Children 1st Clowne Nursery School

Cookery, visits to a residential home for people with dementia and fundraising for Rainbow Trust give Children 1st Clowne Nursery School a character rooted in everyday life and its local community. Children can explore ingredients, encounter people beyond their own age group and take part in helping others. These are concrete experiences for families who want nursery life to extend beyond play within the setting.

At its July 2022 inspection, Ofsted rated the nursery Good, found safeguarding effective and recognised learning support for children with special educational needs and/or disabilities, while identifying inconsistencies in interactions and personal care routines. That is a dated judgement, rather than an assurance about practice today.

The High Street nursery in Clowne has 120 places in total, with a current age range of 2 to 60 months. Attendance choices include morning and afternoon sessions as well as several day lengths, giving families alternatives to the longest booking.

Learning and Activities

The early years foundation stage sets the framework for children's learning, development and care: play, conversation, movement and everyday routines all contribute to learning. At Clowne, cookery provides a concrete example of how practical experiences can sit alongside that framework. Children handle ingredients and develop cooking skills, with opportunities to explore how ingredients grow and where food originates.

In July 2022, preschool children planned and assembled a tractor using loose materials, working out how its parts should fit together and testing ideas when adults introduced another challenge. The value lay in the thinking as much as the finished construction. Children exchanged suggestions, returned to their plans and persisted with the task.

During the same month, babies practised holding and moving rattles, while preschool children arranged twigs and cotton reels into temporary pictures. These activities exercised hand movements relevant to later writing. Toddlers used an indoor play area with a ball pool, tunnels and ramps, giving physical play a substantial place in the day at that time.

Outdoor and Community Life

Natural resources feature in the nursery's indoor environment, while its outdoor spaces allow exploration and contact with nature. Forest School, an approach to learning outdoors through exploration, is included among the additional activities offered here, alongside yoga and cookery. The useful distinction is between the statutory learning framework and these additions to children's experience.

Visits to a local residential home for people with dementia make community contact tangible. Fundraising also has a named purpose: Rainbow Trust supports families whose children have critical or life-limiting illnesses. Clowne's activities for the charity include sponsored challenges, bake sales and dress-up days throughout the year. For parents, the dress-up element is also a practical detail to keep in mind when planning participation.

Everyday independence deserves attention alongside organised activities. In July 2022, children helped prepare the lunch table, poured drinks and dealt with their plates after eating. These small responsibilities gave them opportunities to practise doing things for themselves, rather than leaving every task to an adult.

The July 2022 inspection also identified toddler stories and singing being interrupted by noise from another room, uneven adult interactions that limited further progress, and personal care support that sometimes did too much for children or omitted handwashing reminders. These concerns matter because a well-equipped activity is only useful when children can concentrate and adults respond effectively. Personal care is part of learning too.

An onsite chef prepares meals, using local ingredients where possible, and menus accommodate dietary requirements. Food, snacks, milk and infant formula are included in private fees; funded sessions have separate food charges. The difference matters when comparing the cost of an otherwise similar attendance pattern.

Sessions and Attendance

The address is High Street, Clowne, Chesterfield, S43 4JX. Enquiries can be made through the nursery's online form or by contacting the branch, and visits can be booked directly. Current prices come in the nursery's written quotation.

Five booking patterns give the timetable useful flexibility. Business Days run from 8am to 6pm; Nursery days finish at 5pm after an 8am start. School days run from 9am to 3pm. Mornings cover 8am to 1pm, while Afternoons run from 1pm to 6pm. The shorter day and session choices are worth weighing against work hours and a child's routine, rather than assuming the longest day is the default.

Clowne operates across the year, with Christmas week and two staff training days as closures. Invoices are monthly, with the same payment amount each month. A non-refundable registration charge applies, and the deposit is credited to the first invoice.

Funding and Paid Extras

Eligible children aged 9 months and above can access the 15 Hours or 30 Hours funding offer. Entitlement is stretched over 51 weeks: the corresponding weekly funded allocations are up to 11.18 hours and 22.35 hours. Up to 10 funded hours can be used in a day, within the nursery's regular sessions. This spreading of entitlement is useful for families planning care throughout the year rather than around school terms.

Private fees include nappies, wipes, nappy cream and sun cream, as well as food and additional activities. For funded sessions, meals and health and hygiene consumables are charged separately, and additional hours are paid for. Activity charges apply to children over two; children under two have no activity charge. The funded hours and these extras therefore need to be considered separately when assessing the total bill.

• Quiet time for toddlers. Noise interrupted toddler stories and singing in July 2022. On a visit, ask how those activities are now protected from nearby care routines and meal preparation.
• Independence and adult interaction. July 2022 findings included uneven conversations and inconsistent support for children's own care. Ask how practitioners now extend children's thinking and help them manage tasks such as tissues and handwashing.
• Funding and session length. Entitlement is stretched across 51 weeks, and funded sessions carry separate charges for food and consumables. Request a written quotation for your chosen pattern, including any activity charges and the alternatives to the integrated package.
• Dietary needs. Menus accommodate dietary requirements, and an onsite chef prepares the food. Families managing allergies should confirm current kitchen and mealtime arrangements before joining.

Clowne suits families seeking morning or afternoon sessions as well as shorter or longer nursery days, with year-round attendance and stretched funding. Cookery, residential-home visits and Rainbow Trust fundraising give its day practical substance. The Good judgement from July 2022 provides a useful historical assessment, but the specific concerns about toddler concentration, adult interaction and independence should remain part of a family's decision. The strongest fit is for parents who value practical learning and community involvement and whose chosen timetable works with the separate charges on funded sessions.