Bilingual Day Nursery & Preschool Ravenstone

Spanish conversation, a purpose-built log cabin and woodland with a stream give Bilingual Day Nursery & Preschool Ravenstone a clear identity. Based on the grounds of Woodstone Community Primary School, it combines learning another language through play with outdoor exploration. Children do not need to come from a bilingual family. That makes the language offer relevant to families starting from scratch, as well as those already using Spanish at home.

At its 5 July 2024 inspection, Ofsted rated the nursery Outstanding and found effective safeguarding, rapid progress in learning and confident communication in English and Spanish. Those findings give substance to the bilingual offer: older children joined Spanish songs, responded with actions and used key words, rather than simply hearing another language in the background.

Children are accepted from three months to school age. The nursery is registered for 40 places. Full days and shorter sessions sit alongside funding stretched across the year.

Rooms and Ages

The Baby Room combines sensory exploration with communication, movement and emotional development; cots, sleep mats and individually stored sheets support the practical side of a baby's day. Its room age band begins at four months and extends to around 18/20 months, while the nursery accepts children from three months.

The Toddler room serves children from around 18/20 months to two years, with shared meals followed by play suited to their stage. The Toddler Two room uses natural materials chosen around children's interests, alongside support for emerging sentences and potty training. In The Preschool Room, for three- to four-year-olds, independence means practical actions: managing clothes, serving food and using the toilet.

Children mix between areas and outdoors, giving siblings opportunities to spend time together.

Learning and Activities

The EYFS provides the foundation for learning through play, including physical development, communication and emotional relationships. Ravenstone adds bilingual learning and activities shaped by children's interests: vehicles can replace planned gardening when curiosity takes the day elsewhere.

Language learning uses the 1 person 1 language approach, linking each practitioner's interactions with a language. English and Spanish practitioners work within the room teams, so Spanish is part of play and conversation. Parents do not need to speak it themselves. Spanish Resources supplies everyday phrases with example videos, giving families a way to repeat familiar language during ordinary routines at home.

Spanish Books includes Elmer the elephant and The colour monster, with English and Spanish listening options so families can share stories at home.

In July 2024, babies explored textured books while older children discussed respecting differences through stories. Books were accessible indoors and outside.

Outdoor and Community Life

The Forest School Approach adds child-led exploration in the nursery woodland, with gardening, tools and fire pits. Regular sessions are included in nursery fees.

A stream, mud kitchens, gardens and a sheltered garden area sit alongside access to the school's field. Fruit and vegetable growing areas connect outdoor play with food. Ravenstone aims to take every age group outside at least twice daily, including babies, and encourages play through different weather conditions. Waterproof clothing and wellies therefore have a practical role here.

In July 2024, children made foliage crowns, mixed petals with water and used tools to join materials. Trips include local shops, the library bus and a local school.

Fun in the Forest extends the outdoor offer to families and the wider community every Saturday. These sessions combine parent-and-child participation, lunch, tools and fire pits with Spanish-language interaction.

Relationships and Communication

A key person supports settling and learns about a child's routines and interests. The allocation can change if the child bonds more strongly with another practitioner.

After registration and payment of the deposit, families receive a home visit and a free one-hour settling session; further sessions are charged. An open-door policy supports conversations with staff.

Famly carries observations and daily care information, with parents able to contribute photographs and learning from home. Six-monthly progress updates give a longer view of development.

Inclusion and Wellbeing

The SENDCo discusses additional physical, speech or language needs with parents and adaptations before children start. Meetings with the SENDCo, key person or manager can also address concerns later.

Sleep arrangements include cots and mats, with continuous monitoring and checks logged on Famly. Children have their own sheets, stored separately between uses. After lunch, children who remain awake usually continue playing outdoors, allowing sleepers a quieter period. Individual routines also mattered in July 2024: tired babies received comfort, and food and drinks were timed around their needs.

A nursery chef prepares food, freshly cooked each day in a separate kitchen cabin, with hot food at lunch and dinner and meals eaten together across ages. The allergy policy asks families for medical information, and packed lunches are excluded because storage is limited.

Independence carries into care routines. Older children serve themselves and clear their tableware, while preschool preparation includes managing clothing and personal care. Toothbrushing is offered once daily for children aged two or over when parents give consent and supply the brush and paste.

Sessions and Attendance

The nursery is on Heather Lane, Ravenstone, Coalville, LE67 2AH, within the grounds of Woodstone Community Primary School. It opens Monday to Friday, from 7.30am to 6pm. Full-day care uses that window; morning collection is at 12.30pm, and afternoon attendance begins at 1pm with collection at 6pm. Funding can also be used for full or half days, subject to availability.

Provision runs across the year, with a Christmas closure usually lasting a week. Permanent day changes require one month's written notice and depend on availability; funded days cannot be swapped. Extra days also depend on availability.

A verbal handover takes five to ten minutes, which families need to allow before the collection deadline. At the deadline itself, handover information goes to Tapestry instead. Enquiries can be made by email to admin@bilingualdaynurseryravenstone.co.uk.

Getting There

School traffic can congest the area around 8.45am and 3.15pm. When the school gates are locked, nursery parents use the buzzer beside the electric gates to obtain access.

Sharing the school grounds does not guarantee a Reception place at Woodstone Community Primary School. Families still apply through the local authority admissions process.

Funding and Paid Extras

Funding for two-, three- and four-year-olds includes the 15- and 30-hour entitlements, stretched across 51 weeks into ten or twenty weekly hours respectively for eligible children.

Meals are included in the general childcare package, but funded attendance carries separate service, food and consumables charges. Those funded-place charges continue during holidays and sickness. Parents supply formula in a sealed, labelled container, seasonal sun cream when needed, and a toothbrush and toothpaste if choosing toothbrushing.

Payments are monthly in advance; Tax Free Childcare and vouchers are accepted. Missed days remain payable, except during the usual Christmas closure. Current prices come in the nursery's written quotation.

• Outdoor kit matters. Wellies and waterproof coats and trousers are everyday requirements, with old clothes recommended for mud and messy play. At an open event, discuss how the woodland routines work for your child's age and confidence.
• Funding includes additional charges. Service, food and consumables charges apply to funded attendance and continue during absence. Compare the written quotation for your chosen days with the funded allocation before making a decision.
• Attendance changes have limits. Permanent day changes need a month's written notice and remain subject to availability; funded days cannot be swapped. Families with changing work rotas should weigh this against their usual schedule.
• Settling for the youngest babies. Children can start at three months, while The Baby Room's age description begins at four months. Use the settling discussion to establish how your baby's routines and introduction will be arranged.

Ravenstone suits families who want Spanish woven into play and conversation, alongside substantial time outdoors. Its woodland, stream and mud kitchens give the outdoor approach a tangible setting, while the room routines connect learning with everyday independence.

It serves families choosing full days, morning sessions or afternoon attendance, as well as those using stretched funding for full or half days. The decision needs to account for outdoor kit, the conditions on changing days and the additional funded-place charges. For parents drawn to bilingual learning and regular woodland exploration, those are concrete arrangements to weigh against a clear educational character.