Wild At Heart Day Nursery

Private farmland, woodland campfires and an adventure playground give Wild At Heart Day Nursery a clear identity: nature is part of the everyday learning offer, rather than simply a backdrop. At Four Winds Court in Driffield, children progress through rooms inspired by oceans, British woodland, Japan and Africa. The surroundings give families something concrete to weigh alongside the care arrangements.

The nursery received a Good judgement on 25 January 2022. That judgement predates the newer preschool building and playground developments, so it should be read alongside the current facilities rather than treated as an assessment of everything now on site.

There is an age range of two to 60 months. Attendance can follow either a full-day or school-day pattern, with a minimum of two days each week. Outdoor exploration, practical independence and communication with families are the strongest threads through the offer.

Rooms and Ages

Four rooms now shape the journey through nursery, with moves influenced by each child's academic year as well as their stage of development. This matters for families thinking beyond the first room: progression is organised around the child's remaining time before school, rather than simply repeating an identical experience in successive spaces.

Beachcombers is ocean-themed and accommodates the youngest children until 18 months; Forest Keepers then provides a British woodland setting from 18 months, with the next move considered according to academic year. Mountaineers introduces a Japanese theme before the final nursery year in Park Rangers, the African-themed preschool.

Park Rangers has its own kitchen, toilets and art space, plus a raised play loft and outdoor area, giving older children several ways to combine making, movement and independent routines. Its playground connects with the main nursery garden, and children continue to share the Oasis dining area. The preschool therefore has its own spaces while remaining part of the wider nursery.

Learning and Activities

The Early Years Foundation Stage (EYFS) is the framework for children's learning, development and care: in parent terms, play and daily routines support skills such as communication, movement and increasing independence. Wild At Heart adds an emphasis on the natural world and sustainability, using its themed rooms and outdoor spaces to connect children's experiences with different environments.

Global Citizenship introduces children to other cultures through storybooks, dolls with different skin tones and dressing-up resources. Sustainability has practical expressions too: children encounter reuse and recycling, while families receive a reusable wet bag and are encouraged to reduce disposable items. These are understandable actions for young children, giving the environmental themes a place in ordinary routines.

In January 2022, babies used songs and actions, younger children practised words during outdoor play, and older children discussed ideas with adults and in groups. Planning combined children's interests with new topics. The improvement priorities were more precise teaching to maintain challenge across learning, and further development of the outdoor curriculum. Those are useful questions about teaching practice, separate from how attractive the facilities are.

Outdoor and Community Life

The adventure playground includes a dry riverbed, sand play, climbing equipment and mud kitchens. Private farmland provides opportunities to observe wildlife, seasonal changes and farming, while the nursery's forest school site offers campfires and woodworking led by trained adults. Here, forest school means learning through practical experiences in woodland; the stated activities give that description substance.

For preschool children, the outdoor provision adds a climbing tower with a slide, an Astro pitch and a gravel engineering station. This gives families concrete examples of how the older children's physical play differs from the shared garden. Waterproof clothing comes from home, so outdoor participation also has a practical place in the packing routine.

The Wild West Hideout is a neighbouring sister business offering parent-and-child play sessions. It provides a separate community option for families, rather than an additional nursery room or part of the childcare booking.

Relationships and Communication

A key person connects each child and family with a particular practitioner. Parents contribute information about their child's starting point and experiences at home, allowing staff to connect nursery learning with familiar interests and routines. Each room also has a leader and deputy, giving the room team a defined structure alongside the child's individual relationship.

Before a child starts, three settling sessions are included in the administration charge. This gives the family and staff a planned introduction before the regular attendance pattern begins. The welcome information also helps practitioners learn about the child, rather than relying solely on what they observe during the first days.

Famly, the nursery's communication and administration software, carries photographs and daily information, with records covering development, accidents, transitions and invoices. Parents can contribute observations from home, and parents' evenings take place at least twice a year. Famly is also a condition of enrolment: families must agree to their information being held on the system.

Inclusion and Wellbeing

Super Strategy Station boxes contain sensory sticks, squishy balls and other regulation toys for children who feel overwhelmed. Visual cards and a displayed timetable support changes between routines. These are specific mechanisms parents can discuss in relation to their own child, rather than a general promise about behaviour support.

