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Little Acorns Hindley Green

Ofsted: Needs attention·
2.1(21 Google reviews)
·74 Smiths Lane, Hindley Green, WIGAN, WN2 4XR · Wigan
Number of places
49 places
Age range
1–3 yrs
Last inspected
May 2026
Local authority
Wigan

About this day nursery

Little Acorns Hindley Green, registered in 2003 and acquired by Little Acorns Hindley Green Limited in 2022, serves children aged 2-3 years within the Wigan area. The day nursery operates Monday to Friday, 51 weeks a year, from 7:30 am to 6:00 pm, and has a capacity for 49 children.

The committed team of six childcare staff, with four holding qualifications at Level 2 or above, ensures a nurturing environment where children feel safe and emotionally secure. Since the last inspection, leaders have enhanced procedures for identifying and supporting children with SEND, monitoring development terms, and implementing targeted planning to narrow learning gaps.

Children thoroughly enjoy the outdoor area, confidently using equipment and engaging in large-scale mark-making activities, which helps build their physical strength and practice new skills. The dedicated efforts of the staff contribute to a positive atmosphere where happy and well-settled children are supported in their development.

Our ethos

Nature and outdoor play are essential for every child to experience regularly — both are incredibly good for them. This will also mean children and families are doing their bit to help birds at a time when food is becoming less abundant in the wild.

What it's like

Children are happy and well settled, feeling safe and emotionally secure thanks to kind and nurturing staff. However, the curriculum design is weak, lacking consideration for children's prior knowledge, interests, or next learning steps, hindering purposeful engagement and progress. Staff knowledge of individual learning goals is not effectively implemented, and information for new children's existing skills is insufficient.

Happy and settled childrenKind and nurturing staffEffective safeguardingImproved SEND supportOutdoor exploration

Pricing & funding

Funding accepted

15 hours — working parents (9 months–2 yrs)15 hours — eligible 2-year-olds15 hours — universal (3–4 yrs)30 hours — working parents (3–4 yrs)
Pricing on request

This nursery doesn't publish its fees online. Contact them directly for an up-to-date price list and availability.

Key facts

Opening hours

Monday to Friday, 7.30am until 6pm

Term time / All Year

All_year

Registered with Ofsted

2003

Ofsted Inspection — new report card

Needs attention

Last inspected May 2026

Headline: Needs attention

Grade summary

Exceptional
Strong standard
Expected standard
Needs attention
Urgent improvement

Each dot represents one of the six inspection categories. Headline is the average of the six grades, rounded up.

Category grades

AchievementNeeds attention
Behaviour, attitudes and establishing routinesNeeds attention
Children's welfare and wellbeingNeeds attention
Curriculum and teachingNeeds attention
InclusionNeeds attention
Leadership and governanceNeeds attention
Age range
1 to 3
Registers
Early Years Register
Ofsted Inspection

Ofsted report for Little Acorns Hindley Green

Last inspected 13 May 2026 · Kayte Farrell

Safeguarding effective

Actions the provider must take

  • plan and implement an ambitious and well-sequenced curriculum that builds on children's existing skills and knowledge to help them make good progress in their learning
  • implement effective procedures for working in partnership with parents to give and receive information about children's learning and development
  • implement more targeted procedures for supervision, coaching and mentoring to focus precisely on staff's weaknesses and improve the quality of education

What it's like to attend

Children are happy and well settled, feeling safe and emotionally secure thanks to kind and nurturing staff. However, the curriculum design is weak, lacking consideration for children's prior knowledge, interests, or next learning steps, hindering purposeful engagement and progress. Staff knowledge of individual learning goals is not effectively implemented, and information for new children's existing skills is insufficient.

Inspector highlights

  • Children are happy and well settled, and staff are kind and nurturing.
  • Children listen to staff, play together cooperatively and follow the rules and boundaries, demonstrating positive behaviour.
  • Safeguarding arrangements are effective, with an open and positive culture.
  • Since the last inspection, leaders have implemented more secure procedures for identifying and supporting children with special educational needs and/or disabilities.
  • Children enjoy exploring the outdoor area, using equipment with confidence and developing physical strength through large-scale mark-making activities.
  • Staff support children to develop their mathematical skills during free-play time.
  • Younger children practise counting vehicles with one-to-one correspondence from one to nine.
  • Older children concentrate well when fitting letter-shaped jigsaw pieces into an inset board.

