Sandfield Natural Play Centre

Ancient woodland owned by the nursery, enclosed gardens and a Grade II listed Georgian house give Sandfield Natural Play Centre a clear identity: outdoor exploration has substantial space behind it. The house extends over three floors, while the woodland connects to the gardens through a locked rear gate. This is a setting for families who want nature to shape their child's experiences, rather than serve as an occasional activity.

At its September 2021 inspection, Ofsted rated Sandfield Outstanding overall. That judgement is dated; the current appeal also rests on concrete experiences such as tree climbing, campfire cooking and opportunities to grow plants.

Sandfield has 70 places in total and is based at Sandfield House, Lickers Lane, Whiston. Both term-time and all-year contracts are offered, with funded daytime sessions and privately paid extensions serving different family routines.

Learning and Activities

The EYFS is the framework for children's learning, development and care, including language and stories, investigating how things work and learning to play together. Sandfield's outdoor emphasis adds a practical setting for that learning, with gardens and woodland giving children places to investigate and explore.

The National Education Nature Park programme brings climate and nature into learning. Its purpose is to involve children in making a positive contribution to the natural world. Alongside this, Natural Play Session costs can support woodland experiences, den-building, campfires, birdwatching and growing vegetables or other plants; during funded sessions, parents choose whether to pay these costs.

In September 2021, children explored floating and sinking, with younger children testing objects and older children discussing why a floating object could be pushed beneath the water. Books also prompted shared activities and conversations about characters. These examples show how physical experimentation and stories could lead into reasoning and discussion, rather than remain separate activities.

Outdoor and Community Life

Tree climbing and cooking around a campfire are part of Sandfield's offer. The enclosed gardens provide outdoor space for different age groups, and the attached woodland extends the setting beyond its domestic building. Waterproof clothing, wellies and gloves are included in the private full-day price, making the outdoor emphasis relevant to the daily arrangements as well as the nursery's character.

Children had a say in garden development in September 2021, working with an archaeologist and discussing where to position a sandpit while considering the garden's history. Another example involved using drainpipes to reach a wind chime in a tree. These were practical problems with room for children's own ideas, rather than tasks with a single adult-directed answer.

Adventure Club provides a separate offer for children aged five until their ninth birthday during school holidays, teacher days and strikes. It gives families with older children another attendance option alongside nursery care.

Relationships and Communication

Children under three spend mealtimes in mixed-age family groups. Older children have their own kitchen and help with snack preparation, bringing practical participation into the daily routine. This arrangement is worth considering for parents who prefer children to share some experiences across ages.

Family involvement includes stay-and-play events that welcome grandparents as well as parents. These give relatives a way to take part in nursery life. The team also requests feedback regularly and works with parents and local agencies, including speech therapists supporting individual children.

In September 2021, settling and transitions were tailored to individual children, and staff visited families at home to learn about children's existing abilities and experiences. Parent sessions explored early literacy, numeracy and patterns in children's learning. Together, these practices connected what staff knew about a child with what families could do at home; they describe the arrangements at that time rather than a current home-visit promise.

Inclusion and Wellbeing

At the September 2021 inspection, Ofsted found safeguarding effective and SEND support highly individualised, with interventions reviewed, discussed with parents and supported by work with other professionals. For families considering additional support, the important detail is that adjustments were reviewed and shared, rather than simply put in place once.

In September 2021, children assessed outdoor risks before using the spaces. The current staff arrangements include paediatric first-aid training for all staff, a practical provision alongside the outdoor activities.

A full-time cook prepares food fresh each day in the nursery kitchen. Sandfield publishes a nut- and egg-free policy, with a further restriction on packed food when a child attending that day has a severe allergy requiring an adrenaline auto-injector.

Sessions and Attendance

Opening hours are 7am to 6pm, Monday to Friday. The Full day Session runs from 7.30am to 6pm; an Early Start Session covers 7am to 7.30am, and the Late Afternoon Session runs from 3pm to 6pm. These are separate booking choices, so the opening window should not be mistaken for the hours included in every booking.

Funded entitlement sessions run from 7.30am to 3pm, Monday to Friday, with parents able to bring or collect their child at a time that suits within that window. Sandfield recommends attendance on at least two days each week as best practice. This is a recommendation rather than a stated compulsory booking minimum.

Both term-time and all-year contracts are offered, but funding is delivered during 38 term-time weeks. All-year attendance outside funded term dates is privately charged. Bank holidays are closures, and the next Christmas closure runs from 24 December 2026 to 4 January 2027, with reopening on 5 January 2027.

The address is Sandfield House, Lickers Lane, Whiston, L35 3SR. Telephone enquiries use 0151 426 6262.

Funding and Paid Extras

Sandfield offers the 15-hour and 30-hour funded entitlements. Eligible families using 15 hours can book two term-time days; those using 30 hours can choose three days using 22.50 funded hours or four days using the full entitlement. Private hours are additional bookings and are not a condition of accessing funded sessions.

For private full-day care, meals, snacks and consumables including nappies, wipes and sun cream are included in the fee. During funded hours, food and consumables are charged separately, with parents normally able to provide their own instead; meals are free for children eligible for the two-year-old Early Learning entitlement who attend solely for their funded session. When the severe-allergy restriction applies, packed food is prohibited and nursery meals must be purchased, subject to that funded-meal exemption.

Trips and additional activities carry voluntary charges during funded provision. Children whose parents decline voluntary activities continue to receive EYFS provision. Itemised invoices separate funded hours, private hours, food, consumables and activities, helping families see what they are paying for.

A refundable funded-place deposit applies, except for eligible children using the two-year-old Early Learning entitlement. For a solely funded term-time reservation, cancellation requires one month's written notice before the planned start to obtain a refund; cancelling a booking that includes additional hours means the deposit is retained as an administration charge. Current prices come in the nursery's written quotation, with the charging structure explained on its fees and funding page.

• Outdoor participation. Tree climbing, campfire cooking and woodland experiences are central practical features. On a visit, ask how activities and outdoor routines are adapted for your child's age and confidence.
• Funded days and holiday cover. Funded sessions finish at 3pm and apply during 38 term-time weeks, while all-year contracts include privately charged attendance outside those dates. Match the funded pattern and any extensions to the care you actually need.
• Allergies and packed food. The nut- and egg-free policy includes days when packed food is prohibited because of a child's severe allergy. Allergy-affected families should confirm current practice and how this affects their food arrangements.
• Your child's daily base. The house spans three floors, and younger children share mixed-age mealtimes. Ask where your child would spend the day and how rest and transitions between spaces would work.

Sandfield suits families drawn to woodland exploration, practical outdoor activities and participation in nursery life through stay-and-play events. Its September 2021 Outstanding judgement gives a dated quality reference, while the gardens, woodland and kitchen activities make its character easy to understand.

The attendance offer suits both families choosing funded term-time daytime sessions and those booking private full days or afternoon extensions across the year. The key decision is how that outdoor approach fits your child, alongside the distinction between funded hours, additional attendance and separately charged extras.