The behaviour policy distinguishes a child's feelings from unacceptable actions, encourages peaceful responses to conflict and involves parents where concerns arise. Individual plans can follow observations and discussions, with risk assessments considering triggers. That gives families a concrete picture of the process used when everyday behaviour support needs adapting.

At its January 2022 inspection, Ofsted found safeguarding effective and identified effective SEND support through collaboration with parents and other professionals, personal education plans and progress in closing learning gaps. In January 2022, staff also supported children using other languages by learning familiar words, while everyday independence included using cutlery and pouring drinks. These examples place school preparation in daily care routines rather than formal lessons.

Sessions and Attendance

The nursery is at Four Winds Court, Eastburn Road, Driffield, YO25 9LH. Full Day runs from 8am to 6pm, while School Day runs from 8.30am to 4pm; both sit within a minimum booking of two days per week. Early Care, from 7.30am to 8am, is subject to availability and advance discussion so staffing can be arranged. It includes breakfast.

Care is charged across 50 weeks, with the annual cost divided into monthly payments. Closures include the interval between Christmas and New Year, bank holidays and three staff-training days each year. Booked attendance remains chargeable when a child is absent through illness or a family holiday, which matters when comparing the invoice with the days actually used.

The nursery/pre-school enquiry form handles enrolment enquiries. Returned application paperwork places families on the waiting list without a charge; an agreed place is secured through the completed forms, signed terms and administration fee. Admission priorities consider the nursery's ability to meet the child's needs, application timing, siblings and vulnerable children, and a full-time request may receive preference depending on work commitments, occupancy and the room concerned.

Funding and Paid Extras

Funded childcare is accepted for eligible children, including funding from the term after nine months, 15-hour disadvantaged two-year-old funding, and the 15- and 30-hour entitlements. Eligibility conditions apply, and families using 30 hours need the required code arranged in advance for the term. Funding reduces the childcare element of the bill; it does not make every part of attendance free.

The usual year-round arrangement applies funding during 38 weeks and private charges during the remaining 12, combining both booking plans into consistent monthly invoices. Term-time-only bookings are considered under admission criteria that prioritise disadvantaged families, existing term-time siblings and specified family circumstances, including parents working in education. Requests are considered rather than guaranteed.

Private session fees include meals, drinks, snacks, nappies, wipes and activities. Funded bookings carry separate charges for food, enrichment and non-food consumables, including sun cream and personal hygiene items; disadvantaged two-year-old funding has an exception to the additional consumables charge. Extra attendance beyond the funded entitlement is charged at private rates, so families should obtain a current written quotation for their intended pattern.

A cook makes food from scratch on site using a four-week menu, and the open kitchen lets children participate in preparation. The food arrangements include provision for allergies and intolerances; families affected should confirm their child's current arrangements during the visit.

Invoices are payable monthly in advance, and four weeks' notice is required to end or change a booking. These terms make changing days a planned decision rather than an informal weekly adjustment.

• Teaching beyond the facilities. January 2022 improvement priorities concerned more consistently challenging teaching and the outdoor curriculum. During a visit, ask how staff now turn woodland activities and the preschool resources into learning suited to your child.
• The cost of funded attendance. The year-round model combines funded weeks, privately charged weeks and additional charges, with an exception for disadvantaged two-year-old funding. Request a written quotation that separates those elements for your chosen days.
• Room progression. Beachcombers ends at 18 months, while later moves take academic year into account. Ask which room your child would start in and how the key person supports a move into the next stage.
• A practical introduction. Evening visits are offered at 5.30pm, and three settling sessions are included in the administration charge. Use the visit to discuss settling, the two-day minimum and any allergy arrangements together.

Wild At Heart suits families who want either full days or shorter school days, can commit to at least two days each week, and value outdoor experiences with tangible substance. The farmland, woodland activities and separate preschool playground make that choice easy to picture. Famly and the key-person system give the family relationship an organised structure too.

The balance lies between the substantial current environment and the older inspection judgement. Families should pay equal attention to how staff teach within those spaces and how the funded and private elements combine on the bill. For parents drawn to nature, practical independence and a planned progression through rooms, this is a nursery with a clear identity.