Kindred White Post Nursery and Pre-school

A converted barn, outdoor space for each room and weekly Forest School give White Post a clear identity: this is a nursery where time outside forms a substantial part of the offer. Its position beside White Post Farm adds another recognisable feature. For families drawn to outdoor learning, those are practical reasons to look closely.

Ofsted rated the nursery Good on 25 May 2023. The current setting has 122 places in total and accepts children aged two to 60 months. That whole-nursery capacity should be kept separate from the number of children sharing an individual room.

Full days and half days sit alongside both year-round and term-time attendance. The choice matters: families can consider a shorter nursery day as well as care spanning the working day.

Learning and Activities

The early years foundation stage provides the framework for children's learning, development and care, bringing communication, physical development and everyday learning into their play. White Post adds named activities including Tennis, Dance, Theatre School and Baking. These give families concrete activities to weigh alongside the ordinary nursery routine.

Forest School consists of weekly outdoor sessions led by two trained Forest School teachers. Its emphasis is on developing practical skills and confidence through experiences in nature. This is more substantial than occasional outdoor play: a recurring session gives the approach a place in the nursery week.

In May 2023, learning examples differed by stage. Babies experimented with sound by tapping objects with paintbrushes; older toddlers practised pouring water; preschool children explored the sounds at the beginning of words. These were small, purposeful activities, connecting play with creative expression, coordination and early language.

Conversation needed more attention at that date. During some group activities, toddlers and preschool children had too little encouragement to wait for their turn to speak or hear another child's ideas. For parents, the useful distinction is between adults asking questions and children learning to hold a conversation together.

Outdoor and Community Life

Light-filled rooms occupy the converted barn, and each room has its own substantial outdoor space. The nursery day includes outdoor play whatever the weather, alongside child-led play, stories and group activities. That combination gives children opportunities to move between independent exploration and shared experiences.

In May 2023, babies used wooden ramps in the garden while adults remained nearby. Children also visited the host farm, meeting animals and sometimes seeing lambs born. Those experiences brought animal interests into learning through direct observation. At the same date, younger toddlers needed more opportunities to explore manageable physical challenges indoors, so the indoor experience deserves attention as well as the outdoor offer.

Relationships and Communication

Settling begins with a meeting between the family and the child's keyworker, using the All About Me book to gather information about the child. A minimum of three settling sessions includes that meeting and at least two subsequent sessions when the child stays after their parent leaves. Further sessions can be added when a child needs longer.

Feedback and photographs come from the keyworker through an app during this process. The practical benefit is continuity: the adult learning about the child also communicates how those early separations are going. Settling has a starting structure, with room to extend it around the individual child.

In May 2023, staff used children's interests and familiar toys to help them adjust to nursery. Everyday independence was also encouraged through tasks such as handwashing and pouring drinks. These examples show how reassurance and growing self-reliance can sit alongside one another rather than being separate parts of the day.

Seasonal family events include Christmas sing-alongs. They provide another way for parents to take part in nursery life beyond individual updates about their child.

Inclusion and Wellbeing

At its May 2023 inspection, Ofsted found safeguarding effective and described support for children with special educational needs and/or disabilities through individual plans and work with other professionals. That is a dated assessment of practice, with specific mechanisms behind it rather than a general promise of support.

The current daily routine includes a quieter period and sleep for children who need them. Meals are cooked each day by an on-site chef using an accredited menu. For a child attending across the day, food and rest therefore have a defined place alongside play.

In May 2023, children explored toothbrushing and foods associated with dental health. Lunchtime organisation was less consistent: some children waited for food and became unsettled. Reducing those waits was an improvement priority, making the organisation of shared meals a useful point to explore during a visit.

Sessions and Attendance

White Post is on Mansfield Road, Farnsfield, Newark, NG22 8HL. Core opening hours are 8am to 6pm, with an early start at 7.30am. The nursery operates for 51 weeks, and its term-time offer covers 38 weeks.

A full day runs from 8am to 6pm. Half days run from 8am to 1pm or from 1pm to 6pm. The early start covers 7.30am to 8am, providing an additional option before the core day begins.

The nursery closes for bank holidays and one week at Christmas. Year-round fees are spread into regular monthly payments, while term-time invoices vary with the attendance schedule. These differences affect household budgeting as well as the weeks a child attends.

A branch-specific enquiry route allows families to arrange a one-to-one visit. There is no registration charge or deposit, although a pre-payment is required and credited against the first full invoice. Current prices come in the nursery's written quotation.

Getting There

A private car park is reserved for nursery families. The setting is beside White Post Farm, giving it a clear local landmark as well as parking for collections and drop-offs.

Funding and Paid Extras

The nursery accepts funded childcare, including its 30 Hour Funding and 15 Hour Funding offers, as well as private paid care. Funding can be used through term-time attendance or stretched across the year; the appropriate entitlement depends on the family's eligibility.

Private fees include food and snacks, together with nappies, wipes, milk and formula. Funded sessions have separate charges for food, non-food consumables and activities. A funded-hours booking therefore needs consideration of those categories as well as any additional paid care.

Families who wish to decline consumables alongside funded hours must notify the nursery in writing and follow its Nursery Consumables Policy. The payment structure deserves attention before choosing between term-time and year-round attendance, because the two arrangements organise invoices differently.

The nursery describes working with local primary schools on children's transition, emphasising confidence and social skills. Attendance does not guarantee a school place; families still apply through the local authority admissions process.

• Indoor challenge and conversation. In May 2023, improvement priorities included younger toddlers' opportunities to manage risks indoors and children's conversational turn-taking. During a visit, ask how both are now built into group activities and indoor play.
• Lunchtime organisation. Waiting for food unsettled some children in May 2023. Ask how meals are organised now, especially if your child finds transitions or waiting difficult.
• Funding and attendance. Term-time care covers 38 weeks, compared with the 51-week year-round offer, and funded sessions carry separate food, non-food and activity charges. Compare a written quotation for the attendance pattern you intend to use.
• Settling around your child. The minimum three-session process can be extended. Use the one-to-one visit to discuss how the keyworker would adapt those sessions to your child's experience of separation.

White Post suits families choosing between full-day and half-day care who value regular outdoor learning, a converted-barn setting and a structured settling process. Term-time and year-round arrangements widen that practical appeal. Weekly Forest School, dedicated outdoor spaces and Baking give the offer tangible character.

The May 2023 Good judgement sits alongside clear improvement priorities concerning conversation, indoor challenge and lunchtime waits. Those are useful visit topics. The strongest reasons to consider White Post are its concrete daily experiences and attendance choices, with funded extras weighed carefully against the family's intended booking.