Ofsted report card

The Cottage Nursery

Manchester, Lancashire · M30 9AL

Inspected by Ofsted on 14 January 2026 under the report card framework.

Curriculum and teaching Expected Standard
Achievement Expected Standard
Behaviour and routines Expected Standard
Welfare and wellbeing Strong Standard
Inclusion Strong Standard
Leadership and governance Expected Standard

What each grade means

Each area is judged separately. Expected standard is the bar every provider has to clear — meeting it is the pass, not a mediocre result.

Curriculum and teaching

Expected Standard

The bar every provider must clear. Meeting it is the pass, not a mediocre result.

Achievement

Expected Standard

The bar every provider must clear. Meeting it is the pass, not a mediocre result.

Behaviour and routines

Expected Standard

The bar every provider must clear. Meeting it is the pass, not a mediocre result.

Welfare and wellbeing

Strong Standard

Clearly better than the expected standard in this area, though not exceptional.

Inclusion

Strong Standard

Clearly better than the expected standard in this area, though not exceptional.

Leadership and governance

Expected Standard

The bar every provider must clear. Meeting it is the pass, not a mediocre result.

Registration

Ofsted URN
EY280485
Provider type
Childcare on Non-Domestic Premises, Full day care
Ages
0 to 3
Registered places
103
Registered since
4 November 2004
Local authority
Salford

On the Early Years Register.

Where it is

Manchester, Lancashire · M30 9AL. Location from the Ofsted register.

Inspection history

Inspections before November 2025 gave one overall rating rather than grading each area.

  1. 11 April 2025 concern_actions_taken non compliant
  2. 22 November 2022 concern_actions_taken compliant
  3. 20 February 2020 inspection Good
  4. 19 May 2016 inspection Good
  5. 25 March 2013 inspection Requires Improvement
  6. 24 September 2012 inspection Good
  7. 18 November 2009 inspection
  8. 13 November 2006 inspection
  9. 17 November 2005 inspection

Common questions

When was The Cottage Nursery last inspected by Ofsted? +

The Cottage Nursery in Manchester, Lancashire was last inspected on 14 January 2026. That inspection used Ofsted's report card framework, which replaced single-word overall ratings for early years settings in November 2025.

What did Ofsted say about The Cottage Nursery? +

Ofsted graded 6 areas: curriculum and teaching — Expected Standard; achievement — Expected Standard; behaviour and routines — Expected Standard; welfare and wellbeing — Strong Standard; inclusion — Strong Standard; leadership and governance — Expected Standard. Each area is judged separately, so a setting can be stronger in one than another.

Is "expected standard" a good grade? +

Yes. Expected standard is the bar every provider has to clear, so meeting it is the pass rather than a mediocre result. Strong standard and exceptional sit above it; needs attention and urgent improvement sit below.

What ages does The Cottage Nursery take? +

The Cottage Nursery is registered for children aged 0 to 3.

How many children can The Cottage Nursery take? +

The Cottage Nursery is registered for up to 103 children at any one time. That is a registration limit, not the number currently attending.

How long has The Cottage Nursery been registered? +

The Cottage Nursery has been registered with Ofsted since 4 November 2004. Its unique reference number (URN) is EY280485.

Nearby settings

Inspection and registration information is published by Ofsted and reproduced under the Open Government Licence v3.0. Little Bees is not affiliated with Ofsted. The grade descriptions are our plain-English summaries of where each grade sits against the standard, not Ofsted's own criteria.

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