Re: A Good Nursery??
 

My wife works in childcare and as such knows many people in and around the other nurseries. Most have said that Oscar Bears is crap to work for and they wouldn't send their kids there. We use Victoria Nursery as my wife works elsewhere and can't take her own to that nursery, but we only use it it for convenience and because we know that our child is getting the right sort of education at home. In all the time we have used that nursery I personally have never seen any kind of report of what the child has done during the day or what she has learnt or anything. We once got a folder containing some of the stuff done over the 'year' but it all looked like recent ability stuff to me. Also the reports written by staff (that are supposed to be written daily to monitor progress as per OFSTED regulations) were basic, inaccurate and again looked like they had been done over the weekend. We only got this cos we requested it and it wasn't available at the time. These things should be kept on the premises and updated regularly as the child progresses. It is form these reports that assessments are made by primary schools.

First Class are that in some respects but the premises aren't the best or biggest and some other nurseries such as Fairfield and Thorneyholme have far better outdoor facilities if the weather is suitable (when??).

It all depends what you want from your childs care. If you view childcare as 'day care' then most nurseries will provide a good standard of care for your child. If you value childcare as pre-school education then I would pick First Class Dill Hall because they are one of the very few that insist on education through play and your child will enjoy it just as much as playing all day. If you think your child should be going just for some social interaction with other kids then I'd go for one of the large gardened varieties.

Hope that helps

Re: A Good Nursery??
 

Went to visit First Class Dill Hall yesterday, the nursery is having a lot of improvements made but all in all was impressed by the knowledge of the staff, the facilities are good and the children there seem happy and well stimulated. We have now secured a place for Robert there.

Re: A Good Nursery??
 

There is one on john st oswaldtwistle,and i must say it look,s a good one i always its bizzy when i go past it why dont you give them a call or call in when your passing.

Re: A Good Nursery??
 

i have heard longshaw in blackburn is good - told its £35 for full day so not sure how much it would be for part of a day, but may be too far for you

Re: A Good Nursery??
 

That's a playcentre not a nursery,Mallard.:)

Re: A Good Nursery??
 

Hi i work at fairfield childrens centre and yes it is excellent from the point of views of the team that works there and also from the care and education that the children recieve.
I have worked in a few nurseries and believe me when i say that i could probably fill a few threads with the horror stories i could tell!! It is rare to find a nursery that doesnt - when all is said and done, and is stripped to its bare bones- come down to a matter of profit. It doesnt shame me to say that the children are loved aswell as cared for and we genuinley miss them when they arent there.

anyway .... my point being...we are so lucky to have the outdoor area we have- it is massive the children can explore play or chill- and sod the weather unless it is bitterly cold or pouring down with rain ( and i mean pouring ) we make what use we can of the outdoors ( we have two areas of shelter that we use too!)

I cannot say enough how much i love working there - the whole atmosphere and way of working makes it a great place to be - and i think that is reflected in the children who always seem to be having such a good time -

Re: A Good Nursery??
 

I have to agree with you there Lisa. My little monster loves going to Fairfield. When I ask her who her best friend is at nursary she always says the same member of staff's name - Aisha

Re: A Good Nursery??
 

HAve you looked into a childminder? Thats what I have used since he was around the same age, and it is superb. He is treated as one of the family and has much more attention centred around him- ui believe the ratio for nurseries is 1 adult to 4 children under 2, whereas the childminder i use has just 2 children.

She is also ofsted registered and has certain things she has to go through, education wise. She also continued the home routine and was a lot more flexible than i found some nurseries to be. At age 3, he is fully toilet trained (sounds like a dog lol), loves reading and recognises words, knows all colours and can count confidently past twenty, and can talk full sentences and his vocab is huge

Oh and the hourly rate is cheaper than a nursery as well

Just a thought?

Re: A Good Nursery??
 

We used first class for a while, but found that even the staff did'nt agree with the owners, because they put profit first, they still owe us money from when the children were there, we had lots of issues with them, and took the children to a childminder who gives more time, the kids enjoy it more, and it costs less. And no penalties if you are late in the evening.

Re: A Good Nursery??
 

My grand-daughter sent her youngster to Heathlands and every time she went to collect him he was sat in front of the TV. she went at different times depending when she finished college and that's where she found him each time. he is now with a registered child minder.