Daisy Fays Nursery Truro

A Victorian building with its own mini woodland gives Daisy Fays Nursery Truro a clear identity: indoor play and woodland exploration belong to the same setting. Rooms have direct access to enclosed outdoor space, while Forest School adds activities such as making dens and searching for bugs. For children who enjoy exploring outside, there is more here than a playground.

At its January 2023 inspection, Ofsted rated the nursery Good and judged safeguarding effective. The setting accepts children aged 3 to 60 months at Petherton House, Kenwyn Road, Truro. Its strongest practical attraction is the connection between the rooms and the outdoors; in January 2023, vocabulary development and adult-led outdoor learning needed improvement.

Learning and Activities

The early years foundation stage provides the learning framework, covering children's development through play, communication, movement and growing independence. In January 2023, staff used projects such as superheroes to engage preschool children and gave them thinking time before answering questions. The project gave preschool children a shared subject to explore, with time to think before responding.

Everyday routines carried learning too. In January 2023, preschool children got their outdoor clothing on independently, used serving utensils at meals and cleaned their dishes afterwards. These were practical opportunities to practise coordination and take responsibility for small tasks. Babies explored sound together using beaters and a broad, flat drum, giving the youngest children a shared activity built around movement and noise.

The same January 2023 account described older children helping one another tidy before snacks, sharing materials and considering how their behaviour affected friends. Staff helped children recognise and express emotions. The emphasis was on learning to manage ordinary social situations, as well as taking part in planned activities.

Outdoor and Community Life

Forest School is an outdoor learning approach, delivered here through woodland exploration, den making and bug hunting. The woodland gives those activities a physical setting, while direct outdoor access from the rooms connects outside play with the rest of the day. This is the main reason to consider Truro on its own merits.

In January 2023, toddlers used a course made from tyres and timber, together with a slide, to practise climbing and balance. Babies had support to explore outside while developing early movement. These were different experiences for different developmental stages, rather than a single outdoor activity applied to everyone.

The woodland provision had a different rhythm in January 2023. Older children ate outdoors beside the firepit and, in warmer weather, helped prepare afternoon snacks over the fire. Staff guided children in handling outdoor risks and making choices about exercise and food; tasting pomegranate and physalis introduced unfamiliar flavours. Woodland staff also worked in the main nursery at times and shared knowledge of children's next learning steps.

There were limits to the teaching, however. In January 2023, staff sometimes passed over chances to broaden children's vocabulary, and adult-directed activities in the main outdoor space needed further development. Attractive outdoor surroundings and purposeful teaching are separate considerations. Both matter.

At the January 2023 inspection, Ofsted found that children had secure relationships with staff and key persons, and that children with SEND made good progress with support that included Makaton signing and visual prompts. Those concrete communication methods matter more than a broad promise of inclusion.

In January 2023, Makaton, a signing system used to support communication, worked alongside visual cues throughout the nursery. Staff also used cards containing basic words and actions in different languages to communicate with children learning English. This gave children ways to understand routines and express themselves while their spoken communication developed.

A SEN Coordinator role is part of the current Truro team, alongside a preschool leadership role concerned with preparation for primary school. The branch also has paediatric first-aid training and DBS checks among its staff arrangements. These are arrangements to understand when choosing care; the dated safeguarding judgement remains the relevant assessment of effectiveness.

Moving on to school involved relationship building in January 2023: primary teachers visited the preschool room to get to know children. Combined with the independent dressing and mealtime tasks described then, this offered practical preparation for the next stage rather than an admissions advantage.

Sessions and Attendance

Opening hours are 7.30am to 6pm, Monday to Friday. The nursery operates across the year, with closures for bank holidays and Christmas. That opening window gives families a useful starting point for planning working days, while holiday closures need to be built into their childcare arrangements.

Getting There

The address is Petherton House, Kenwyn Road, Truro, TR1 3SH, and the branch telephone number is 01872 303666. Access to the A30 is another practical consideration for families travelling by road.

Funding and Paid Extras

In January 2023, the nursery received funded childcare for children aged two, three and four. Current prices come in the nursery's written quotation.

• Language development. In January 2023, opportunities to expand vocabulary were sometimes missed. Ask how staff now build sustained conversations into play, including woodland activities.
• Teaching outdoors. The January 2023 improvement point concerned adult-led learning in the main outdoor space. A visit should explore how that teaching works alongside the current Forest School activities.
• Your attendance and costs. The opening window runs from 7.30am to 6pm, with bank holiday and Christmas closures. Ask for a written attendance proposal covering bookable sessions, current funded entitlement, meals and consumables, so the arrangement can be assessed as a whole.

Daisy Fays Nursery Truro suits families who value woodland exploration and easy connections between indoor rooms and outdoor play. The Victorian building, mini woodland and concrete Forest School activities give that choice substance. For families considering communication support, the current SEN Coordinator role and the dated examples of signing and language cards provide useful points for discussion.

The January 2023 Good judgement sits alongside specific teaching improvements, rather than cancelling them out. A decision should weigh the outdoor offer against how language development and adult-led learning now work in practice, with attendance and charges agreed in writing.