Southlands Kindergarten

A Scandinavian-style nursery building, an outdoor classroom and gardens covering a third of an acre give Southlands Kindergarten a clear identity: play has room to spread outdoors. Forest School, swimming and Spanish sit alongside gardening and minibus outings. For parents who value an active day, these are concrete reasons to look closely at this Newcastle-under-Lyme setting.

At its September 2022 inspection, Ofsted rated Southlands Outstanding and found that its education supported rapid progress, with effective safeguarding and excellent support for children with special educational needs and/or disabilities (SEND). That judgement belongs to the inspection date. The present offer retains a strong emphasis on outdoor play, with children choosing activities and moving freely into secure garden areas.

Southlands has 30 places in total and accepts children aged two to five, while its kindergarten learning environment is designed around three- to five-year-olds. This is the Southlands Avenue kindergarten, separate from the group's crèche. Full-day care and term-time care-only attendance give families different ways to use it.

Learning and Activities

The EYFS provides the foundation for learning through play, covering children's development as well as their care. At Southlands, adult involvement and children's own choices both shape the day: the garden is used for stories, picnics and growing activities, rather than serving simply as somewhere to expend energy between indoor tasks.

Forest School adds a named outdoor approach, with its own area in the grounds for learning through exploration of the natural environment. Spanish classes, swimming lessons and yoga broaden the kindergarten's activities. These sit alongside the EYFS; they do not replace it. The practical attraction is variety across physical activity, language and outdoor experience, although access to enrichment also depends on the attendance and charging arrangement a family chooses.

In September 2022, stories prompted children to ask questions and anticipate what might happen next. Older children linked letters with sounds and could write their names. Staff also used supermarket visits to explore numbers, weighing and payment. These experiences give letters and numbers practical meaning.

Responsibility featured in that September 2022 daily routine too. Children took turns helping with food preparation and laying the lunch table, and shared equipment with friends. Small jobs gave children a useful role in the group and practice in everyday independence.

Outdoor and Community Life

The grounds contain a gardening area as well as the outdoor classroom and Forest School space, with room to climb, run and investigate. Sunhats and raincoats are supplied, supporting outdoor play across different weather conditions. The combination of shelter, equipment and open space makes the outdoors part of the planned day.

Minibus journeys extend experiences beyond the kindergarten, including strawberry picking, swimming and day trips. In September 2022, children talked about swimming each week and explained how their gardening club had taken them from preparing soil and sowing seeds to harvesting, cooking and eating what they grew.

Summer Concerts and Sports Days bring families into the gardens to share children's experiences. The gardens give families a place to share in children's activities.

Relationships and Communication

Settling is planned around the individual child. Previous experiences of separation, contact with other children and emotional development help determine the visiting pattern. The settling procedure recommends beginning visits at least a month before the start date, giving the family and staff time to build familiarity rather than expecting a child to manage a full session immediately.

A key worker is allocated during induction and discusses the child's needs with parents. Parents initially stay until they and the key worker agree that the child is ready to spend time apart; settling visits are free until both are confident about full-session attendance. Home visits are also offered. This makes the transition a shared decision, with a named role responsible for learning about the child.

Famly is used for registration and invoices, but urgent communication goes by telephone. Parents are asked to ring about concerns or information staff need that morning. The distinction matters: an app handles administration, while something requiring a prompt response reaches staff directly.

Inclusion and Wellbeing

At the September 2022 inspection, Ofsted found that SEND support involved parents and external agencies, that additional funding addressed learning needs, and that staff supervised children carefully and understood how to respond to safeguarding concerns.

The kindergarten currently has a defibrillator and a LifeVac airway-clearance device for choking emergencies; staff training covers their use alongside paediatric first aid.

Mealtimes are also social occasions, with an emphasis on independence and sharing with other children. Meals are included in day rates, and packed lunches are not permitted under the Southlands Food Policy. Families therefore need an attendance arrangement that works with the kindergarten's food provision.

Sessions and Attendance

Southlands Kindergarten is at 15 Southlands Avenue, Newcastle-under-Lyme, ST5 8BZ. Full-day care runs from 7.35am to 5.45pm. Term-time care-only places provide an alternative for families who choose attendance without the additional enrichment activities.

For children using 30-hour funding, the charging arrangements specify a minimum of three attendance days. That minimum needs to fit the family's weekly routine. A written quotation confirms the agreed attendance and funding arrangement.

Annual closures include a week at Christmas, a week at Easter and the August bank holiday week, as well as bank holidays. On the final day of the autumn term, closing time is 5pm. These details matter for working parents arranging cover around the usual day.

Applications use a child-specific form, followed by registration through Famly once a place is confirmed. Children moving from the crèche to the kindergarten need a separate application. Enquiries can be made through the contact form or by telephone on 01782 626148.

A month's notice is required to withdraw a child. Fees remain payable for absence through illness or family holidays, and parents should notify the kindergarten by 9.30am if their child will not attend that day.

Funding and Paid Extras

Funded childcare includes the automatic 15-hour entitlement from the term after a child's third birthday and up to 30 hours for eligible working parents. Think2 provides eligible two-year-olds with 15 hours term time only. Southlands also offers stretched funding across its 49-week operating year.

Meals are included in day rates. The separate consumable charge is a chosen contribution towards enrichment, including swimming, Spanish, gardening, Forest School and outings; it applies from the term after a child's third birthday and only during the 38 funded weeks. Children under three do not incur that consumable charge.

The contribution is optional, and term-time care-only places provide attendance without the additional enrichment. Private childcare and additional paid attendance are also offered. Current prices come in the nursery's written quotation; the funding and fees page explains how funded hours and the charging options fit together.

Getting There

Parents using the kindergarten drive must keep neighbouring driveways clear and allow other vehicles access. This is a practical consideration for anyone organising collection by car.

• Starting at two. The accepted age range begins at two, while the kindergarten environment is designed around ages three to five. At a visit, ask how activities and care are adapted for a younger entrant.
• Enrichment choices. The optional consumable contribution funds additional experiences from the term after the third birthday during funded weeks. Discuss which activities your chosen arrangement includes, especially when comparing stretched attendance with term-time care-only provision.
• Settling lead time. Visits are recommended at least a month before starting, with parents staying initially. Allow time for this process and discuss how the key worker will judge readiness for a full session.
• Holiday cover. Christmas, Easter and August closures interrupt the usual attendance pattern, and the final autumn-term day ends at 5pm. Factor these dates into work and collection plans.

Southlands suits families drawn to garden-based play, practical independence and experiences beyond the nursery grounds. The outdoor classroom, Forest School area and minibus outings give that preference substance. Its September 2022 Outstanding judgement provides a dated assessment of the education and care, while the current offer gives parents specific features to weigh.

Both full-day attendance and term-time care-only provision deserve consideration here. The choice turns on how much enrichment a family wants, how the funding arrangement fits its week and whether the closure pattern works with employment.