A Manchester nursery where children are encouraged to reach personalised “golden goals” has earned praise from inspectors, who found youngsters are “confident and capable”, “achieve extremely well” and “laugh and giggle” as they learn.
Inspection Success
Merry Kidz Day Nursery, based at The Pineapple on Garratt Way in Gorton, was found to have reached a strong standard during an inspection on April 14 2026. This marks a significant improvement after it was rated as requiring improvement following its previous inspection in March 2025.
Inspectors praised leaders for creating an ambitious curriculum and a nurturing environment, where all children, including those with special educational needs and/or disabilities (SEND) and disadvantaged children, are given the opportunity to thrive.
Golden Goals Approach
The report states: “All children, including children with special educational needs and/or disabilities and children who are disadvantaged, achieve extremely well.” Children are supported through the nursery’s carefully planned “golden goals”, which help them build skills appropriate to their age and stage of development.
Inspectors found children gain “a firm foundation in the prime areas of learning” and are “showing increasing independence and confidence, forming secure relationships and managing their feelings effectively”.
ABC Philosophy
The nursery’s curriculum is built around its “ABC” philosophy, standing for “Active, Belong and Confidence”, which inspectors found had been clearly embedded throughout daily activities. Children were observed enthusiastically taking part in learning opportunities, from discussing animals to planting seeds and developing mathematical skills through play.
The report said: “Children demonstrate confidence as they share their knowledge of animals and enjoy discussing the differences between a hen and a chicken.” Inspectors also noted: “Children show high levels of motivation and engagement when learning about spring through planting seeds. They sustain focus and show pride in their achievements.”
Emotional Wellbeing
Leaders were also praised for fostering a culture of respect, belonging and emotional wellbeing. The report highlighted the introduction of calm areas to help children “begin to self-regulate and understand their emotions”. Staff were found to know the children in their care “extremely well”, understanding their individual learning needs and how best to support their development.
Language Development
The report also highlighted the nursery’s strong focus on language development, with staff using stories, activities and rich vocabulary to extend children’s communication skills. The nursery’s work supporting children with SEND received particular praise. Inspectors highlighted effective assessment processes, individual support plans and strong partnerships with families and external agencies to ensure children receive the help they need.
Safeguarding
Safeguarding standards were also found to be fully met. Inspectors said leaders had established an open culture where safeguarding is everyone’s responsibility and concerns are actively identified, managed and acted upon.
Summing up the atmosphere at the nursery, inspectors said: “Children experience a setting that brings joy to their learning. They laugh and giggle as they read stories with an animated practitioner.” The report added: “Children are confident and capable. They confidently lead their own learning, and practitioners skilfully use these moments to seamlessly weave in all areas of learning through their play.”
Inspectors concluded that children have “a secure sense of belonging in the setting”, are valued for who they are and are “happy, settled and eager to learn”.
