Charnwood Nursery & Pre-School, Thurmaston

A large rear garden with its own forest school area gives Charnwood’s Lonsdale Road nursery a clear outdoor identity. Inside, five learning rooms separate the baby, toddler and preschool stages. This is a substantial setting, with capacity for 114 children aged 1 to 60 months, rather than a small nursery organised around one shared room.

Ofsted rated the nursery Outstanding on 23 August 2022 and found its safeguarding arrangements effective. That judgement is a dated assessment: the strongest examples of teaching, relationships and independence below belong to August 2022. The current physical offer includes the garden and five named rooms, giving families concrete features to weigh alongside that inspection position.

Opening hours are 7.30am to 6pm, Monday to Friday, excluding bank holidays.

Rooms and Ages

Tiny Tots and Mini Explorers accommodate children under two; Discoverers and Little Learners serve two- to three-year-olds; the Foundation Unit is for three- to four-year-olds. These names make the progression through the nursery easy to understand. The whole-setting capacity should not be read as the number of children sharing any one room.

The rear garden includes a forest school area for outdoor learning and play. Having that space on site gives the outdoor emphasis a physical base, rather than making it depend entirely on excursions. Forest school here means learning outside through practical encounters with the natural environment; the August 2022 examples included preschool children using a fire steel in an outdoor classroom.

Learning and Activities

The early years foundation stage sets the requirements for children’s learning, care and development, including learning through play and building communication, physical and social skills. Within that framework, the August 2022 day combined practical tasks, stories and outdoor challenges. Children cut vegetables, explored books and practised skills over time rather than simply moving from one activity to the next.

At its August 2022 inspection, Ofsted found that carefully ordered teaching and opportunities to revisit learning supported excellent progress and prepared children exceptionally well for school. The detail matters more than the label: practical work exercised small movements of the hands, while repeated attempts at an outdoor task gave children a reason to persist. Learning had something tangible to work towards.

Books crossed the indoor-outdoor divide in August 2022, with reading material in the garden as well as the forest-school space. Children drew their own stories and explained how the events unfolded. That connects listening to a story with organising and communicating an idea of their own, rather than treating books solely as an adult-led group activity.

Language teaching was equally specific in August 2022. Staff used expressions, sounds and spoken language with babies, helped toddlers refine pronunciation and extended preschool conversations about sea creatures. Children learning English as an additional language encountered new vocabulary through activities matched to their interests. The practical value is a reason to communicate: words connect to something the child already wants to explore.

Relationships and Communication

In August 2022, key persons knew children’s experiences at home and used that knowledge when planning activities. Children settled promptly, sought out friends and became involved in play. The relationship was part of the teaching: understanding a child’s interests helped staff choose an experience that would engage them.

Parents also had a role beyond receiving updates in August 2022. Workshops supplied ideas for activities at home, and families were encouraged to share the book of the month with their children. That gave nursery and home a common starting point for reading, with something specific to talk about or revisit together.

Inclusion and Wellbeing

Independence began with ordinary routines in August 2022. Babies attempted low apparatus and fed themselves; toddlers handled cutlery and served food. These examples show children practising manageable tasks, with the emphasis on doing more for themselves rather than adults completing everything for them.

Social expectations were visible in August 2022 too. Children shared resources and waited for turns, while toddlers worked together to move furniture carefully. Cooperation had a practical purpose: they needed to consider another child’s safety while completing a task together. This is a useful distinction from simply expecting children to sit quietly or follow instructions.

Safety learning in August 2022 covered roads, water and fire, alongside basic first aid. Staff undertook safeguarding training and recorded and reported concerns and incidents. Those are dated practices; families considering the outdoor provision can use the specific fire-lighting example to discuss how challenge and supervision work for their child.

Sessions and Attendance

The address is 22-26 Lonsdale Road, Thurmaston, Leicester, LE4 8JF. Opening hours run from 7.30am until 6pm on weekdays, with bank holidays excluded. These are the opening hours, and should be kept separate from an individual family’s attendance agreement.

Enquiries can be made by telephone on 0116 269 6162 or by email at info@cnpg.uk. A virtual tour of this Thurmaston nursery covers its baby, toddler and preschool spaces, together with the outdoor areas. That offers a useful first look at the layout before comparing it with a child’s stage and needs.

Funding and Paid Extras

In August 2022, the nursery provided funded early education for children aged two, three and four. Current prices should come in the nursery’s written quotation.

• A large setting, with separate stages. There are five learning rooms and capacity for 114 children overall. During a visit, ask how Tiny Tots and Mini Explorers organise the youngest children’s day and how moves between rooms are handled.
• Outdoor challenge is part of the character. The rear garden has a forest school area, and preschool children practised fire lighting in August 2022. Discuss how outdoor activities and supervision are adapted to your child’s age and confidence.
• Funding and the total bill. Funded early education was part of the August 2022 offer. Ask which current entitlements and attendance arrangements apply, and how meals and non-food consumables are treated in your written quotation.

Charnwood suits families who value an on-site outdoor space, separate rooms for successive stages and practical learning that gives children something to attempt themselves. Its weekday opening window also makes it relevant to parents whose childcare needs extend across the working day.

The August 2022 assessment supplies persuasive examples, from drawing stories to serving food and persevering with outdoor tasks. The decision should centre on the child’s room, the way relationships develop and how the outdoor emphasis fits their needs. The garden and room structure give those conversations a concrete starting point.