Nurture Naturally Childcare Services, NNCS

Mud pits, sand pits and a kitchen garden give Nurture Naturally Childcare Services, NNCS a clear outdoor character. At Hull Road in Eastrington, near Goole, children have space to explore beyond the indoor play areas, with two large covered areas extending the possibilities when the weather changes. Growing and harvesting bring nature into the nursery day in a practical way.

At its December 2024 inspection, Ofsted rated the nursery Good and found safeguarding effective. Its capacity is 17 children, with the early-years age range running from six to 60 months; that is a whole-setting figure, rather than the size of any individual group.

The offer also includes before- and after-school care. For families balancing nursery-age children and school runs, that gives the setting a broader practical role than early-years care alone.

Learning and Activities

The Early Years Foundation Stage (EYFS) provides the framework for learning, linking play with language, movement, social development and early literacy and mathematics. Here, outdoor exploration and children’s choices supply concrete ways to put those areas of learning into practice. Children can investigate plants and wildlife as well as use the indoor play resources.

In December 2024, younger children were offered choices about their play, while older children were encouraged to select activities and manage everyday tasks, such as putting away their coats after outdoor time. These are useful, manageable steps towards independence: deciding what to do and taking responsibility for personal belongings.

Mathematics was threaded through play at that visit. Younger children counted with staff and joined counting songs; older children explored patterns through dinosaur movements in sand and talked about size. This gave mathematical ideas a physical form, rather than separating them from activities children already enjoyed.

Language activities had a similar connection with children’s interests. In December 2024, staff introduced vocabulary during dinosaur play, and children joined a nursery choir, singing together and trying songs in other languages. The improvement point matters alongside those examples: some adult questions restricted children’s answers, rather than allowing them to explain or recall their learning fully.

Outdoor and Community Life

The kitchen garden lets children grow and harvest plants. It gives them something to care for and a reason to return to the same outdoor activity over time. Passing animals, insects and other wildlife also contribute to play themes, connecting the nursery’s country setting with what children investigate.

Two large covered areas sit within the outdoor space, alongside equipment, mud pits and sand pits. Outdoor play is encouraged in different weather conditions, with children able to choose whether to use the space. That makes the garden part of the everyday offer, rather than an occasional extra.

In December 2024, children used tools to release toy animals from ice and played ball games together in the garden. The first demanded persistence; the second involved sharing resources and understanding the rules of a game. Both show how physical play can carry learning beyond movement alone.

Relationships and Communication

Daily feedback and a development profile give parents two ways to follow their child’s experience: immediate information about the day and a longer view of development. Parents’ evenings and an annual Parent Satisfaction Survey add opportunities for families to contribute their own views.

In December 2024, children sought staff when they needed comfort or felt uncertain around visitors. Staff also assessed children’s starting points and revisited their learning regularly, sharing information with parents to plan what came next. Those observations give substance to the relationship between day-to-day care and learning plans.

Inclusion and Wellbeing

At the December 2024 inspection, Ofsted found that staff supported children with special educational needs and/or disabilities through work with outside professionals, individual development plans and additional funding that helped children make progress. The important detail is the mechanism: information from other agencies was turned into plans for individual children.

Meals are prepared on site using fresh ingredients, with frozen ingredients used where appropriate, and no added sugar or salt. The nursery caters for dietary requirements through a system for matching children with the correct food; its dishes include soups, stews and ratatouille.

In December 2024, children also discussed which foods were healthy and how food choices could affect their teeth. Food therefore appeared in learning as well as at mealtimes, giving children a chance to explain their understanding.

Sessions and Attendance

Opening hours are 7.30am to 6pm, Monday to Friday, across 50 weeks of the year. Children cannot be received before 7.30am, a clear boundary for families arranging an early working day.

Before and After School Club provides two separate parts of the school-day routine. Before-school care accepts children from 7.30am and includes breakfast, quieter activities such as reading and drawing, and outdoor games. Staff take children to school for handover to their class teacher. After-school care includes collection, indoor or outdoor play and a light meal, with collection from the club by 6pm.

The nursery’s address is Hull Road, Eastrington, Goole, DN14 7XL, with Slipper Bridge also used in its address. Telephone enquiries go through 01430 626709.

Funding and Paid Extras

Government-funded childcare is offered. Funded entitlement and any privately paid care need to be considered separately when planning attendance; a current written quotation from the nursery is the useful basis for comparing the complete cost of an arrangement.

• Children’s opportunities to explain. December 2024 questioning sometimes narrowed children’s answers. During a visit, ask how staff now encourage children to describe their ideas and recall what they have learned.
• The school-run arrangement. Before-school care begins at 7.30am and after-school collection ends at 6pm, with school transport forming part of the offer. Establish which school journeys fit your family’s routine before choosing this arrangement.
• The complete cost of attendance. For a funded or privately paid arrangement, request a written breakdown covering attendance, meals and non-food consumables, so the cost comparison reflects the care you intend to use.

Outdoor space is the strongest reason to look closely at NNCS: the kitchen garden, mud and sand play, and covered areas give children several ways to explore their surroundings. The December 2024 examples also show learning woven into ordinary play, from mathematical patterns to new vocabulary, alongside a specific improvement needed in adult questioning.

It suits families who value outdoor nursery experiences and those needing before-school or after-school care with transport and food included in the routine. Daily feedback and development profiles offer a practical connection between nursery and home. The choice turns on how that outdoor emphasis and school-run arrangement fit the child and the family’s working day.