Primrose Hill Nursery

Primrose Patch gives this Lydney nursery its character: a garden with fruit trees, a pond and an outdoor classroom, where growing food and watching nature bring learning outdoors. The nursery shares the Primrose Hill School site on School Crescent. Its appeal is practical, hands-on play with space to explore.

At its October 2023 inspection, Ofsted judged Primrose Hill Nursery Good overall, with Outstanding behaviour and attitudes and personal development, and effective safeguarding. The qualification matters: group activities needed better organisation so that every child could participate in the intended learning.

The current age range is 48 to 60 months. Attendance follows school terms, with morning, afternoon and all-day sessions serving different family routines.

Learning and Activities

The Early Years Foundation Stage provides the framework for learning through play, covering children's communication, physical skills, relationships and wider learning. It is the common foundation for early-years provision. Here, creative materials, indoor play and access to outdoor spaces give children different ways to explore their interests.

Children can work independently, alongside a practitioner or with other children, according to their stage of development. That flexibility matters for a child who wants time to experiment alone as well as one who enjoys shared play. Materials for making and expressing ideas are part of the indoor offer.

In October 2023, staff extended language through conversations about size and joined children's pretend hairdressing games. Construction play also became a problem-solving exercise: children changed their tower designs after considering how to make the base more stable. These were examples of adults developing children's thinking through the activity they had chosen.

Show & Tell gives children a reason to talk about an object or experience that matters to them. The Our Family noticeboard and Learning Journals also provide ways for families to share their backgrounds and experiences. This gives children's home lives a place in nursery learning, rather than keeping the two separate.

Outdoor and Community Life

Primrose Patch combines planting tubs, composters and water butts with its fruit trees and pond. The outdoor classroom offers somewhere to observe the surroundings and shelter when the weather turns. Children can connect growing plants with food production and the changing seasons through things they can see and handle.

A purpose-built play area is freely accessible except during extreme weather. Access also extends to the school's playing field, playground and Forest Schools area, where children explore plants and animals. These are different spaces for movement and discovery, rather than one outdoor area carrying the whole offer.

In October 2023, children picked apples while climbing a tree, explored around the pond and swung on trees. Digging, planting pips and looking for worms brought the natural world into their play. The activities also gave them opportunities to practise judging physical challenges and understanding safety.

Relationships and Communication

A key person is allocated before settling begins. This practitioner helps the child become familiar with nursery, keeps developmental records and acts as the family's main contact. Information from home contributes to planning, giving parents a clear role in explaining their child's interests and needs.

Settling arrangements allow a parent to stay for the first session, or until the child is settled. Further accompanied sessions depend on discussion with the manager and the child's needs; a home visit may also be offered in some circumstances. Comfort objects are permitted to help with the initial adjustment, with families asked to leave them at home once the child is settled.

Famly provides a route for reporting absence, and snacks are recorded through the app. This makes it useful for everyday communication as well as keeping track of food offered during the nursery day.

Inclusion and Wellbeing

SEND support has a defined structure: an appointed SENDCO works with the key person, parents and outside agencies. My Plan and My Plan+ describe the support required, who will provide it and the resources involved, with reviews agreed at least termly. Families have a process for discussing concerns and reviewing the next steps.

At the October 2023 inspection, Ofsted found that children with additional needs and those learning English as an additional language made good progress, with extra funding used to develop communication and social skills. This is a dated judgement about the support delivered then.

Children do not need to be toilet trained to attend. Parents supply nappies and wipes. Staff work with families towards toilet training unless medical or developmental needs make it inappropriate at that time. Where regular medication is essential during nursery hours, arrangements require a signed health care plan and specific written parental permission.

Sessions and Attendance

The address is Primrose Hill C of E Primary Academy School, School Crescent, Lydney, GL15 5TA. Term-time bookings comprise All day, 8.50am to 2.50pm; Morning Session, 8.50am to 11.50am; and Afternoon Session, 11.50am to 2.50pm. The all-day option follows the nursery's shorter daytime window, so families need to match collection times to their working arrangements.

Bookings require one week's notice for cancellation or alteration. Paid sessions are payable in advance, and charges continue during sickness or holidays, except where the child must attend hospital or receives funding for the place. Families should request a current written quotation for paid attendance.

Getting There

Families park on the road outside the school grounds, with consideration for neighbours; the school car park is for staff. During the day, locked school gates mean access is through the main school entrance.

The setting is accessible to wheelchair users. Its position on a school site does not guarantee a Reception place: families still apply through the local authority admissions process.

Funding and Paid Extras

Funded childcare includes universal funding for three- and four-year-olds, Achieving Two Year Old Funding and working-parent entitlement funding for children aged two, three and four. Working-parent funding for ages nine to 23 months is also accepted in the term a child turns two. Universal funding is delivered over 38 weeks, and hours beyond the child's funding are paid privately.

A mid-morning snack is included at no extra cost, including for funded attendance, while families provide packed lunches for children attending between 11.50am and 12.50pm. The allergy policy provides for individual health care plans where necessary and sharing snack-allergen information with parents through Famly.

Nappies and wipes are supplied by parents for both funded and private attendance. Emergency supplies are kept at nursery, but repeated use because a family has not supplied spares may incur a charge.

• Group participation. In October 2023, some group activities did not keep every child engaged. At a visit, ask how staff organise these sessions and adapt them for children who find shared listening difficult.
• Younger intake. The funding offer includes two-year-old entitlements. Families considering nursery for a younger child should establish the current admission age before planning attendance.
• School-day logistics. All-day sessions finish at 2.50pm and attendance is term-time. Roadside parking and daytime access through the school entrance also need to fit the family's collection routine.
• Allergy arrangements. Lunch comes from home, while nursery supplies the morning snack. Families managing allergies should confirm current snack ingredients, lunchbox arrangements and their child's individual care plan.

Primrose Hill Nursery suits families seeking morning or afternoon sessions as well as an all-day, term-time pattern. Primrose Patch is the strongest reason to look closely: its growing spaces and outdoor classroom give everyday play a clear connection to nature.

The October 2023 findings provide a positive quality judgement, balanced by a specific weakness in group participation. Key-person settling arrangements and a structured SEND process add useful substance for families weighing care alongside learning. The shorter day and school-term calendar are central to whether this nursery fits.