St. John's Nursery Playgroup

Chicks in an incubator, butterflies developing from caterpillars and a garden used for growing plants give St. John's Nursery Playgroup a hands-on character. This Potters Bar setting brings children close to living things, while its daily routine makes room for music, stories and play that moves between indoors and outdoors. Small tasks matter here too, from pouring a drink to choosing an activity and seeing it through.

Ofsted rated the nursery Good on 11 July 2024 and found safeguarding effective. It has capacity for 40 children; the children attending in July 2024 were aged two to five. That age range describes the inspection group, rather than a current admissions promise.

Morning, afternoon and all-day bookings offer different ways to organise attendance. The practical choice is between a shorter session and a day that brings the morning and afternoon routines together.

Learning and Activities

The Early Years Foundation Stage shapes learning through play, adult-led activities and time with a keyworker who builds on observations of each child. Children choose activities themselves, but also join groups to practise working with others. The balance gives them opportunities both to pursue an interest and to take part in something organised by an adult.

Polly Parrot helps with counting during circle time, when children also discuss the current topic and share pictures or news. Songs with actions and nursery rhymes bring movement into the routine. Twice a week, a small group uses musical instruments in the Upper Room while singing nursery rhymes, before a larger music session brings the children together. Story time takes place with the whole group or in keyworker groups.

In July 2024, wooden blocks carrying children's photographs became characters for imaginative play. Children used these miniature versions of themselves to create stories and act out familiar experiences. During another activity that month, children experimented with a tower's base to make it steadier, alongside counting and estimating. These are concrete examples of language and early mathematical ideas developing within play.

Outdoor and Community Life

The outdoor space combines a rubberised surface with a garden where children help grow bulbs and plants. Bread crates, tyres, pieces of wood and planks become materials for active and imaginative play. A ramp provides access to the outside area, and children can choose between indoor and outdoor activities during free-flow play. The garden is part of the session rather than a separate outing.

Summer-term learning explores growth and life cycles. Chicks have been hatched in the nursery's incubator in recent years and stayed for a few weeks, giving children opportunities to hold and stroke them before they moved to new homes. Children also watch caterpillars become butterflies and follow frogs developing from spawn. Watching changes unfold over time gives the topic something tangible to return to.

Relationships and Communication

Keyworker time connects the daily routine with each child's next steps. Activities draw on earlier observations, so children have individual learning time alongside shared play. Practical independence also runs through snack time: children wash their hands, collect their crockery, pour drinks and help clear away afterwards. These repeated tasks give self-care a place in the ordinary day.

At the July 2024 inspection, Ofsted found that individual settling sessions helped children, including those with special educational needs and/or disabilities, establish relationships with their key person before starting, and that children made substantial progress in learning and personal development. For a child who needs a gradual introduction, the emphasis on building that relationship is a meaningful part of the care approach.

Daily conversations with parents and regular developmental updates were part of practice in July 2024. Information from families fed into activity planning. Children needing help with friendships and emotions took part in small-group games in a quieter space, practising turn-taking and recognising other children's needs. Parents' knowledge of their child therefore had a practical role in shaping support.

Inclusion and Wellbeing

In July 2024, staff responded to children becoming overwhelmed and helped them manage their emotions. School preparation that month included stories about starting school and communication with local schools. This addressed the emotional change as well as the practical move into a new setting.

Clothing is another part of learning independence. Easy-to-manage trousers and tights help children practise toileting, while the nursery requests pull-ups rather than nappies during toilet training. Protective clothing is supplied for messy activities. Families provide named spare clothes and footwear suitable for outdoor play.

Sun safety was the improvement priority in July 2024. Staff used an awning for shade and intervened when children needed hats, but children needed more teaching about recognising sun risks and choosing suitable clothing themselves. The distinction matters: adult protection and children's understanding are separate parts of self-care.

Sessions and Attendance

The nursery is at St. Johns Methodist Church, Baker Street, Potters Bar, EN6 2DZ. Enquiries can be made by telephone on 07969 924482 or by email at enquiries@stjohnsbakerstreet.co.uk.

The booking options are a morning session from 8.55am to 11.55am, an afternoon session from 11.55am to 2.55pm and an all-day session from 8.55am to 2.55pm, Monday to Friday. Lunch Club provides time for children and staff to eat and talk together. In July 2024, the nursery operated during term time only, which is relevant when planning care around holidays.

Funding and Paid Extras

Funded childcare includes up to 15 hours a week for children aged three and over, starting in the term after their third birthday, and 15 hours for eligible two-year-olds whose families receive certain benefits. The nursery also offers 30 hours for eligible three- and four-year-olds. Eligibility must be established through the government's checker; these offers do not mean every family qualifies for the same entitlement.

Private sessions are charged separately. Lunch Club fees are paid weekly or half-termly in advance, or covered as part of the flexible entitlement. Current prices come in the nursery's written quotation. Leaving requires half a term's notice, with outstanding fees paid.

Parents pack lunch for Lunch Club and are asked to contribute fruit for shared snacks; the nursery supplies other snack foods, milk and water. Families using pull-ups during toilet training provide those themselves.

• Session clocks. The afternoon booking runs from 11.55am to 2.55pm, while the daily routine gives 12 noon to 3pm; Lunch Club timings also differ between descriptions. Confirm the collection time and lunch arrangement for your chosen booking before joining.
• Sun-safety learning. The July 2024 improvement point concerned children's understanding of sun protection. On a visit, ask how children now learn to choose hats and suitable clothing themselves.
• Holiday planning. Operation was term-time-only in July 2024. Ask which current term dates your attendance agreement covers, especially if you need care during holidays.

St. John's suits families seeking morning or afternoon sessions, as well as those wanting an all-day booking. Its strongest character comes from practical experiences: growing plants, following life cycles, making music and learning everyday independence. The July 2024 judgement gives a positive inspection position, with sun-safety teaching the specific point to follow up. For families whose timetable fits the session pattern, this is a playgroup with plenty of concrete activity behind its everyday routine.