Areas to develop

  • 1Plan and implement an ambitious and well-sequenced curriculum that builds on children's existing skills and knowledge to help them make good progress in their learning.
  • 2Implement effective procedures for working in partnership with parents to give and receive information about children's learning and development.
  • 3Implement more targeted procedures for supervision, coaching and mentoring to focus precisely on staff's weaknesses and improve the quality of education.
  • 4Support staff to implement children's specific next steps more precisely during play and interactions.
Inspection #10410689 · Source: OfstedView full Ofsted report

Inclusion & environment

How they support every child

SEND provision

Since the last inspection, leaders have implemented more secure procedures for identifying and supporting children with special educational needs and/or disabilities. Staff monitor children's development each term to identify any gaps in learning, and leaders implement targeted planning to help narrow the gaps, ensuring children receive some support while awaiting outside referrals.

Outdoor space

Children enjoy exploring the outdoor area throughout the day, using equipment such as cars and ride-on toys with confidence. Staff engage children in large-scale, mark-making activities, encouraging them to use their large muscle movements to create marks on the floor, which helps build physical strength.

Google Reviews of Little Acorns Hindley Green

2.1
(21 Google reviews)
Kirsty Williams
2 months ago

My toddler has been attending since December 2025 and he loves it here and is always excited to attend. The staff are caring and professional, always making sure our child feels safe and loved. The activities are engaging and help foster growth. The communication with parents is brill and we always feel well-informed. We couldn’t ask for a better environment for our child. The nursery and back garden is very spacious as well which is great for playing. Thank you for everything. I highly recommend this nursery.

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Beth Prewett
5 months ago

This nursery is a really nice place which my son attends. My son is 2 years old, and since he started in September 2025 the staff have been nothing but welcoming and communicate with me about everything that has to do with my son and whilst the nursery. My son has come on amazing with his speech and all the staff meet my child’s needs always. I am so proud of what my son has learnt since coming to this nursery and he has made so many new friends. I would definitely give this nursery 5 stars 🙏🙏❤️ My son is very happy to go into the setting in the mornings and always wants to go back to nursery it’s definitely a good setting to be in.

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Emma Stoll
10 months ago

As first-time parents, we were very anxious about placing our daughter into nursery care. However, our initial experience at this nursery was really positive — during the walk-around and settling-in sessions, the staff made us feel welcome and reassured. Our little girl bonded quickly with her key worker, and we felt comforted that she had settled in so well. Unfortunately, this changed dramatically. One day while at work, we received a series of notifications from the nursery app stating that several staff members was leaving — all on the same day. Naturally, this raised huge concerns for us as parents. When we asked for an explanation, we were told vaguely that it was due to issues with management/ownership. The area manager did not address our questions and appeared to avoid engaging with parents’ concerns entirely. Feeling uneasy, we made the difficult decision to withdraw our daughter from the nursery. We’re extremely relieved we did, especially after reading the most recent Ofsted report, which rated the nursery as inadequate. The report noted that staff failed to interact meaningfully with children, choosing instead to speak with each other or wander around. We hope this review helps other parents make informed choices. Every child deserves consistent, responsive, and safe care — and unfortunately, this nursery no longer meets those standards.

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Adele payne
2 months ago

My little girl is (1 years old) and only started this nursery on the 6th off February 2026 As a first time mum to a one year old and very anxious and nervous about putting her into a nursery due to her constantly being poorly with her (health) and both off us having attachment issues Iknow she a happy little soul in the nursery setting with the pictures I get sent off my daughter when she does 1/2 a day once a week The staff are really reassuring and helpful and if they're any concerns they will contact you and always keeping you update about you're child .. the staff are very welcoming and friendly

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Imogen Dingle
11 months ago

I am sad to share such a negative review about what seemed a brilliant nursery. My daughter attended for only 3 months, but in that time the girls who looked after her were amazing and I cannot fault them. However, the higher management team are an absolute shambles and have destroyed the nursery. They were allowing unqualified staff to replace qualified staff, some of who did not speak English and the area manager actually confirmed if a child was to choke the unqualified staff wouldn’t know how to contact 999. Many children including mine have been removed from the nursery due to poor communication from the management. Unfortunately the management won’t change and therefore the nursery won’t change.

Read on Google

Reviews from Google for Little Acorns Hindley Green. See all on Google Maps

Inspection history

Date: January 2010

  • May 2026Needs attention
  • September 2025Requires improvement
  • September 2025Requires improvement
  • July 2025Inadequate
  • June 2025Inadequate
  • May 2023Good
  • April 2023Good
  • January 2018Good
  • January 2018Good
  • February 2017Good
  • January 2014Good
  • December 2013Good
  • February 2010Good
  • January 2010Good

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