The Old School Day Nursery, Tommies Childcare

A former school house, 28 places and a village garden give The Old School a clear identity. In Astley, near Nuneaton, this is a small setting with separate spaces for babies, toddlers and preschool children, rather than one shared room spanning the early years. The garden adds grass, trikes and insect hunts to the indoor day.

Ofsted rated the nursery Good on 29 March 2023, with an improvement point about making staff responses to unwanted behaviour more consistent. That judgement gives families a useful starting point, although the detail matters more than the label: practical independence, stories and communication with parents were prominent in the nursery day at that time.

Children are accepted from six weeks to five years. Attendance includes full-day bookings and a term-time option for certain funded entitlements, so the practical fit extends beyond families needing care throughout the year.

Rooms and Ages

The Baby Room takes children up to 20 months and uses sensory experiences and natural materials to encourage exploration. For the youngest children, the emphasis is on discovering textures and materials.

From 20 months to three years, the Toddler Room emphasises growing independence and learning to share with other children. The Pre-School Room, for three- to five-year-olds, combines imaginative play and construction with activities shaped around children's interests and preparation for primary school.

These age bands distinguish the stages of care. The whole nursery's 28 places are a total capacity, rather than a measure of how many children share any particular room.

Learning and Activities

The early years foundation stage sets the requirements for children's learning, development and care: in parent terms, play, communication and everyday routines contribute to learning alongside practical care. The group-wide In the Moment approach sits alongside this framework; here, activities are shaped around children's interests, with language and early maths among the areas developed.

In March 2023, stories led into hands-on exploration. Handa's Surprise prompted older children to describe and taste unfamiliar fruits, while The Three Little Pigs inspired building with foam bricks. These examples connect listening to something children can try, discuss or construct, giving a story a life beyond the book.

At that same visit, babies explored sand and water, and toddlers handled real produce in a kitchen role-play space. Older children used peelers and knives while preparing vegetables for pasta salad. The activities offered different kinds of participation according to age, from sensory investigation to practising more precise hand movements.

Outdoor and Community Life

Daily garden play includes riding trikes, running on grass and looking for insects, including in wet weather. That gives children both space for movement and something small to investigate closely; outdoor time is part of the daily offer rather than an occasional excursion.

In March 2023, outdoor play also included scooters and a pretend shop. Children visited a local care home at that time, bringing contact with people beyond their nursery group into their experience of the community. These are dated examples of the day, rather than a promise about today's outings.

Relationships and Communication

Famly is the parent communication app used here to share children's experiences and milestones. It gives families a connection with the nursery day while their child is away from home, complementing conversations with staff.

In March 2023, practitioners exchanged information with parents and gave feedback about children's development. Parent information evenings covered communication, language and preparation for school, making the connection between home and nursery practical: families received ideas they could use beyond the setting.

Independence appeared in ordinary routines during that month. Children chose snacks, helped themselves to meals and practised putting on coats and wellington boots. These are useful examples of school preparation through everyday tasks, rather than preparation being reduced to formal learning.

Inclusion and Wellbeing

At the March 2023 inspection, Ofsted found safeguarding effective and described staff identifying additional support needs promptly, working with parents and using individual development plans for children with delayed communication and language. This gives concrete substance to the dated judgement: support involved a plan for the child and cooperation with their family.

Behaviour was the area requiring more attention in March 2023. Children generally cooperated and shared, but staff sometimes responded differently to unwanted behaviour, making expectations harder for children to understand. The concern was consistency between adults, rather than a general finding that children behaved poorly.

CCTV is used alongside recruitment checks and staff training as part of the nursery's security arrangements. Its presence is an operational detail; the safeguarding judgement above belongs to the dated inspection.

Sessions and Attendance

Full-Day sessions run from 7.30am to 6pm, with a minimum booking of two full days each week. Where a booking covers three full days or fewer, it must include either Monday or Friday. That condition matters for families planning a pattern concentrated in the middle of the week.

The nursery opens on weekdays between 7.30am and 6pm. For eligible families using the 15-hour entitlements for supported two-year-olds or all three- and four-year-olds, a term-time-only option follows school terms across 38 weeks; allocation follows a first-come, first-served rule and the Admissions Policy.

Fees for the standard attendance pattern are annualised across 51 weeks into 12 equal monthly bills, including bank holidays and a staff development day. Payment is monthly in advance by Direct Debit, Tax-Free Childcare or a combination of the two. Enquiries can be made directly on 01676 542 266.

Getting There

The address is The Old School, Post Office Row, Astley, Nuneaton, CV10 7QS. The village school-house setting is a central part of its character and gives families a different physical setting from a larger purpose-built nursery.

Funding and Paid Extras

Funded childcare includes 15 hours for eligible two-year-olds receiving additional support, 15 hours for all three- and four-year-olds, and up to 30 hours for eligible working families with children aged nine months or older. Funding can be stretched across 51 weeks, with additional paid attendance beyond the entitlement; the specified 15-hour entitlements also have the term-time route described above.

Food and snacks are included in standard session fees, while funded attendance carries a separate meal charge covering breakfast, lunch, dinner and snacks. Nursery chefs within Tommies Childcare cook the food, which is delivered freshly to The Old School each day.

A Registration Fee applies when requesting a place and becomes non-refundable once a place is accepted; if the requested booking cannot be offered and the family withdraws registration, it is refunded. An Acceptance Fee is credited against the first month's bill. Current prices come in the nursery's written quotation.

• Your weekly pattern. Standard bookings require at least two full days, and patterns of three days or fewer include Monday or Friday. Discuss how that condition works with the term-time option before choosing your attendance pattern.
• Consistent behaviour support. In March 2023, staff responses to unwanted behaviour needed greater consistency. On a visit, ask how practitioners now agree and apply expectations across the rooms.
• The address for your visit. The inspection address is Post Office Row, CV10 7QS, while the nursery's contact address is Nuthurst Lane, CV10 7QH. Confirm the entrance and postcode when arranging a tour.
• The full cost of care. Standard sessions include food, but funded attendance has separate meal charges. Request a written breakdown for your attendance pattern.

The Old School suits families drawn to a small village setting, separate age-group rooms and daily garden play. Its practical offer serves both families booking full days across the year and eligible families seeking the specified term-time funded option. The interest-led activities and dated examples of practical independence give its educational character substance. The key question for a visit is how consistently staff now support behaviour, alongside whether the attendance conditions fit family life.