Explorosity Education

A tipi for shared outdoor sessions, a kitchen garden with weekly growing activities and a baby garden with its own digging pit give Explorosity Education a clear character. This Waltham nursery builds its day around conversation, practical exploration and time outside. The physical spaces matter: children can grow food, investigate materials and return to quieter areas when they need a pause.

At its July 2022 inspection, Ofsted rated Explorosity Education Outstanding overall and found that teaching engaged children closely in their learning. That judgement belongs to a dated inspection; the current offer includes targeted language support through Pyramid Provision and outdoor learning through Forest School.

Children are accepted from two months to five years. The nursery occupies Salisbury Court on Barnoldby Road, Waltham, Grimsby. Full-day, morning and afternoon sessions serve different family routines, with meals included in paid sessions but charged separately alongside funded hours.

Rooms and Ages

The Baby Lounge has a daily maximum of twelve babies, a separate sleep room and its own garden, where a planter, digging pit and sand and water activities sit alongside quieter space; indoors, shared books, treasure baskets and construction give babies different ways to explore.

For children aged two to three, the Toddler Room has capacity for fourteen, with separate sleeping and changing facilities, toilets and direct access to a garden containing a mud kitchen; stories, a projector, construction and role play sit alongside support for language, physical confidence and increasing independence.

Children move into Kindergarten Two in the term they turn three, with space for twenty, an attached bedroom and free movement between indoors and outdoors; its daily emphasis includes cooperation, early number work, stories and practical tasks such as choosing activities and tidying up.

Kindergarten One serves children aged three to five, combining responsibility for belongings and shared spaces with discussion, stories and projects, while soft furnishings, plants and varied lighting support its Hygge approach to creating comfortable, restful surroundings.

Movement between playrooms also takes account of emotional, social and developmental readiness. That gives the room structure a purpose beyond sorting children by birthday: progression follows how a child is managing relationships, communication and independence.

Learning and Activities

The early years foundation stage provides the framework for learning, development and care, covering children's communication, physical development and social learning alongside their growing understanding of the world. At Explorosity, those foundations are developed through play, conversation, projects and everyday routines. Language receives sustained attention, with adults encouraging children to explain ideas and talk through feelings rather than simply complete an activity.

Pyramid Provision supports speech, language and interaction by working on foundations such as listening, attention, play and taking turns. Some children receive targeted work in short, planned groups during the week, with support adjusted as their skills develop. Families receive explanations of the work and ideas to continue at home. Wellcomm, an assessment and support resource for communication, helps practitioners identify the appropriate level of support.

In Kindergarten One, football introduces movement and coordination through simple games, while Spanish uses stories, songs and everyday phrases. These are concrete additions to the day, with different purposes: one creates opportunities to practise physical control and sharing equipment, the other introduces another language through listening and play.

The setting also uses letters and sounds, phase one, alongside stories, rhymes and activities that prepare children for reading and writing. Physical play develops the movements needed for mark-making, and families receive a rhyme and related activities each month. Preparation for school therefore reaches beyond practising a written name.

Outdoor and Community Life

Forest School brings regular learning in nature into the curriculum, with den building, campfire cooking, nature crafts and supervised tool use among its activities. The tipi provides a base for small-group sessions and family stay-and-play experiences, as well as baby yoga and massage. It gives outdoor learning a shared space for children and families, rather than treating it solely as an activity for older children.

Weekly small-group sessions in the kitchen garden involve planting, watering, weeding and harvesting. Low raised beds and soft paths make the growing space accessible to young children, while produce can become ingredients for snacks or cooking activities. Garden photo updates and family garden days connect that work with home.

Water also has a practical role in the outdoor spaces. Kindergarten children operate streams with pumps, while the toddler garden has waterworks and a climbing tree. In July 2022, a visit to a lifeboat station prompted further investigation back at nursery, where children took turns pumping up a paddle board. The useful principle was following a real experience into a practical problem children could explore together.

Relationships and Communication

A key person builds an ongoing relationship with each child and shares what helps them learn and feel settled. For children needing additional support, settling begins with discussion about interests, calming strategies and routines that work at home. The pace can then be adjusted around the child, giving families a role in planning the transition.

