Cherry Tree Day Nursery

Play, parent partnership and preparation for school give Cherry Tree Day Nursery its character. At Colby Lodge Farm in Thurmaston, the nursery combines learning through play with eyLog, a learning journey record that lets families and practitioners follow a child's development together. That makes communication about learning part of the offer, rather than something reserved for the move to school.

Ofsted rated the nursery Good on 9 December 2022. The important qualification is the age of that judgement: it describes practice at that point, rather than a fresh assessment of today's care. The nursery has 37 places in total and accepts children aged 12 to 60 months.

Morning, afternoon and full-day attendance are offered. For parents, that gives a choice between shorter sessions and a whole day, with funded childcare and stretched funding also part of the arrangements.

Learning and Activities

The Early Years Foundation Stage (EYFS) provides the framework for learning, development and care, with children learning mainly through games and play. It is the common foundation for early-years provision here, rather than a separate branded curriculum. Younger children's learning emphasises the prime areas; older children work across both prime and specific areas.

In December 2022, everyday play supplied concrete opportunities to develop language and mathematical understanding. Children counted eggs during pretend cooking and compared the weight of frozen objects outdoors. These examples matter because they show how number, comparison and conversation can sit inside an activity a child already wants to explore, rather than requiring a separate formal lesson.

Imaginative play included a kitchen where children pretended to bake, alongside dolls and pushchairs. Younger children used tools and toy vehicles in shaving foam, giving them opportunities to practise small hand movements through sensory exploration. Familiar songs brought movement and language together. These were inspection-time experiences, not a timetable of current sessions.

Outdoor and Community Life

In December 2022, the garden supported movement as well as discovery. Children climbed, balanced and used a slide, while wheeled toys and hoops offered other ways to practise larger movements. Frost and ice also became material for learning: staff introduced words for cold conditions and encouraged children to investigate frozen outdoor toys.

Choice was the weaker point in that account of the day. Adults sometimes decided which groups went outside instead of allowing children to choose, and older children's behaviour occasionally suffered when activities left too little room for their preferences. Quieter children could also miss opportunities to contribute. Those findings make participation and children's influence over the day useful subjects for a visit, especially for a child who rarely volunteers an answer.

Relationships and Communication

Parents as Partners is the nursery's approach to working with families within the EYFS: parents contribute to the understanding of their child, while practitioners and families follow learning together. eyLog supports that exchange by recording children's learning journeys. Its practical value is continuity between home and nursery, with both sides able to contribute to the picture of a child's development.

Starting arrangements include an offered home visit and settling-in sessions. These give families opportunities to introduce their child and begin the transition into childcare before attendance becomes familiar. The admissions forms also gather information about dietary needs, allergies, collection arrangements and emergency contacts, putting practical care details into the joining process.

Inclusion and Wellbeing

At the December 2022 inspection, Ofsted found safeguarding effective and identified positive learning outcomes for children with additional needs, supported by prompt help and key persons who knew children and families well. These are dated findings, but they provide a clear account of how individual support was working then.

In December 2022, staff also used play to discuss healthy choices and encouraged children to drink after exercise. Children practised taking turns in conversation, while gentle reminders helped them remember shared behaviour expectations. The emphasis was on explaining and modelling everyday habits.

An experienced nursery cook prepares a rotating three-week menu, with breakfast, a cooked lunch and tea offered according to the session attended. Menus identify the 14 allergens when present, and families receive an end-of-day account of how their child has eaten.

Preparation for school includes a transition report shared with parents and the child's chosen school. That provides a written bridge between settings, carrying information about learning into the next stage.

Sessions and Attendance

The nursery opens Monday to Friday, from 8am to 6pm, and operates across the year, closing on Bank Holidays. Morning Only runs from 8am to 1pm; Afternoon Only runs from 1pm to 6pm. Full Day attendance is also offered, alongside full-week and five-morning or five-afternoon booking options. Wrap Around Care can be discussed with the nursery.

Families complete a contract and registration form before their child starts. Admissions priorities include looked-after children; children known by the local authority to have SEND whose needs can best be met there; vulnerable children with a Child Protection or Child in Need Plan or Local Authority/Common Assessment Framework; siblings; and families living locally. A full-time application may take precedence over a part-time one depending on parents' work commitments, occupancy and room availability. That condition matters when weighing a shorter attendance pattern.

Getting There

The address is Colby Lodge Farm, 20 Warren Drive, Thurmaston, LE4 9WU. Enquiries can be made by sending the nursery a message.

Funding and Paid Extras

FEEE funding sessions are offered for children aged two, three and four, including 30-hour funding for eligible families. Funded admissions have a termly intake beginning the term following the child's second or third birthday, and places are allocated in application order with bookings possible a term ahead. Funding can also be stretched across 51 weeks, providing an alternative to taking the entitlement only during term time.

Funded hours and additional charges are itemised separately: meals and snacks attract charges, as do consumables such as sun cream and trips. The session chosen affects meal costs, so the useful comparison is the complete attendance arrangement rather than funded hours alone. Current prices come in the nursery's written quotation; the fees page sets out the booking options.

• Quiet children and everyday choice. The December 2022 improvement points concerned including quieter children and responding more closely to children's emerging interests. On a visit, ask how staff bring a reserved child into group activity and let children influence what happens next.
• Starting with a younger baby. For a child under 12 months, confirm the accepted starting age before planning attendance and settling-in sessions.
• The funded attendance package. Stretched funding covers 51 weeks, while funded meals, snacks and consumables carry separate charges. Request a written quotation for the particular morning, afternoon or full-day pattern you need, including any dietary arrangements.

Cherry Tree suits families considering either morning or afternoon sessions as well as full-day attendance, especially those who value shared learning records and a planned settling-in process. eyLog and the school transition report provide practical continuity between home, nursery and the next stage. The December 2022 Good judgement is encouraging, but the decision should also turn on how the nursery now includes quieter children and makes room for their choices.