Humpty Dumpty Day Nursery & Pre School, Yoxall

Countryside is part of the offer at Yoxall, rather than a backdrop to it. Extensive grounds, woodland views within the National Forest and an on-site Forest School, an approach centred on learning outdoors through nature, give this nursery a clear identity. Its outdoor classroom adds a concrete base for that work. For families who want outdoor experiences alongside indoor play, those are substantial reasons to look closely.

Humpty Dumpty Day Nursery & Pre School, Yoxall has capacity for 77 children, with an accepted age range of three months to five years. At its 21 April 2022 inspection, Ofsted rated it Good overall. That judgement is dated; the practical appeal today lies in the combination of countryside grounds, age-based groups and a day that includes stories, construction, creative activities and outdoor learning.

Full days sit alongside morning and afternoon sessions, with flexibility by arrangement. This gives families several ways to use the nursery rather than a single attendance pattern.

Rooms and Ages

Chicks is the baby group, where feeding and sleeping follow the child's home pattern as closely as possible, with indoor and outdoor activities fitted around it. That puts an individual routine ahead of a fixed timetable. The practitioner responsible for the baby unit discusses needs and routines with parents, making that exchange a practical part of planning care.

Penguins and Puffins are toddler groups, with activity spaces, a room for nappy changing and cot rooms; Penguins adds more structured activities while retaining the home pattern for naps. Potty training continues at nursery when parents feel their child is ready. These arrangements make sleep and personal care part of the toddler provision, rather than treating them as interruptions to activities.

Kingfishers is the intermediate group, where children work at their own pace and their artwork can go home or be displayed. Pre-School combines interactive whiteboards with free-flow outdoor play and a routine that becomes more formal gradually through the year. Self-registration gives children a small responsibility within that routine. Discussions with parents and the keyworker inform moves between groups, so progression is also a conversation about the individual child.

Learning and Activities

The nursery follows the early years foundation stage, which connects children's learning, development and care through experiences such as play, language, movement and early number work. In Pre-School, the learning areas encompass understanding the world, communication, physical development, creative expression, relationships, mathematics and literacy. This is the framework for the day; French, music and specialist physical activities add specific experiences alongside it.

French lessons take place weekly for older children, introducing a modern language. Music & Movement uses a different educational theme each week, including animals, numbers, colours and shapes, to combine learning with physical expression. A specialist PE provider also visits weekly, helping children practise balancing and jumping alongside listening, following directions and working together. These additions give parents something more concrete to weigh than a general promise of enrichment.

Everyday activities remain important. Children have puzzles and both small and large construction materials, while crafts and painting take place indoors and outside. Daily stories, singing and rhymes bring language into the routine. The combination gives children opportunities to make things, handle materials and listen, rather than relying on one kind of activity throughout the day.

In April 2022, children chose their own play as well as taking part in adult-directed activities. Staff extended play through conversation, introducing counting and words about position. Sensory experiences included shaving foam and shredded tissue paper, while scooping and pouring sand gave children physical practice alongside exploration. These examples help explain what teaching looked like during ordinary play at that time.

Outdoor and Community Life

Forest School uses the nursery's own grounds for learning about nature, with the outdoor classroom supporting the setting's outdoor provision. The countryside setting therefore has a role in the children's experiences, not simply in the view. Free-flow access in Pre-School also lets indoor and outdoor play connect during the day.

In April 2022, Forest School sessions were weekly, and children helped grow strawberries and broccoli, watering them and learning about food production. The field gave children room to run; older babies and toddlers practised climbing steps and using a slide. Those dated examples show outdoor life serving different purposes, from large movements to patient attention to growing plants.

Relationships and Communication

Regular parents' evenings and family events create opportunities to discuss development beyond the daily routine. In April 2022, daily conversations were supplemented by an online learning journey, with photographs and information about children's learning shared with families. Children also turned to their key person for comfort and reassurance. For parents, those examples distinguish communication about activities from a relationship with someone who knows their child.

Inclusion and Wellbeing

At the April 2022 inspection, Ofsted found safeguarding effective, children making good progress including those with SEND, and targeted support coordinated with parents and other professionals. These are inspection-time judgements. They provide a dated assessment of how care and inclusion worked, rather than a blanket promise about every future experience.

In April 2022, staff helped children understand emotions through conversation and age-appropriate resources, including a story linking feelings with colour. Independence was practised in small ways: babies fed themselves, older children poured drinks and children helped tidy after play. Local primary teachers were invited to meet children preparing to start school, offering familiarity with the next stage rather than an admissions advantage.

The nursery employed 25 childcare staff in April 2022, of whom 19 held early-years qualifications at level 2 or above. Staff development was an improvement priority: coaching and monitoring needed greater precision to extend teaching practice consistently. Learning about cultures beyond children's own also needed more depth. These points matter alongside the positive findings because they concern the quality of children's everyday experiences.

Meals are cooked in the nursery kitchen, using a four-week menu rotation, and food is specially prepared for children with particular dietary requirements. The cycle includes dishes such as fish pie, vegetable curry and roast dinners, giving families concrete examples of the food rather than a general healthy-eating claim.

Sessions and Attendance

The address is Woodhouse Farm, Woodhouses, Yoxall, Burton-on-Trent, DE13 8NR. Full days run from 8am to 6pm, Monday to Friday; morning sessions are 8am to noon and afternoon sessions 1pm to 5pm. Flexible times can be arranged, and an early start is offered at 7.30am.

Summer opening continues, with closure for one week at Christmas and on statutory holidays, including Good Friday and Easter Monday. That calendar matters for families whose childcare needs extend beyond school terms. The nursery office handles enquiries by telephone on 01543 473195 or email at yoxall@humpties.co.uk, and provides a written quotation tailored to childcare needs.

Funding and Paid Extras

In April 2022, the nursery provided funded early education for children aged two, three and four. A booking charge applies to all bookings and accompanies the completed application and personal-detail forms. Current prices come in the nursery's written quotation, allowing the proposed attendance pattern and charges to be considered together.

• Teaching and cultural learning. In April 2022, staff coaching needed sharper direction and children's understanding of other cultures needed greater depth. Ask how those priorities now shape activities and staff development.
• Choosing the right group. Chicks, Penguins, Puffins, Kingfishers and Pre-School serve different stages, with group moves discussed with families and the keyworker. During a visit, discuss which group would fit your child's routines and development.
• The complete booking quotation. Full days, shorter sessions and an early start offer different ways to attend, and a booking charge applies. Ask for the written breakdown for your chosen pattern, including funded hours, food and care consumables.

Yoxall suits families who value substantial outdoor space and want either full-day care or morning or afternoon sessions. Forest School, weekly French for older children and regular music and physical activities give its offer recognisable substance. Babies' home routines and discussions about group moves add practical reasons for parents to consider it.

The April 2022 Good judgement sits alongside specific improvement priorities for teaching support and cultural learning. This is a nursery to assess through its actual routines, outdoor provision and proposed booking pattern, with those priorities part of the conversation.