Greenwoods Nursery English Bicknor

One shared play space, direct garden access and a rural school setting give Greenwoods Nursery English Bicknor its character. Based on the English Bicknor school site in Coleford, it has 34 places in total. This is a setting where the indoor room and outdoor space belong to the same daily experience.

At its September 2024 inspection, Ofsted rated the nursery Good and found safeguarding effective, with children progressing well and support helping those with special educational needs and/or disabilities access outside professionals. Nursery care then served children aged two to four in Birch Class. The strongest examples involved practical play: real vegetables, water experiments and outings prompted by children's interests.

Funded nursery hours run during term time, while Mighty Oaks provides a separate holiday-club offer for primary-school-aged children. These are different services, with different booking arrangements.

Rooms and Ages

Birch Class uses a single shared room with easy access to the garden. Children can explore indoors and move into outdoor play without the day depending on a succession of separate rooms. The English Bicknor routine alternates play chosen by children and activities guided by adults, with carpet time and snacks punctuating the morning and afternoon.

In September 2024, the indoor environment included a home corner where children acted out familiar experiences, from cooking to pretending to look after babies. Staff brought real vegetables into this play and into an outdoor shop activity, linking pretend play with conversation about how food grows. Everyday objects supplied the learning material.

Learning and Activities

The nursery follows the early years foundation stage, the framework for young children's learning, development and care. In practice, the September 2024 examples show its breadth: conversation during play, learning to share, increasing independence and exploring the world through physical activity.

Children's interests helped shape experiences in September 2024. A pretend train made from chairs prompted a visit to a railway station; an interest in butterflies led to an outing to a butterfly park. These were examples of staff extending an idea beyond the playroom, rather than a fixed timetable of trips.

The same visit highlighted two areas requiring attention: stronger challenge for the most-able children and more purposeful mathematical learning. Counting activities and outdoor chalking took place, but opportunities did not consistently extend children's existing understanding. For families with a child who quickly masters an activity, the next step in learning matters as much as the initial invitation to join in.

Outdoor and Community Life

The garden is part of the current daily routine, including an afternoon period of outdoor activities. This gives outdoor play a defined place in the day, alongside opportunities to play inside or outside during the morning.

In September 2024, staff drew on forest school training, an approach centred on learning through outdoor experiences, and used the host school's grounds and rural surroundings. Water from a butt became an experiment with jugs, containers and a makeshift channel for small ducks. Children could see the effect of pouring and changing the flow, making physical play an opportunity to investigate cause and effect.

Practical independence was visible in September 2024. Children practised getting dressed for outdoor play, pouring their drinks and managing handwashing; a mirror helped them wipe their noses. These are useful steps towards doing more for themselves, with staff supporting the process.

Communication support was concrete too. At its September 2024 inspection, Ofsted found that staff used signing and pictures to help children who struggled with spoken communication, and that relationships with parents supported settling and regular exchanges about children's experiences. This gives families a more useful picture of support than a general promise of inclusion.

During September 2024, daily group discussions revisited expectations for behaviour, while sand timers helped children take turns. The approach made waiting and sharing visible rather than relying solely on verbal reminders. Staff also gathered information about children's needs and abilities when they started, giving the settling process a basis in the individual child.

Sessions and Attendance

The address is English Bicknor C OF E Primary school, English Bicknor, Coleford, GL16 7PG. Funded nursery hours are 9am to 3pm during term time, and additional hours are charged separately. The English Bicknor site opens from 8am to 4pm, with a 3pm finish on Mondays; occasional earlier opening or a later finish depends on staffing and a request.

Mighty Oaks is the holiday club held at this school site. Its full-day sessions run from 8am to 5pm, with extended sessions requested by message or email: either 7.30am to 5pm or 8am to 5.30pm. Online bookings select individual days, and children new to the club need a completed registration form before attending.

For holiday-club bookings, dates cannot be exchanged and refunds are restricted to exceptional circumstances. That makes choosing the dates carefully a practical part of booking. Families can contact the English Bicknor nursery through gwenglishbicknor@outlook.com.

Funding and Paid Extras

Funded childcare is offered at English Bicknor during the term-time window above. Snacks are included in those hours, while parents supply lunch; breakfast is included between 8am and 8.30am, and a light tea is provided between 4pm and 4.30pm on selected days. For Mighty Oaks, breakfast, snacks and tea are included in the session, but children bring their lunch and water bottle.

A separate consumable charge applies, with forest activities identified for children over two and an option to opt out by supplying the child's own wet wipes and nappy cream. The fees page explains the charge structure; current prices come in the nursery's written quotation. Families should distinguish additional paid hours from the costs attached to a funded booking.

Getting There

Access is through the school or via the church, with secure gates at both entrances. Parking is available on the main road.

Sharing the English Bicknor school site does not guarantee a Reception place. Families still need to use the local authority admissions process.

• Challenge and early maths. In September 2024, extending the most-able children's learning and making more of mathematical opportunities were improvement priorities. At a visit, ask how staff now build on an activity once a child has mastered it.
• Monday and extended hours. The English Bicknor site finishes at 3pm on Mondays, and occasional extensions depend on staffing. A working week that needs the same finish every day deserves careful discussion before booking.
• Funded-hours extras. The nursery's funded window includes snacks, parents supply lunch, and a separate consumable charge has an opt-out condition. Ask how these terms apply to the attendance pattern you are considering.
• Holiday-club support. Mighty Oaks asks families whose child has a MyPlan or an EHCP to discuss support before booking, because its staffing arrangement does not provide one-to-one care. That conversation belongs before choosing holiday dates.

Greenwoods Nursery English Bicknor suits families drawn to a shared playroom, easy garden access and learning built around practical experiences. Its September 2024 examples have substance: vegetables in pretend play, water experiments and outings that developed children's interests. The improvement priorities temper that picture, especially for children who need greater challenge.

The attendance offer serves families seeking term-time funded nursery hours and those considering full-day or extended-day holiday care through Mighty Oaks. Keep those services separate when planning the week: the nursery's Monday finish, holiday-club booking terms and funded extras each affect the fit.