Little Acorns Childcare in Chorley

Tutti Group

3 months ago

My son who is now 19 months old has been at this Nursery since July 2025 and is still in the baby room and the staff in there such as Mary, Micheal have been absolutely amazing to my son !!! We honestly love the way they treat our child, they treat him as if he was there own !! The staff at Little Acorns have already taken dibs at being his key worker for all of the rooms he is going to be moving up into. The Love they have for there Job and the care they have for the children is unreal, and we are very blessed that are son attends this setting. The only sad thing is that he had an amazing connection with Patricia who was the Nursery Manager, however she has recently left which was both upsetting for the children and the parents as she really did everything to ensure that the children where safe and in a loving setting. However, all of the staff there are so lovely, and so attentive to the children its amazing. Thank you to Mary, Michael, Issy and Lisa for always making my son feel cared for and excited to go to nursery.

Casey T

6 months ago

Fantastic nursery: My son has been attending for 2 years now. From baby room to now little pre school, he’s developing so well and the staff are amazing (he even doesn’t want to leave off when we pick him up) . There has been some issues with old management in the past but Patrica the new manager is wonderful and very attentive to the child’s needs. The kids are always doing activities outside and inside with updated photos and artwork to take home. Thank you all the wonderful staff at Little Acorns.

Ruth Carrigan

9 months ago

My daughter started at Little Acorns in late 2022 when she was 1 years old, and our initial experiences were wonderful both in the baby room and during her transition to the toddler room, I rated this nursery as 5 stars at that time. However this significantly changed. We have had countless poor experiences including things such as; multiple changes in management that have left us as parents extremely concerned; multiple concerns around potential safeguarding issues; extremely poor communication from the area manager including the feeling of being lied to; upsetting concerns regarding my daughters happiness and wellbeing whilst on site. Specific examples of some of these things include, my daughter being left alone in a room so staff could answer the front door, staff not knowing where my daughter was when parent arrived to collect, my daughter being left without a key worker, my daughter having daily access to an iPad where she watched things such as Peppa Pig, massive increase in accidents (my daughter has 2 small scars on her face now, forehead and nose and whilst I fully appreciate that small children with have trips and falls, I feel this was excessive at Little Acorns, especially in the last month or so of her attending this facility), often very poor first aid response, my concern that appropriate comfort not always offered after hurting herself, appropriate information about my daughters allergen not being kept on file, continued promises made that activities such as dance / drama / sport / forest school would be offered but have never occurred, despite fees rising (I fully appreciate that nurseries are a business and have to manage often times tricky decisions made at government level, but I feel that parents were outright lied to by the area manager about fees at Little Acorns and also, having now looked around at other facilities, can see just how more expensive Little Acorns is in comparison, indeed my daughters fees at new setting are much lower without any compromise on quality, far from it). It is important to note that there has been some lovely staff that have worked with my daughter at Little Acorns and I am very grateful to them. It is also important to note (as I am not out scare other / prospective parents), that whilst I know of multiple other parents who have had similar concerns, some of which have removed their children based on these concerns, there may be children and parents who have had a good experience at Little Acorns (and I obviously hope that to be the case). However in the last 12 months or so, I feel that Little Acorns has not always kept my daughter safe, has not acted with honesty and transparency and has totally lost my trust. I have removed my daughter now but still feel guilt when I see the two scars on her face. Now that my daughter is in a new nursery, I feel guilt at the obvious differences (new setting seems so well ran and is just so lovely). For any prospective parents, I would gently encourage to ask lots of specific questions around some of things I have mentioned and also, to look at reviews for Little Acorns Wigan as the same people run both). The impression I have been given is that from the top down (owner and area manager), this nursery has been increasingly, very poorly managed. I am extremely happy to have finally moved my daughter to a new setting but do wish all children, parents and staff all the best.

