Parkside Nursery School

Rabbits and chickens in the garden, dinosaur footprints in paint and stories taken home to share give Parkside Nursery School a recognisable character. These were features of daily life in November 2022: practical experiences that connected movement, language and curiosity.

Ofsted rated the nursery Good at its 22 November 2022 inspection, while identifying outdoor teaching and younger children's language support as areas requiring improvement. Parkside accepts children aged 0 to 60 months at its Charnwood Road setting in Loughborough.

In November 2022, activities gave children several ways to practise hand control: threading cereal, printing with toy dinosaurs and washing the toys afterwards. Younger children explored cereal through touch and barefoot movement; older children recalled story characters and anticipated what would happen next.

The early years foundation stage is the framework for children's learning, development and care. Here, the November 2022 examples show how play brought those elements together. Dough disco involved moving and manipulating dough to music, combining whole-body movement with finger exercises.

Outdoor life had substance too. In November 2022, children used tricycles and tree stumps in a large garden, cared for rabbits and chickens, and explored parks and farms. These experiences offered opportunities to practise balance and learn about animals. Teaching did not consistently make full use of those opportunities, however.

At the November 2022 inspection, Ofsted found safeguarding effective and additional needs identified promptly, with targeted help and collaboration between parents and other agencies supporting children's developmental progress.

In November 2022, The Colour Monster book and soft toys helped older children explore emotions, while cuddles and encouragement supported unsettled children. Families received learning updates and could borrow books to share at home, giving them a practical connection with nursery activities.

Food arrangements in November 2022 included fresh-fruit snacks and lunch boxes supplied by families, with staff encouraging healthy choices. Children also practised handwashing around food and toileting.

The address is 25 Charnwood Road, Loughborough, LE11 2BN. Opening hours are 7.30am to 6pm, Monday to Friday, across the year, with closures for bank holidays, the first week of Leicestershire's summer holiday and a week at Christmas, beginning after the last working day before Christmas Eve.

In November 2022, funded early education was provided for two-, three- and four-year-old children.

• Early communication. In November 2022, younger children received less consistent language support than older children. On a visit, ask how practitioners now extend babies' and toddlers' communication during play.
• Outdoor teaching. The November 2022 improvement action concerned how staff extended learning outdoors. The garden offered animal care, cycling and balancing; the decision for families is how actively practitioners turn those experiences into learning.

Parkside suits families needing weekday opening hours from 7.30am to 6pm. Its November 2022 examples give the nursery character, from Dough disco to caring for garden animals. The Good judgement sits alongside two clear teaching priorities, both relevant to how much children gain from their everyday activities.