Chestnut Nursery School, Greatfields

Natural Learning Resources and a Forest School Ethos give Chestnut Nursery School, Greatfields its stated character. Its Barking base is at Greatfields Primary School, with childcare for babies from 3 months through to children aged 4.

No Ofsted inspection has been published for this setting yet. The practical offer includes funded childcare and private hours, with full-day, morning and afternoon attendance patterns.

Natural Learning Resources sit alongside the nursery's named Forest School Ethos. These are useful starting points for understanding the approach, rather than grounds for a judgement about teaching quality.

A SENDCO role sits with the deputy manager, giving families a designated contact for special educational needs and disabilities. The leadership structure also includes designated safeguarding lead responsibilities. These are arrangements for organising support and safeguarding, rather than an inspection judgement about their effectiveness.

Parent Zone carries invoices and funding breakdowns, and families need an email address to receive communications. This makes digital access part of the practical relationship with the nursery.

Sessions and Attendance

Full days run from 8am to 6pm; mornings from 8am to 1pm; afternoons from 1pm to 6pm. Half-day sessions are also offered. Opening days are Monday to Friday, across 51 weeks, excluding bank holidays and inset days.

Sessions cannot be swapped. Private arrangements require a month's written notice to end attendance or change sessions; funded childcare contracts have a four-week written termination notice. That distinction matters when planning a change of routine.

Getting There

The address is Greatfields Primary School, St Marys, Barking, IG11 7BL. Barking is the nearest station, and the listed bus routes are 687, 386, 287, 173 and 62.

Attending the nursery does not guarantee a Reception place at Greatfields Primary School.

Funding and Paid Extras

Entitlements cover children aged 9–23 months, disadvantaged two-year-olds, working parents of two-year-olds, universal funding for three- and four-year-olds and extended funding for eligible three- and four-year-olds. Additional private hours can be purchased; current prices are on the Greatfields fees page.

Private session fees include the meals attached to that session. For funded attendance, lunch and tea are separately charged opt-in extras, with a suitable packed meal required if families decline; children using disadvantaged funding are not required to pay for meals.

Funded-only attendance has no deposit or registration charge. Additional private hours require a deposit, with repayment subject to the contract and outstanding fees. Trips and additional activities are optional, with charges agreed beforehand. The Greatfields fees page sets out these arrangements.

• Learning and baby care. During a visit, how do the Forest School Ethos, natural resources and settling arrangements work for the youngest children?
• Fixed attendance. Sessions cannot be exchanged, and changes require written notice. Choose a pattern that fits the family's regular week.
• Funded meal choices. Lunch and tea can carry separate charges during funded attendance, with a packed-meal alternative and a disadvantaged-funding exception. Factor the relevant meal arrangement into the childcare budget.

Greatfields suits families seeking either full-day childcare or morning and afternoon sessions, with funded entitlement and additional private hours kept separate. Its natural-resource approach and school-site address are reasons to explore it, while the fixed-session rules deserve careful consideration before committing.