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The Rocking Horse Club

Ofsted: Good
(Jun 2025)
·
3.6(8 parent reviews) ·Walton Lane, Nelson, BB9 8BP · Lancashire
Number of places
92 places
Age range
1–4 yrs
Last inspected
Jun 2025
Local authority
Lancashire

About this day nursery

The Rocking Horse Club and Walton Lane Nursery School provides integrated early years education and childcare in Nelson, supporting children from nine months up to four years old. Emphasising a holistic approach to development, the nursery aims to foster happy, learning, caring, independent, and communicative children.

The setting prioritises children's social development and learning by encouraging daily attendance, ensuring a consistent and familiar environment for all children. They also offer before and after-school care through the Rocking Horse Club, complementing the nursery school's educational focus.

The nursery is committed to providing a safe and nurturing space, with a comprehensive admission policy that prioritises vulnerable children and those with special educational needs. Furthermore, they support parents by accepting various government funding schemes and providing transparent information on associated charges for additional services and consumables.

Our ethos

To make a d

What it's like

Staff create a warm and welcoming environment where children feel happy and secure. The curriculum is purposeful and well-suited to the needs of all children, promoting imaginative play, personal hygiene, and independence. Children display positive behaviour, cooperating and showing respect for their environment and each other during tidy-up times.

Integrated education and childcareAccepts government fundingFocus on social development and learningSafe and nurturing environment

Pricing & funding

Funding accepted

15 hours — universal (3–4 yrs)30 hours — working parents (3–4 yrs)Tax-Free Childcare15 hours — eligible 2-year-olds

Key facts

Opening hours

Monday to Thursday: 8 a.m. to 6 p.m., Friday: 8 a.m. to 4 p.m. (for Rocking Horse Club); Monday to Friday: 9 a.m. to 12 noon (morning session), 1 p.m. to 4 p.m. (afternoon session) (for Walton Lane Nursery School)

Age range

9 months to 4 years old

Term time / All Year

Term Time

Established

2000

Ofsted Inspection

Ofsted rating for The Rocking Horse Club

Last inspected 27 June 2025

Safeguarding effective
Overall effectiveness
Good
Quality of education
Good
Behaviour and attitudes
Good
Personal development
Good
Leadership and management
Good

What it's like to attend

Staff create a warm and welcoming environment where children feel happy and secure. The curriculum is purposeful and well-suited to the needs of all children, promoting imaginative play, personal hygiene, and independence. Children display positive behaviour, cooperating and showing respect for their environment and each other during tidy-up times.

Inspector highlights

  • Children's communication and language development is a central focus of the curriculum, with carefully planned activities and close monitoring to meet individual needs effectively.
  • Staff support communication and language through engaging storytelling, meaningful interactions, rich language modelling, and open-ended questions, fostering children's confidence and expressive language skills.
  • Mathematical concepts are skilfully embedded into children's play, promoting early numeracy and connections between play and mathematical learning.
  • Children benefit from a well-resourced and spacious outdoor area that promotes physical development, balance, coordination, core strength, hand-eye coordination, fine motor control, and early writing skills.
  • Children develop a strong understanding of diversity and cultural awareness through learning about various cultures and regular visits to local community places of interest.

Areas to develop

  • 1continue to strengthen the programme of staff training and development to further raise the quality of practice.
Inspection #10388308 · Source: OfstedView full Ofsted report

What parents say

Verbatim quotes recorded in the Ofsted inspection

Parents speak highly of the nursery and are pleased with the progress their children make.

They value the warm, friendly and highly supportive staff team.

Inclusion & environment

How they support every child

SEND provision

Staff closely monitor children's development, so they can make timely adjustments to meet children's individual needs effectively. The inspector held a meeting with the provider, special educational needs coordinator and the designated safeguarding lead.

Outdoor space

Children benefit from a well-resourced and spacious outdoor area that staff use to promote children's physical development across all ages. Children engage in a variety of activities, such as building with large wooden planks to develop balance, coordination, and core strength, throwing and catching balls to enhance hand-eye coordination, and using large paintbrushes for mark-making on vertical surfaces to support fine motor control and early writing skills.

Parent Reviews of The Rocking Horse Club

3.6
(8)
Will Elliott
8 months ago

My daughter seems to love it here very friendly staff and a nice little location

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M Salmon Plasterers
6 years ago

This place has really gone downhill, the staff do a great job but with ever increasing class sizes they are fighting a losing battle. Small children unsupervised using "colourful" language, my granddaughter came home with a boot mark on her back which was the final straw. No help at all from the owner, disgraceful ..She is in a lovely nursery now...

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Charlotte P
8 years ago

Worst place don't look after children properly

Read on Google

Reviews from Google for The Rocking Horse Club. See all on Google Maps

Inspection history

Date: March 2010

  • June 2025Good
  • July 2019Good
  • June 2015Outstanding
  • March 2010Outstanding

Frequently asked about The Rocking Horse Club

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