Prices went up. How does that work? Ok I understand that costs have been rising everywhere but this was extreme. 10% in a matter of years. The nursery relied on agency staff and put the permanent staff under a lot of pressure to carry out the key duties which agency weren’t allowed to do which included changing nappies and toilet duties - so perm staff had no choice but to constantly be changing nappies or be on toilet watch. This resulted in some beloved staff moving on. Let’s face it - no one wants to wipe bums all day long and not be able to deliver fantastic care to their children. The changes that followed included more permanent staff leaving - including the cook who had been there for 20 years and of course the comms were limited and covered things up by using the most unimaginative lines like ‘they’ve decided to take up a new career’ - oddly enough as parents we build relationships with these people and we know that just ain’t true. They felt like leaving was the only way out. That’s sad. One suggestion I made was about the outside of the nursery and that the parking was pretty lapse - anyone can pull into the car park and if they truly wanted to, or even by accident, drive right into the building. After an incident in a Liverpool nursery where this actually happened, I suggested that bollards outside the main building, in the car park, might be useful to prevent this kind of incident, and what could be an almighty disaster, accident or not; that was ignored. On the whole - the permanent care staff are absolutely amazing. They work hard for peanuts, and they deserve better. The company who now owns them, deserve very little and have absorbed what was once a very vibrant and prosperous nursery and turned it into what I fully expect to be a car crash of a review from ofsted. I’m sad to leave such a negative review.

Fiona Campbell

3 years ago

Some of the in-room staff are so lovely, however certain members of staff have a habit of breaking safeguarding and confidentiality rules and legislation and the management do virtually nothing about it, nor do they care. I raised 3 safeguarding complaints within a year yet no proper action was taken to stop this happening. As a parent of young children I find this quite disturbing. If you deem the safeguarding of your child and keeping information about yourself or your children confidential from the general public then please consider a different childcare setting for your child. Ofstead are currently investigating.

Charli Harrison

6 months ago

Huge improvements across the board and a team that really is dedicated to supporting the children

A Forshaw

4 years ago

Friendly, caring, warm and professional childcare. Children have been / are very happy here.