Opening hours
Monday, Tuesday, Wednesday, Thursday, Friday : 07:30 - 18:00
The Cottage Nursery, established in 2004 in Eccles, Manchester, offers a nurturing environment for children aged 0-3 years. Rated as 'Good' by Ofsted following its latest inspection on 14th January 2026, the nursery operates as a childcare on non-domestic premises model.
The setting prioritises children's personal wellbeing, fostering a sense of belonging and happiness through activities like 'feel-good Friday' and a dedicated 'mindfulness room' with sensory lights and calm music. The presence of resident animals, Paddington the nursery dog and several rabbits, helps children develop empathy and emotional regulation.
The nursery is highly inclusive, cherishing each child's unique background and supporting their individual development. Leaders and staff are passionate and driven, ensuring a high-quality service while maintaining a manageable workload.
The curriculum, based on the EYFS, is designed to offer a breadth of learning opportunities, including baking clubs, French lessons, music, and gymnastics. The setting has excellent SEND provision, with trained staff collaborating with professionals like speech therapists to create tailored learning plans.
What it's like
Children who attend this setting are provided with the chance to be the best they can be. They thrive because they are happy, safe and stimulated. Staff offer children a very warm welcome each morning, greeting them with a friendly and encouraging smile. Children happily arrive and immediately run to their friends, showing their strong sense of belonging in this friendly nursery.
Opening hours
Monday, Tuesday, Wednesday, Thursday, Friday : 07:30 - 18:00
Term time / All Year
All_year
Established
2004
Last inspected Jan 2026
Grade summary
Each dot represents one of the six inspection categories. Headline is the average of the six grades, rounded up.
Category grades
Last inspected 14 January 2026 · Michelle Jacques
What it's like to attend
Children who attend this setting are provided with the chance to be the best they can be. They thrive because they are happy, safe and stimulated. Staff offer children a very warm welcome each morning, greeting them with a friendly and encouraging smile. Children happily arrive and immediately run to their friends, showing their strong sense of belonging in this friendly nursery.
Inspector highlights
Areas to develop
Inclusion & environment
Some staff are specifically trained to support children with special educational needs and/or disabilities. Their expertise is commendable, and the support offered for those children who face barriers to their learning is excellent. Staff have worked hard to establish relationships with a range of professionals, such as speech therapists, and seek their expertise to offer children the specific support they need and deserve. Leaders identify children who have special educational needs and/or disabilities and work with parents and other professionals to create learning plans with clear and achievable targets, which are fully understood by everyone to ensure consistent and effective support.
Each and every child's unique backgrounds are understood and cherished. This is a highly inclusive nursery where every child is supported to flourish and truly be themselves.
Wouldn’t recommend this nursery these reviews are old. My 10 month old son went for 4 days and I moved him, they still charged the £1000 which I agreed to pay in instalments as I have new nursery fees but they continue to contact me stating they are looking for a more ‘substantial amount’ even though that place would have been filled straight away with a deposit so they’ve not lost anything only gained. The class was chaos with children trying to escape, they explained it was due to children completing a settling in period but as an early years practitioner myself these periods should have been staggered. My son’s nappy was put on too tight with the straps touching each other and he is a chubby baby. I sent some rice cakes to nursery and snacks as they were giving them spaghetti hoops for snack, the nursery worker explained he’s had a rice cake but they were still sealed in the bag. A noticed a poorly crying baby be picked up by a nursery worker and patted on the back without comfort or care, not even any eye contact. My son was clawing at my hair and body when I tried to leave him. Also staff in the baby room can see you walking up the drive and there is always someone watching at the window. Changing the babies is closed off and not open it’s shared by other staff but one member of staff can be closed off changing a baby alone. This is something you don’t get in other nurseries. Luckily I have him in a surestart centre which is 10/10. No crying on leaving, small numbers of children as it’s not about the money. Regular communication and pictures, he literally puts his arms out for staff.
Read on GoogleWhat a fantastic nursery! I couldn’t recommend them more, my children have been here for over 2 years now and they settled so quickly. They always come home with a smile. The workers there are so caring and attentive with the children, the activities they set up for the little ones are fun, educational and creative. My boy has been doing so well with his speech and I believe this nursery has helped massively with that. I’ve been so impressed on how they keep in touch with the parents so that they’re always in the loop. Such a lovely little nursery ✨
Read on GoogleI can’t post my comment on Clarendon cottage prep school,I can not imagine how many bad reviews were hidden by this school.so I have to post my review regarding Clarendon prep school in here.Coming to this school was the worst choice I made for my child, It’s horrible experience for us.as the principal and the homeroom teacher are extremely unprofessional. We chose a private school to ensure better progress for our child in all aspects, but after some time, I found that things did not go as expected. In all aspects, this school is inferior to public schools. From the principal to the homeroom teacher, some of the things they have done have made my child lose confidence. The teaching staff are also very disrespectful . As educators, especially private school educators, they severely lack knowledge and a sense of responsibility. We pay the same tuition as everyone else, but the teachers do not treat each child equally. The school's atmosphere is also not right. Therefore, we would rather forfeit the tuition and no longer let our child continue studying here. I am considering reporting our experience at this school to the relevant higher authorities.I hope that parents will carefully consider their choices when selecting a school for their children, especially for parents of children with special educational needs (SEN).
Read on GoogleI couldn't recommend The Cottage nursery enough, both of my children have attended this nursery, my daughter has just recently moved up from the nursery to the school & my son is currently in pre prep. The staff are caring, attentive and treat each child as the individual that they are, when the time came for my daughter to leave the nursery it was was an emotional time for us all, the staff & our family due to the genuine bonds that have been made during her time there. My son currently attends the nursery 3 days a week and this has helped personal development massively, from his talking to his social skills and he loves every minute he spends with his friends and the staff. All of the staff are fantastic and a credit to the nursery, I wouldn't dream of sending my children anywhere else.
Read on GoogleI don’t know if Natasha is talking about the same nursery here as that review couldn’t be further from reality. My son is currently in prep 1 and has been there since just before his 1st birthday and what a wonderful nurturing environment for children it is. My son has flourished at this nursery. All staff are amazing and very quickly get to know the children. They are so caring and my child quickly made bonds with the staff that cared for him. Communication with parents is excellent. I wouldn’t hesitate recommending the nursery to family and friend and we will be using the nursery again for any other children without a doubt. Staff look tired..... being a primary teacher myself I’d be worried if the staff didn’t look exhausted by the end of the day!
Read on GoogleReviews from Google for The Cottage Nursery. See all on Google Maps
Date: October 2012
The most recent inspection point has been hidden because the parsed entry didn't match the headline Ofsted rating (Good). We're re-checking it against the original report.
Other Ofsted-registered day nurseries close to The Cottage Nursery.
Manchester · M30 9AY
Manchester · M30 9GJ
Eccles · M30 0LU
Manchester · M30 0WG
Salford · M6 8FJ
Salford · M6 8AL
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This listing has been compiled from official Ofsted records, the nursery's own website, details provided directly by the nursery where available, and other trusted public sources. We regularly review and update listings to keep the information as accurate as possible. Learn more