Kids adVentures Nursery and Forest School Prestwich

A private garden for babies, dinosaur-themed wellbeing activities and a planned move towards outdoor preschool learning give this Chandos Road nursery its character. Kids adVentures Nursery and Forest School Prestwich has capacity for 35 children aged three months to three years. The emphasis is on the youngest children here, with preschool provision at a separate site.

Ofsted rated the nursery Good on 24 June 2022, identifying strengths in children's enjoyment of stories and friendships alongside improvements needed in targeted adult-led activities and the time allowed for children to answer questions. That is a dated assessment. The current offer combines indoor care, garden play and an individual settling process that usually covers meals and sleep before a child starts their usual attendance.

Morning, afternoon and full-day bookings sit alongside funded short-day and longer-day arrangements, giving families several ways to organise attendance.

Learning and Activities

The EYFS guides learning and development through play, communication, physical activity and growing independence. Here, baking, dance, nature walks and den making provide concrete ways to explore those areas: children can handle materials, move their bodies and investigate their surroundings rather than experience learning only as organised group time.

Mini Minds Matter adds a named approach to emotional wellbeing. Daily dinosaur themes introduce mindfulness, meditation and affirmations, giving staff a shared way to talk about feelings and encourage children to keep trying. Toddler yoga adds another quieter activity alongside movement and outdoor play. These activities complement the EYFS framework for children's learning, development and care.

In June 2022, stories drew children into shared reading, familiar phrases and choosing books with friends. Children also tried different ways of fitting blocks into a container, with encouragement to persevere as they tried different approaches. The examples matter: listening and persistence were practised through ordinary play, rather than treated as separate lessons.

The same June 2022 assessment identified a limitation in adult-organised activities: individual learning targets did not consistently shape them closely enough. Sometimes adults also moved on before children had sufficient thinking time to respond. Both points concern the quality of interaction, which matters as much as the activity itself.

Outdoor and Community Life

A large private garden behind the building gives babies space for sensory play and toddlers opportunities to begin outdoor skills associated with Forest School, an approach to learning through exploration in an outdoor setting. All children can use an enclosed outdoor area on the ground floor. The building itself spans two floors, with stairs serving the upstairs base room.

Older children take part in Forest School sessions with a member of that team before transferring to the separate preschool provision. This introduces both the adults and basic safety expectations ahead of the change. The preschool is a different setting, rather than an outdoor room within the Chandos Road building.

Relationships and Communication

Settling begins with an hour-long induction, during which a key person builds a relationship with the child while parents share routines, dietary needs, sleep patterns and important people. Subsequent sessions depend on the child. A parent can remain for an additional settle, followed by independent periods lasting between one and three hours.

Settling sessions usually cover key periods such as meals and sleep, helping children become familiar with practical care routines as well as play. For babies and younger children, a memory box can hold a familiar blanket or an item of a parent's clothing. Room welcome packs include photographs and routine information, helping families prepare for the change at home.

Quarterly parents' evenings provide regular opportunities to discuss development. Families can also request a meeting and email news from home for inclusion in their child's learning journey. This gives the key person information beyond nursery hours and gives parents a role in understanding their child's progress.

Inclusion and Wellbeing

A SENCO works with parents and key persons to identify where additional help may be needed. An initial developmental assessment follows four weeks after starting, with further assessments every four months; support involving external agencies is reviewed through a plan, do, assess and review process every six to eight weeks. Bury local authority and visiting speech and language support are part of these arrangements.

At the June 2022 inspection, Ofsted found safeguarding effective and children with SEND making good progress through sequenced individual targets. In June 2022, outdoor numbers were also adjusted to avoid overwhelming individual children, showing how the environment could be changed around a child's needs.

Transition co-ordinators oversee moves between rooms, with parents involved in decisions about timing. Information is exchanged with a child's next setting, and settling sessions support the move to the separate Forest School preschool. These arrangements provide continuity of care across a change of environment.

Sessions and Attendance

The address is 3 Chandos Road, Prestwich, Manchester, M25 9WW. Opening hours are 7.30am to 6pm, Monday to Friday, across the year, with closures on bank holidays and for one week at Christmas. Enquiries can be made on 0161 798 7465 or through the Prestwich nursery email, prestwichnursery@kidsadventures.org.uk.

Full days run from 8am to 5.30pm. Morning sessions are 7.30am to 12.30pm; afternoons run from 12.30pm to 5.30pm. Funded arrangements also include short days from 8.30am to 4pm and longer days with either an 8am to 6pm or 7.30am to 5.30pm window. Additional wraparound hours can extend a booking.

Funding is organised into specified attendance patterns. For example, the term-time 15-hour short-day arrangement uses two days each week, while the equivalent 30-hour short-day arrangement uses four. Families choosing funding therefore need to consider the whole weekly pattern as well as the daily finish time.

Funding and Paid Extras

Both 15-hour and 30-hour funding arrangements are offered, with term-time delivery over 38 weeks or stretched arrangements over 51 weeks. Private sessions and additional paid hours are also offered. Funding entitlement and any extra hours should be considered separately when comparing the total booking.

During funded hours, meals and snacks are charged separately, as are non-food consumables and resources. The funded supplement also covers activities, including Forest School activities; these should be included when assessing the overall charge structure. Current prices come in the nursery's written quotation, and the Prestwich fees information explains the supplement categories.

A deposit is required to confirm a booking. Monthly payments fall due on the first of the month. These are practical commitments alongside the choice of sessions, rather than part of the funded entitlement itself.

• A change of site for preschool. Older children prepare through Forest School sessions and settles before moving to separate preschool provision. At a visit, discuss how that change would work for your child and family routine.
• Stairs within the nursery. One base room is upstairs, while the enclosed outdoor area is on the ground floor. Families with mobility needs should discuss the room allocation and adjustments their child would require.
• Interaction during organised learning. The June 2022 improvement points concerned individual targets and thinking time. Ask how staff now tailor an activity and allow children time to form an answer.
• The funded booking as a whole. Short-day and longer-day patterns differ, and funded hours carry separate food, consumable and activity charges. Compare a written quotation for the exact weekly arrangement you intend to use.

This nursery suits families seeking care for babies and toddlers with a private garden, gradual settling and a planned transition towards outdoor preschool learning. Its attendance options serve families needing morning or afternoon sessions as well as full days and funded short-day patterns.

Mini Minds Matter and the preparation for Forest School give the offer a clear character. The June 2022 assessment provides a positive baseline, with specific interaction improvements to explore. The key decisions are practical: which attendance pattern fits, how the two-floor building meets the child's needs and whether a later move to a separate preschool site suits the family.