Ofsted: Little Acorns Nursery is a ‘Good Provider’ – It’s Official!
We’re delighted to announce that Ofsted has published a stunning report for Little Acorns Nursery, Padiham. It’s now official that this excellent Padiham childcare setting is a ‘Good Provider’ — in every category! What’s more, the Ofsted inspector published some wonderfully positive comments about the nursery, staff, and quality of care as part of the report. Their findings are a testament to the high quality of the setting, the professionalism of its early years practitioners and leadership, and the positive impact the nursery has on babies and children in its care. Today, we take a deep dive into the details.
Attention working families: applications are now open for eligible children, aged from only 9 months, to receive 1140 hours of free childcare per year from September 2025. What’s noteworthy is that this will be the first time such young infants and toddlers can access so many free hours. It effectively doubles the number of free childcare hours previously available to those under 2 via the scheme. The new, extended funding is for eligible working families, who now have until the 31st of August to apply if they would like their child(ren) to start in the September 2025 term.
One fantastic way to encourage children to connect with nature from an early age is by making homemade bird feeders. It’s a hugely popular activity amongst children of all ages, so today’s post is all about how to get started with your child. Although bird feeders can be made at any time of the year, the activity is perfectly suited to the winter and early spring. At this time, wild birds like robins, blackbirds, doves, and sparrows are really struggling to find food. And, with World Wildlife Day arriving in the first week of March, it’s very timely. Take a look!
Even the youngest children seem to have an affinity towards playing a musical instrument. Put any child in front of a piano, guitar, or drum, or hand them a tambourine or shaker and they’ll immediately engage in generating sound and rhythm. It seems to be instinctive and children find music-making almost compelling — and great fun to boot. What’s more, children seem naturally keen to become better at playing instruments and, in time, to be able to play a recognisable tune. With that being the case, it’s often very easy to encourage them to take lessons, whether formally or informally, often leading to a lifelong vocational skill. What many parents may not know, however, is just how beneficial learning to play musical instruments is to little ones. Indeed, learning to play benefits them in often profound ways and that’s what we take a look at in today’s post.
Today we bring you a guide to toothbrushing for under-fives, inspired by children at Little Acorns Nursery taking part in Lancashire’s Let’s Get Lancashire Brushing campaign. An initiative of Lancashire County Council Public Health, the programme is designed to educate and encourage young children, including toddlers, to brush teeth for 2 minutes twice a day using age-appropriate toothpaste. What’s more, their message is that it’s never too young to begin and can even start before the first tooth has surfaced. At Little Acorns Nursery, the programme is supervised by staff and is intended to take place in tandem with toothbrushing at home — it does not replace it. Nursery staff guide children to establish a positive and proactive routine around toothbrushing, to foster good habits around oral hygiene, and thereby minimise tooth decay and problems associated with it. Read on to learn more.
Today, we remind Padiham families that Little Acorns Nursery supports the new — free — childcare scheme for eligible children including babies as young as just 9 months of age. Although it’s available only to eligible working families, the bar to entry is fairly low. The childcare funding is therefore attainable for many families. This free childcare is not just limited to babies either and, what’s more, it’s due to become even more generous from September 2025. In our guide below we’ll outline who is eligible, how much childcare funding they can access, how many childcare hours that equates to, and what the eligibility criteria are. If you’re the parent of a baby, toddler, or child up to three years old, this is for you.
Let’s get ready for some fun Halloween activities for our under-5s — as well as for older children. Children of all ages are naturally drawn to the unique imagery, fun activities, and spookiness of Halloween.