In July 2022, children sought out their key person for help with feelings, and parents received daily information about learning. Current communication includes eylog, the parent platform bringing together observations, photographs, videos and staff notes. Parents can add comments and information from home, so the exchange can shape future planning rather than remain a stream of pictures to look through.

The approach to emotions is practical. Adults help children identify feelings, express needs and work through difficulties with support. Within SEND provision, visual cues, consistent routines and smaller steps can make the day easier to understand. For families whose children find changes difficult, that combination matters as much as the activity itself.

Inclusion and Wellbeing

At the July 2022 inspection, Ofsted found safeguarding effective and SEND support highly effective, with staff identifying individual needs, involving relevant professionals and helping children make progress. Current SEND arrangements include SENCO roles and an assess, plan, do, review process: staff observe everyday play, agree manageable goals with parents, put support into routines and review its effect.

Adjustments can include picture cards, visual timetables, sensory materials, quieter spaces and different tools for mark-making. Outside professionals may be involved with parental permission, including speech and language therapists and educational psychologists. Interpreters or translated information can also help parents participate in decisions. These are specific routes for adapting provision, rather than a general promise that every need will be met in the same way.

The NSPCC Talk PANTS campaign introduces body boundaries, the right to refuse unwanted touch and speaking to a trusted adult about worries. Activities are adapted to children's ages and stages. Explorosity also achieved the Millie's Mark Award in September 2025, recognising paediatric first-aid training across the team; this is a first-aid arrangement, separate from the dated safeguarding judgement.

Sleep provision includes separate rooms for babies and toddlers, and the nursery follows The Lullaby Trust guidance, including clear cots, firm flat mattresses and placing babies on their backs. Toilet-training support draws on ERIC, the children's bowel and bladder charity, with readiness cues and agreed routines guiding progress rather than pressure to meet a fixed timetable.

Chefs prepare age-adapted meals, and the nursery's dietary arrangements include clear labelling and separate preparation where needed for allergies or other requirements. During weaning, staff work with parents on textures and first foods and provide daily feedback about eating.

Sessions and Attendance

Full Day runs from 7.30am to 6pm, Morning Session from 7.30am to 1pm, and Afternoon Session from 1pm to 6pm. Flexible places are not offered. These are defined booking patterns, so the morning and afternoon options suit families seeking a shorter attendance window as well as those needing the full day.

The nursery opens Monday to Friday throughout the year, closing for bank holidays and Christmas. It is at Salisbury Court, Barnoldby Road, Waltham, Grimsby, DN37 0BS. General enquiries can be made by telephone, email or the contact form.

Funding and Paid Extras

Funding is offered for children aged nine months, two, three and four, with 30 hours funding also offered for eligible children. Additional hours beyond funding are charged separately, and lunch and tea carry separate charges during funded attendance.

Full Day sessions include all meals; Morning Session includes lunch and snacks, while Afternoon Session includes tea and snacks. The sessions and fees page sets out those distinctions, and families receive the terms and conditions before registration. Current prices belong in the nursery's written quotation, with funded hours, additional attendance and food kept separate so families can understand the overall arrangement.

• Admissions are currently closed. This is a practical barrier to joining Explorosity now. Before arranging a visit, establish whether the nursery is accepting new enquiries for a later start.
• Outdoor clothing is part of the routine. Frequent garden use comes with recommendations for waterproof clothing, suitable footwear and spare clothes. At a visit, discuss how this works for your child's mobility, comfort and readiness for changing weather.
• Funding changes the meal bill. Food included in paid sessions is charged separately during funded attendance. Request a written breakdown for your intended pattern, separating funded hours, additional hours and meals.
• Individual care needs deserve a detailed conversation. Separate sleep spaces, weaning support and allergy arrangements are relevant to babies and children with medical dietary needs. Use a visit to agree the sleep and feeding routine and confirm current allergy practice for your child.

Explorosity suits families who want practical outdoor learning and sustained attention to communication, whether they need a full day or a morning or afternoon session. The kitchen garden, Forest School and Pyramid Provision give that approach substance: growing, making and targeted language work have defined places in the nursery day.

Its July 2022 Outstanding judgement is a strong historical reference point. The current decision also turns on practical fit: admissions are closed, session boundaries are fixed and funded attendance has a different meal charging structure. For families considering a later start, the room environments and specific support mechanisms give plenty to discuss in a visit.