Full-day nursery in Lea Green, St Helens
Portico
106 Mere Grange, Leaside, St Helens, WA9 5GG · Getting there
Is it good?
Read the Ofsted reportOfsted report card
- InclusionStrong standard
- Curriculum and teachingExpected standard
- AchievementExpected standard
- Behaviour and routinesStrong standard
- Children's welfare and well-beingExpected standard
- Leadership and governanceExpected standard
- SafeguardingStandards met
What does this mean?
Since November 2025 Ofsted gives each nursery a report card. Each area is graded on a five-step scale: urgent improvement, needs attention, expected standard, strong standard, exceptional. Safeguarding is either met or not met. There is no single headline grade, and we never make one up.
Official records
- Ofsted registrationRegistered since September 2017Reference EY552592Ofsted · checked 30 June 2026
- Inspections on record1 inspectionlatest 9 December 2025Ofsted · checked 30 June 2026
- Registered places118 placesthe most children it may care for at onceOfsted · checked 30 June 2026
- Food hygiene rating5 (Very good)inspected 10 December 2025Food Standards Agency · checked 13 November 2026
Fees
Fees, hours and ages: not published yet
Thanks. We count every request and show the nursery how many parents are asking.
Estimate a monthly cost with the council area's typical day rate
Hours and ages
Opening hours and ages: not published yet.
Getting there
106 Mere Grange, Leaside, St Helens, WA9 5GG · More nurseries in WA9
Stations
- Lea Green16 min walk · 0.7 miles
Buses
8 bus stops within 400 m, including Sherdley Bus Park, Marylebone Avenue and Mere Grange.
Parks and playgrounds
- Platt's Field5 min walk
- Sherdley Park6 min walk
- Breydon Park10 min walk
- Playground8 min walk
- Playground12 min walk
- Playground12 min walk
NaPTAN, Department for Transport, checked 13 November 2026 · © OpenStreetMap contributors, checked 13 November 2026. Walking times are rough, from straight-line distance.
Places and next steps
Spaces: not published yet. Nurseries often fill months ahead, so ask early.
In St Helens there are about 3.1 children under 5 for every registered nursery place. Places are how many children nurseries may care for, not free spaces, so this is a guide to demand. Source: ONS Census 2021.
What parents say
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Write a reviewAbout Portico
Portico is a full-day nursery at 106 Mere Grange, Leaside, St Helens, WA9 5GG, in Lea Green, St Helens. It is registered for 118 children. Its Ofsted report card (December 2025) grades inclusion Strong standard, curriculum and teaching Expected standard, achievement Expected standard, behaviour and routines Strong standard, children's welfare and well-being Expected standard and leadership and governance Expected standard; safeguarding standards met. It has a Google rating of 5.0 from 1 review (November 2026). It is run by Portico Day Nurseries Ltd.
Run by Portico Day Nurseries Ltd (company), which runs 6 nurseries.
Compare nurseries nearby
| Nursery | Ofsted | Full day from | Hours | Ages | Distance |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| PorticoThis nursery | Report card 2025 | not shared yet | not shared yet | not shared yet | This nursery |
| Small Wonders Day Care Nursery (lea Green)Full-day nursery | Good | not shared yet | not shared yet | not shared yet | 0.7 miles |
| Thatto Heath PlaydaysSessional pre-school | Outstanding | not shared yet | not shared yet | not shared yet | 0.9 miles |
| Portico PoppetsFull-day nursery | Outstanding | not shared yet | not shared yet | not shared yet | 0.9 miles |
| Little Journeys Day NurseryFull-day nursery | Good | not shared yet | not shared yet | not shared yet | 0.9 miles |
| Small Wonders Day Care Nursery and Enhanced Activity CentreFull-day nursery | Good | not shared yet | not shared yet | not shared yet | 1.1 miles |
| St Matthews Pre-SchoolSessional pre-school | Good | not shared yet | not shared yet | not shared yet | 1.2 miles |
A dash means the nursery hasn't published it yet. Distances are in a straight line.
Nearby areas
Schools nearby
- St John Vianney Catholic Primary School Primaryages 4–11Ofsted: Report cardinspected May 2026 0.3 miles
- Eaves Primary School Primaryages 3–11has a nursery classOfsted: School remains Goodinspected February 2023 0.8 miles
- Thatto Heath Community Primary School Primaryages 2–11has a nursery classOfsted: Goodinspected October 2023 0.8 miles
- Sherdley Primary School Primaryages 3–11has a nursery classOfsted: School remains Goodinspected January 2023 0.9 miles
- Nutgrove Methodist Primary School Primaryages 4–11Ofsted: Quality of education: Requires improvement; Behaviour and attitudes: Requires improvement; Personal development: Requires improvement; Leadership and management: Requires improvementinspected February 2025 0.9 miles
- St Austin's Catholic Primary School Primaryages 3–11has a nursery classOfsted: Report cardinspected July 2026 0.9 miles
- Ash Meadow School ages 5–18 1.0 miles
- Sutton Manor Community Primary School Primaryages 2–11has a nursery classOfsted: Goodinspected December 2022 1.0 miles
Straight-line distances. Places depend on each school's admissions rules. From the Department for Education and Ofsted.
Questions parents ask
Got a question? Ask and get an answer straight away.
What is Portico's Ofsted rating?
Portico was inspected on 9 December 2025 and given an Ofsted report card. Report cards grade each area separately rather than giving one headline grade: inclusion Strong standard, curriculum and teaching Expected standard, achievement Expected standard, behaviour and routines Strong standard, children's welfare and well-being Expected standard and leadership and governance Expected standard. Safeguarding standards met.
How many children can Portico take?
Portico is registered with Ofsted for up to 118 children at any one time.
Who runs Portico?
Portico is run by Portico Day Nurseries Ltd, which runs 6 nurseries.
What is the nearest station to Portico?
Lea Green is the nearest station we know of, 0.7 miles away in a straight line.
How do I contact Portico?
You can call 01744 833777 and visit www.porticonurserygroup.co.uk.
Tools for parents in St Helens
- Childcare cost calculatorMonthly cost with funded hours
- Funded hours checkerWhich schemes you qualify for
- Funded hours start dateWhen your child's hours begin
- Tax-Free Childcare calculatorThe 20% top-up on your bill
- Visit checklist for this nurseryPrintable questions, pre-filled
- Cost of nursery in St HelensFees by age in St Helens
About this information
- Registration and inspections: Ofsted · 30 June 2026
- Rating and review themes: Google · 5 November 2026
- Schools: DfE Get Information about Schools · 4 November 2026
- Contains Ofsted data licensed under the Open Government Licence v3.0.
- Contains Department for Education data licensed under the Open Government Licence v3.0.
- Contains Ofsted data licensed under the Open Government Licence v3.0.
- Contains National Statistics data © Crown copyright and database right; contains OS data © Crown copyright and database right.
- Contains Department for Transport NaPTAN data licensed under the Open Government Licence v3.0.
- © OpenStreetMap contributors
- Food hygiene rating from the Food Standards Agency, licensed under the Open Government Licence v3.0.
- Source: Office for National Statistics, Census 2021, licensed under the Open Government Licence v3.0.
- Read reviews on Google
Last checked 5 November 2026 · Ofsted URN EY552592 · Plain-text version · Report a mistake
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