The Laurels Child Care Company

Woodland learning, a garden allotment and a wood fired pizza oven give The Laurels Child Care Company a clear outdoor identity. Children help tend what grows, spend time in local woods and return to a garden Cabin for reflection. These are connected experiences: growing food, exploring nature and cooking all have a place in the nursery day.

At its 14 December 2022 inspection, Ofsted rated the nursery Outstanding. The setting has capacity for 34 children, with an age range extending up to five years, at Laurel Avenue in The Woodlands, Durham. Its two rooms separate the youngest children from the preschool age group, and the baby room has a published cap of six.

The practical offer includes morning, afternoon and full-day bookings, alongside before- and after-school wraparound care. For parents, the strongest reasons to consider The Laurels are its small baby-room maximum, child-led planning and substantial outdoor provision.

Rooms and Ages

The baby room accommodates up to six children between six weeks and two years, with care routines and relationships with key people taking priority and activities planned around each baby's interests.

For children aged two to five, the pre-school room accommodates up to 20, follows children's interests and allows routines to respond to their needs, including time to rest and reflect. Planning is responsive to what engages children rather than centred on a fixed sequence of activities. Both rooms have outdoor areas, so outdoor exploration belongs to each age group's environment.

Learning and Activities

EYFS provides the framework for children's learning, development and care: play, communication and physical exploration sit alongside the care routines that support the nursery day. The Laurels adds planning that responds to children's interests as they emerge.

In December 2022, babies explored flour and cocoa using toy vehicles, with adults drawing attention to the tracks they created. The materials made early mark-making a sensory activity. Older children explored seasonal change through acorns, wildlife and food for birds, connecting what they noticed outdoors with practical things they could make.

Snow also shaped learning in December 2022. Children investigated frozen water and pumpkins, then tried small hammers to break the ice. Adults used questions about the weather and the frozen materials to extend the activity. The sequence gave children something concrete to investigate: they could try an idea, see what happened and try again.

Outdoor and Community Life

Woodland School is the nursery's approach to learning in local woods, using forest school principles alongside EYFS, with attention to literacy, mathematics and creative expression. It extends across the ages, including babies. Wildtrack Wilderness supports bushcraft and forest school activities one day per week, giving the woodland programme a named outside contributor and a clear frequency.

Back in the garden, children tend the allotment throughout the year, learning about growing food and the changes that happen as plants develop and decay. The Cabin provides somewhere to reflect after woodland activities and also supports outdoor cooking and dining. A wood fired pizza oven adds a concrete connection between the outdoor space and preparing food.

In December 2022, woodland experiences included tree climbing, puddle play and den building. Children also prepared soup and cheese toasties beside a campfire and could explain rules for staying safe near the fire. These activities combined movement, practical tasks and responsibility, rather than treating time outdoors as a break from learning.

Relationships and Communication

Settling is tailored to the child. Where required, families receive three short sessions before the start date, free of charge, and parents can remain with their children. This gives the family time to become familiar with the care arrangement before the first booked attendance. The sessions are an introduction, with individual needs shaping the transition.

The child's diary and learning journal normally sit with their key person. Two practitioners sometimes share this role; otherwise, families can generally expect their key person to be there when their child attends. The arrangement gives parents a regular point of contact while allowing for shared responsibility. A manager or deputy is generally present each day, and a senior member of staff covers the beginning and end of the day.

In December 2022, adults used their knowledge of individual children to plan what came next in learning. Communication support included daily programmes and the collection of important words from children's home languages. These were practical ways to connect support with the child, including children learning English alongside another language.

Parent involvement also had a concrete form in December 2022. Young, wild and three workshops explained the benefits of outdoor play, while recorded readings of the week's story were shared online. Families could take part in the outdoor approach and revisit a familiar story at home, rather than receiving only an account of what their child had done.

Inclusion and Wellbeing

At the December 2022 inspection, Ofsted judged safeguarding effective and found exceptionally strong SEND support, including close monitoring of development, detailed early support plans, prompt referrals and work with speech and language therapists and health visitors. Those mechanisms matter more than a broad promise of inclusion: they show how a concern was identified and how additional help was organised.

Meals are prepared by the nursery's chef, with menus planned each week using deliveries from Fare Share North East, supermarket purchases and produce grown in the allotment. Alternative meals cater for allergies and cultural requirements.

Sessions and Attendance

Morning bookings run from 8am to 1pm, afternoon bookings from 1pm to 6pm, and full days from 8am to 6pm. The nursery opens Monday to Friday throughout the year, closing for bank holidays and Christmas.

Before- and after-school wraparound care is also offered. The nursery describes this provision as working in conjunction with neighbouring Laurel Avenue Primary School. Attendance at the nursery does not guarantee a school place; families still use the local authority admissions process for a state-school place.

Holiday terms require at least two weeks' notice. The allowance is capped at two weeks of the child's usual booked sessions, and those holiday sessions are not charged. The allowance therefore follows the child's attendance pattern, rather than providing the same number of sessions to every family.

Getting There

The address is Laurel Avenue, One Point Children's Centre, The Woodlands, Durham, DH1 2EY. Enquiries can be made by telephone on 0191 3849795 or by email to laurelschildcareltd@gmail.com.

Funding and Paid Extras

Funded sessions are offered alongside private childcare. For fee-paying families, snacks and breakfast, lunch and tea are included in the price; meals during funded sessions carry a separate charge. That distinction matters when comparing the cost of a privately paid booking with a funded session.

Current prices come in the nursery's written quotation. The fees page sets out the session structure and the different treatment of meals, so the relevant comparison is the complete booking arrangement rather than the hours alone.

• The baby-room maximum. The room accommodates up to six babies from six weeks to two years. On a visit, discuss how its care routines and settling sessions would work for your child's starting age.
• Woodland learning. Woodland School spans the age groups, with weekly support from Wildtrack Wilderness. A visit can explore how the experiences differ between babies and children approaching school age.
• Funded-session costs. Meals are included for fee-paying families and charged separately during funded sessions. Ask how the funded entitlement would fit your intended morning, afternoon or full-day pattern, including any non-food consumables.
• Dietary requirements. Alternative meals cater for allergies and cultural needs. Families managing an allergy should confirm the current preparation and serving arrangements for their child.

The Laurels suits families who want outdoor exploration to form a substantial part of nursery life, with morning and afternoon sessions as well as full-day care. Its baby-room cap gives the youngest provision a clear scale, while Woodland School, the allotment and garden cooking make the setting recognisable beyond its inspection grade.

Responsive planning, tailored settling and a key person support the practical fit across morning, afternoon and full-day bookings. Families considering funded sessions should weigh the separate meal charges against their intended booking. For those drawn to woodland experiences and hands-on learning about food and nature, this is a nursery with a clear character.