The Woodlands Private Day Nursery

Giant land snails and woodland storytelling give Woodlands a recognisable character: children’s learning in June 2023 included comparing living creatures and identifying trees through their leaves. These are concrete ways to connect language with something children can examine and discuss.

The Woodlands Private Day Nursery has capacity for 118 children, with a current age range of 0 to 96 months. At its June 2023 inspection, Ofsted rated it Good, found safeguarding effective and recognised that coordinated support helped children with special educational needs and/or disabilities make good progress. A later welfare requirements notice makes the May 2025 regulatory position an essential part of the decision.

In June 2023, the nursery followed the early years foundation stage, the framework for children’s learning, development and care. Its everyday application included stories, conversation and practical exploration, rather than learning confined to a formal lesson.

The forest school activity observed that month combined outdoor exploration with imaginative play: preschool children acted out familiar stories and examined leaves to distinguish trees. Younger children compared giant land snails with snails outdoors, giving size words a tangible meaning. Both examples connected new vocabulary to direct experience.

Books supplied another thread. In June 2023, staff returned frequently to selected stories, reading with groups and individual children so that words and phrases became familiar. However, opportunities to practise precise hand movements needed development: children were not using scissors, and their part in serving meals had diminished. Outdoor exploration and repeated stories therefore sat alongside a practical learning gap.

In June 2023, babies sought reassurance from their key person when tired. Settling arrangements had become longer and more flexible following parental feedback, making the transition into nursery more gradual. The special educational needs coordinator worked with families, key workers and other professionals to arrange support.

Daily care that month included handwashing routines and healthy food choices. Staff used relaxing music with babies and a sand timer to support older children’s turn-taking. At mealtimes and other routines, however, conversation did not consistently extend children’s language. The improvement work covered both practical independence and how adults used ordinary care moments for learning.

In the complaint outcome dated 21 May 2025, Ofsted recorded a welfare requirements notice concerning emergency medical decisions, staff deployment, deputy leadership and risk assessment, followed by a regulatory visit on 20 May 2025 that recorded steps addressing those matters. These included arranging staff training, putting emergency-contact instructions in playrooms, reviewing supervision and risk assessments, and preparing the deputy to handle a serious incident. Those are the dated steps recorded at that visit, rather than a new inspection judgement.

The address is 194 Duffield Road, Derby, DE22 1BJ. Opening hours are 7.30am to 6pm, Monday to Friday, throughout the year except bank holidays.

In June 2023, the nursery’s session window ran from 7.30am to 6pm, and it provided funded early education for children aged two, three and four. That is a dated account of provision, separate from the current opening hours.

• Safety follow-through. The May 2025 action concerned emergency responses, supervision and leadership cover. Ask how the subsequent changes operate in daily practice and what follow-up took place.
• Hands-on independence. In June 2023, tool use and self-serving meals needed attention. A visit is an opportunity to discuss how children now practise these skills.
• Attendance and costs. The weekday opening window spans 7.30am to 6pm. Ask which booking pattern fits your needs and request a written quotation covering funded hours, meals and consumables.

Woodlands will appeal to families drawn to outdoor exploration and story-led learning, with weekday childcare needs that fit its opening window. The June 2023 examples give substance to that appeal. The May 2025 safety action deserves equal weight: understanding the follow-through is central to assessing this setting.