The Old School House Day Nursery Whittington

An outdoor preschool gives this rural-style nursery between Lichfield and Tamworth its clearest identity. Badger's Room combines indoor learning with a spacious outdoor setting, where children spend much of their time and take part in Forest School activities, an approach centred on learning outdoors. For parents who want outdoor experiences to shape the nursery day, that is a substantial part of the offer.

The Old School House Day Nursery Whittington has 89 places in total and caters for children aged 2 to 60 months. At its January 2025 inspection, Ofsted rated the provision Good and found safeguarding effective, while identifying improvements needed in daily routines and teaching that stretches children's understanding. The balance matters: there were concrete strengths in children's experiences, alongside weaknesses affecting how much some children gained from them.

Rooms and Ages

Robin's Room caters for children from 3 to 16 months, with an emphasis on movement, communication and emotional development in a small, homely space. Its design is aimed at babies still developing their physical control before walking. For families choosing early baby care, the useful distinction is the room's developmental purpose rather than the whole nursery's capacity.

Hedgehog's Room provides a calm setting for younger mobile children, with walking independently used as a marker for transition. Squirrel's Room accommodates children aged 24 to 36 months in open spaces with subdued colours, giving them different experiences across the day. Badger's Room serves children aged 36 to 60 months, combining its indoor classroom with outdoor activities and an emphasis on time outside.

These are stages rather than interchangeable rooms. The progression moves from early physical and communication development towards independent exploration, with the outdoor preschool providing a different balance of indoor and outdoor time for older children. The rooms and learning page describes these environments.

Learning and Activities

The early years foundation stage provides the framework for children's learning, development and care: here, play, conversation, movement and personal care are opportunities to learn. Alongside that framework, the group-wide Reggio approach uses natural surroundings and resources that children can explore in different ways. The practical emphasis is on children investigating and making choices, with their environment contributing to their learning.

In January 2025, room projects helped give activities a recognisable theme. Younger children explored nursery rhymes by rolling toy bus wheels through paint, while staff connected the resulting marks with what the wheels were doing. This joined a familiar song to movement, mark-making and conversation, rather than treating each as a separate activity.

During a singing activity that month, children used Makaton sign language to express feelings alongside the songs. The combination gave them more than one way to participate and communicate. These examples show the kind of learning seen at that time; the current room arrangements and outdoor preschool give the broader shape of today's offer.

Outdoor and Community Life

Outdoor space functions as a place for learning as well as play. The preschool's Forest School activities sit within a day spent predominantly outside, while children elsewhere in the nursery also use the outdoor areas frequently. This makes the garden part of the educational environment, rather than simply a break from indoor activities.

In January 2025, children experimented with fitting balls of different sizes into a tube in the garden. Balance beams provided another physical challenge, with staff positioning themselves to help children as they climbed. One activity called for trial and adjustment; the other combined movement with adult support. Both add useful detail to what outdoor learning meant in practice at that time.

A key worker is assigned to each child, providing an identified practitioner within the nursery's care arrangements. In January 2025, staff comforted children who were uncertain or settling by speaking gently and responding to their emotions. That places the adult-child relationship alongside the room environment as an important part of settling.

At the January 2025 inspection, Ofsted found that staff acted early on developmental concerns, made prompt referrals and worked with parents and other professionals to support children with special educational needs and/or disabilities (SEND). The practical value lies in those mechanisms: noticing a concern, involving the family and bringing in further support, rather than offering a broad promise about inclusion.

Personal care also carried a learning element in January 2025. Staff sought children's permission before wiping noses or changing nappies, and a handwashing song accompanied the routine before meals. Children were encouraged to manage dressing and use cutlery themselves as preparation for their next stage. These are small, repeated opportunities to develop confidence and independence.

The nursery employed 18 childcare staff in January 2025. Training and support from management formed part of staff development at that time, but teaching still needed more consistent adaptation to move children's understanding forward. Staff development therefore matters here for a specific reason: the challenge was extending learning beyond familiar knowledge, rather than simply offering more activities.

Fresh food is cooked each day by the nursery chef in the onsite kitchen, with breakfast, lunch, dinner and snacks served across the day. Menus change with the seasons, and the nursery's catering arrangements cover dietary preferences and allergy requirements.

Sessions and Attendance

Opening hours are 7.30am to 6pm, Monday to Friday, across 51 weeks of the year, with bank holiday closures. The location is Unit 1-2, Common Barn Farm, Tamworth Road, Lichfield, WS14 9PX. The opening window is useful for assessing whether the nursery fits around work and travel commitments.

Enquiries can be made by telephone on 01543 384990 or by email to whittington@theoldschoolhousenurseries.co.uk. Viewings take place by appointment during opening hours, and a 3D tour provides another way to explore the rooms before a visit.

Getting There

The rural-style setting sits between Lichfield and Tamworth and has onsite parking. For families travelling between those towns, the location and parking are practical considerations alongside the rooms and outdoor provision.

Funding and Paid Extras

In January 2025, the nursery provided funded education. Families should obtain the nursery's current written quotation when considering costs, so the financial decision sits alongside the care arrangements and attendance they intend to book.

• Teaching beyond familiar knowledge. In January 2025, staff did not consistently adapt activities to extend what children already understood, limiting the progress some could make. During a visit, ask for an example of how an activity is changed for a child who has mastered its initial challenge.
• Story time and daily organisation. In January 2025, some children could not see the book during a story following a meal and became distracted. Ask how seating and transitions now help every child take part.
• The move into Hedgehog's Room. Its heading gives a starting age of 15 months, while its description gives 16 months; independent walking is also a transition marker. Discuss how age and physical development are weighed when moving a child from Robin's Room.
• Funding and dietary arrangements. Ask how funded attendance is organised and what the quotation includes for meals and non-food consumables. Families managing an allergy should also confirm the current kitchen arrangements for their child's needs.

Whittington suits families drawn to a rural-style setting, staged room transitions and a preschool day with substantial outdoor time. Robin's Room gives younger babies a developmentally targeted space, while Badger's Room offers an older child's day shaped by indoor and outdoor exploration. The weekday opening window also makes the practical fit straightforward to assess.

The January 2025 strengths and improvement points deserve equal weight. Caring interactions, early intervention and concrete outdoor experiences support the case for choosing it. The limitations in teaching challenge and routine organisation temper that positive January 2025 picture.