Gemma Sapey

8 months ago

**Edit to address some of the lies in the response - mainly regarding the “farewell gesture”. To be clear, I am aware that in previous years (i.e. only 2-3 years ago) children leaving received a pack with their work and learning journey as standard. Other children who left at the same time as my child received a flower and card. My child, and at least one other I know of, received nothing. So the claim that it is not standard practice is nothing short of a lie. I am still waiting for a response from Janette the area manager regarding missing personal items and a reason as to why my child was treated differently to others. It has now been 2 weeks with no reply. As for the rest of the response, my concerns were raised at the time with various managers who have been and gone in the time we attended the setting. The fact that current management are unaware of this is a failing on their part. I would not leave a review like this if these were not my genuine thoughts and experiences as I would hate for someone else to experience this with their child. The fact that multiple reviews reference similar concerns speaks volumes.** AVOID. Please do not make the same mistake we did, my little boy may not remember much of his experience here but I will always regret having chosen this nursery. During our 2.5 years at Little Acorns, there have been numerous changes in management and an extremely high staff turnover, resulting in poor practice, unqualified and inexperienced staff brought in to fill gaps, and unqualified staff members forced into management positions. The website promises “award winning childcare”, which may have been the case a number of years ago but certainly is not any more. The setting is poorly resourced, often dirty and cluttered, and concerns are completely ignored - see the vague and corporate replies to the other negative reviews. My little boy has attended this setting since early 2023 and left today to attend a different pre-school. Had things been different, he would have stayed at this setting, but we along with many others have chosen to remove our children due to the incredibly poor experience we have had. Children regularly have accidents, are sent home soiled and dirty, and parents receive poor updates and feedback regarding their child’s development. We have experienced this first hand and I know of many other parents who have had the same experience with their child. The fact that this setting charges more than most others in the area is laughable and epitomises the greed of the owners. The fees charged are clearly not fed back into the nursery. I genuinely wish the best for the staff at Little Acorns. The vast majority do their absolute best with the little they have, but their hands are tied and they clearly do not receive the appropriate support or training. I know they would flourish in another nursery with proper management and training, they genuinely care for the children and this review is not a reflection of all staff, but rather poor practice and extremely poor management. Please take into account the other reviews both online and on social media for Little Acorns when choosing a childcare setting - both Wigan and Chorley as they are owned by the same people. There are many parents who would happily give an honest review of these. Our little boy left this nursery today without even a card to say good luck, and barely a goodbye. Your child deserves better.

Laura Shepherd

8 months ago

Edit -I find your statement both dismissive and misleading. It is not enough to say safeguarding is your “absolute priority” when serious incidents — such as children with severe allergies being exposed to nuts and external doors being left open — actually occurred. Parents who witnessed or experienced these issues do not need reassurance from Ofsted reports; they need basic, consistent safeguarding in practice. To suggest that families should “speak directly” to management is almost laughable, given that concerns raised repeatedly by parents and staff were brushed aside until people had no choice but to leave. You also are refusing to return phone calls and don’t reply to emails Janette! This is why so many families have withdrawn their children and why so many experienced staff members have resigned. Empty statements about “policies” and “commitment” ring hollow when children are coming home sore, soiled, and clearly not properly cared for. What parents want is not polished words but genuine accountability, investment in staff, and safe, high-quality care for their children — none of which Little Acorns has provided. It is deeply concerning that a nursery charging £80 per day can deliver care of such consistently poor quality, with safeguarding breaches so serious they cannot be overlooked. During my child’s time here, I witnessed repeated failures in the most fundamental areas of childcare — from allowing children with severe nut allergies to come into contact with nuts, to leaving doors and gates unlocked and wide open. Such lapses are not minor oversights; they are unacceptable and dangerous. The majority of staff appear to be undertrained, unsupported, and underpaid. The few genuinely capable and caring staff members quickly leave — unsurprising, given the lack of investment from management. Meanwhile, parents see none of the fees reinvested into the nursery. Children receive nothing beyond the bare minimum, and even that is inconsistent: it is not unusual for children to come home soiled, sore, and clearly not changed when needed. The exodus of families speaks volumes — most of the children my son started with have now left, and parents are openly dissatisfied. This is not a nurturing, safe, or enriching environment; it is, sadly, the opposite. The owners are greed-driven and don’t care about the children at all. I cannot in good conscience recommend Little Acorns to any parent. There are far better nurseries locally where children’s safety, well-being, and happiness come first. Avoid at all costs.