Partou Arnold Day Nursery & Pre-School

Two Victorian houses and a lawned garden extending alongside both give Partou Arnold Day Nursery & Pre-School its character. The outdoor space is a substantial part of the setting, while a separate preschool room gives older children their own base for themed learning activities. This is an Arnold nursery with room for play indoors and out.

At its January 2024 inspection, Ofsted rated the nursery Good overall, with improvements needed in staff support for language and in physical activity for babies and toddlers. Those priorities matter alongside the positive judgement: families choosing care for a younger child should pay close attention to how movement and conversation fit into the day.

The nursery accepts children aged 2 to 60 months and has 56 places in total. Full days, mornings and afternoons are offered, giving families a choice between a complete day of care and shorter attendance.

Learning and Activities

The early years foundation stage sets the framework for children's learning, development and care: play, conversation and physical activity contribute to learning rather than sitting apart from it. Alongside this, the group-wide Partou experience puts children's choices first, allowing them to select activities that interest them while staff support their exploration. The practical emphasis is on joining in through interest.

A separate preschool room uses themed activities to develop older children's skills. Spacious playrooms contain educational resources, and the garden provides another setting for active play. The division between an older children's base and the wider indoor and outdoor spaces gives families something concrete to consider when matching the setting to their child's stage.

In January 2024, an activity involving toy animals trapped in ice gave children a problem to solve. They tried tools, persisted when the task became difficult and proposed warm water as another solution. Adults joined the play and encouraged children to think through alternatives. The example shows how an ordinary resource can bring together practical effort, recollection and discussion.

Stories also led into imaginative play that January. Preschool children recreated Goldilocks and the three bears through pretend porridge-making, linking a familiar story with their own actions. There was a limitation, however: adults sometimes moved on too quickly after asking questions, reducing children's chances to develop and express their ideas. The improvement needed was in the interaction, not simply in supplying more books.

Outdoor and Community Life

The lawned garden runs along both Victorian buildings and provides space for active games. Its scale is a useful physical feature, but the way each age group uses it matters just as much as the space itself.

In January 2024, preschool children practised steering wheeled toys and collaborated on towers made from empty milk crates. Younger children's opportunities for exercise were less well planned. The distinction is important for parents of babies and toddlers: outdoor resources and a large garden do not, by themselves, explain how the youngest children get regular movement and fresh air.

Relationships and Communication

In January 2024, the key-person arrangement began with staff learning about a child's interests, development and familiar routines from their parents. Babies and toddlers received comfort from adults, and children formed close relationships with their key person. For a family starting nursery, that connection between home routines and an identified adult is a practical foundation for settling.

Communication continued beyond the start of attendance. That January, parents valued updates about everyday experiences and development. Preschool children were also learning to name feelings and work through disagreements, with adults talking through situations at children's level. Care included helping children understand what they felt and what to do next.

Inclusion and Wellbeing

At the January 2024 inspection, Ofsted judged safeguarding effective and found that the special educational needs coordinator worked with key people, parents and other professionals to plan support that helped children with SEND make good progress. This was support organised around individual children, with strategies and interventions shaped through cooperation.

Meals are cooked at the nursery, using a seasonal menu with a three-to-four-week rotation. Dietary requirements can be accommodated, and allergy procedures include alternative meals and sharing a child's requirements during registration.

Everyday independence also featured in January 2024: preschool children managed nose-wiping and understood the reason for washing their hands before eating. These small routines made personal care part of the nursery day, rather than something adults did entirely for them.

Sessions and Attendance

The address is 66 St Alban's Road, Arnold, NG5 6GS. Opening hours are 7.45am to 6pm, Monday to Friday. Daily bookings cover 7.45am to 6pm; morning sessions run from 7.45am to 1pm, and afternoons from 1pm to 6pm. Full-time attendance is also offered.

The nursery operates across the year, closing for bank holidays and a week at Christmas. That closure pattern matters for families organising continuing childcare alongside work. Enquiries can be made directly to the nursery on 0115 967 3229.

Funding and Paid Extras

Funded childcare is offered, including up to 30 hours of funded childcare. Paid nursery fees include food, milk, nappies, wipes and other essentials, so those everyday items sit within the private childcare charge.

Funded hours have a different structure. Food and other essentials are included in paid nursery fees; during funded hours, separate charges apply to these items for bookings for children aged three to four and for younger children using a Working Families funding code. Families should assess that distinction alongside their chosen sessions, since funded care and the everyday items used during it are separate parts of the cost.

• Movement for younger children. In January 2024, physical activity for babies and toddlers needed better planning, including regular fresh air. During a visit, ask how the youngest children now use the garden and exercise throughout the day.
• Time to talk. In January 2024, adults did not consistently pause long enough for children to answer questions and share their ideas. Ask for examples of how staff extend conversation during play and stories.
• Your attendance and funding combination. Morning, afternoon and daily bookings have different time windows, while funded bookings for three-to-four-year-olds and younger children with a Working Families code carry separate food and essentials charges. Request a current written quotation for the pattern you intend to use.

Partou Arnold suits families seeking morning or afternoon sessions as well as full-day attendance, with a separate preschool base and a substantial lawned garden. Its January 2024 account of daily life included close key-person relationships, imaginative story play and practical problem-solving. The decision needs to give equal weight to the language and younger children's exercise priorities. For parents of babies and toddlers, how those priorities are handled in the daily routine is especially consequential.