Barkston Ash Nursery School

A secret garden, harvest outings and friendships across generations give Barkston Ash Nursery School a recognisable village character. Based at The Village Hall in Barkston Ash, North Yorkshire, it combines early reading activities with experiences that take children beyond the nursery: picking produce, exploring woodland and sharing activities with nursing-home residents.

At its 13 March 2025 inspection, Ofsted rated the nursery Outstanding and found that children made exceptional progress through teaching adapted closely to their individual needs. The setting has capacity for 25 children; its nursery offer is for children aged between two and five. Term-time attendance includes a morning session, full-day care and extended sessions, with wraparound provision from age three.

Learning and Activities

The Early Years Foundation Stage provides the framework for children's learning and care, covering communication, movement, relationships, early literacy, mathematics, creative expression and understanding the world. Here, those areas are explored through children's interests, freely chosen play and activities led by adults. Children can move between indoor and outdoor activities, and staff aim to let an absorbing piece of play continue rather than interrupt it to keep everyone on the same timetable.

Read Write Inc adds a specific approach to early literacy: children learn letter sounds, practise combining sounds into words and work on letter formation. The nursery asks parents practising writing at home to use lower-case letters, helping home activities follow the same approach. Its curriculum page explains the areas of learning and the phonics programme.

During stories and shared discussion, children can participate together or in smaller groups, while practitioners supervise those continuing with other activities. This accommodates children still absorbed in play.

Outdoor and Community Life

The Secret Garden gives children a place to explore nature. In March 2025, children searched the pond for frogspawn using binoculars, and staff extended that investigation into a discussion about how frogs develop.

Forest Schools outings involve regular visits to local woods, where children investigate the natural world outdoors. A further link with Stockbridge Technology Centre takes children in their final term before school to the big harvest, picking fruit and vegetables to take home.

Barchester Nursing Home visits are regular and bring children and residents together for singing, crafts and shared events. These activities broaden children's contact beyond their usual group.

Annual experiences include a Leavers Party at Crazy Tykes and an Easter Egg Hunt in the church gardens.

Relationships and Communication

Each child has a key person who acts as the family's first contact and takes responsibility for observations and assessments. Care remains shared across the staff team, so the relationship does not mean a child is looked after by only one practitioner. Different uniform colours help families identify key people.

Settling can proceed at the child's pace. Parents are encouraged to stay when needed, and children may bring a familiar blanket or favourite toy until they feel ready to manage without it.

Children's Learning Journeys record development and achievements, go home during the Autumn, Spring and Summer terms, and include an end-of-term summary. Parents can contribute observations, photographs and information about interests at home. Those contributions help the key person plan activities that connect with the child's life beyond nursery. Families can also access the learning journey during nursery time, rather than waiting for the next report.

Inclusion and Wellbeing

At the March 2025 inspection, Ofsted found safeguarding effective and praised support for children with SEND, including targeted interventions, collaboration with parents and specialists, and additional staff training.

Current arrangements include a SENCO role and a designated safeguarding lead role. Staff hold first-aid certificates and food-hygiene qualifications, and take part in continuing training. Collection arrangements use authorised adults, photographs and a password procedure for an emergency collection by someone unfamiliar to staff. These are practical arrangements for families to understand alongside the dated safeguarding judgement.

Children do not need to be out of nappies to attend. Staff support potty training, record nappy changes and provide families with a copy of the changing record; parents supply spare nappies, wipes and clothes. This makes attendance possible while toileting skills are still developing, rather than making independence a condition of starting.

The Healthy Living bag links healthy eating and oral health books with a physical activity and a game. Its books, physical activity and game connect discussions about food and teeth with practical play. In March 2025, children were also practising everyday independence by managing their coats and using a knife to butter crumpets, turning ordinary routines into opportunities to develop practical skills.

Sessions and Attendance

Nursery runs during school terms. Full Day Care lasts from 8am to 3.30pm, while Extended Session 1 runs from 8.30am to 1.30pm and Extended Session 2 from 10.30am to 3.30pm. The differing start times allow families to choose between an earlier day and a later session that continues through the afternoon.

Standard Session runs from 8.30am to 12.30pm and is restricted to non-funded children. Breakfast Club is offered from 7.30am to 8.30am. Wrap Around runs from 8am to 6pm for children aged three and over, extending attendance beyond the nursery's full-day pattern. Funded hours begin at 8am; the other nursery sessions can be used by funded and non-funded children.

Bookings have defined times. Any change needs agreement from a staff member beforehand, so these patterns should be treated as sessions rather than an invitation to vary collection freely. Monthly invoicing applies, with no reduction or refund for sickness or holidays; Bank Holidays are not charged.

Funding and Paid Extras

Funded childcare is offered on a term-time basis. The nursery accepts the benefits-related entitlement for eligible two-year-olds of up to 15 hours weekly, universal funding for three- and four-year-olds from the term after their third birthday of up to 15 hours weekly, and an additional 15 hours of extended funding where the criteria are met, giving up to 30 hours. Private sessions beyond a child's funded allowance are charged separately.

A monthly standing charge contributes towards resources, local visits, baking and snacks, including for funded attendance; breakfast required after 8am attracts a separate charge. In March 2025, children brought packed lunches, while current non-food arrangements require parents to supply nappies, wipes and spare clothing. Families should obtain current prices in a written quotation, including the session and extra-charge structure set out on the session costs page.

Getting There and Moving On

The address is The Village Hall, Church Street, Barkston Ash, North Yorkshire, LS24 9PJ. Enquiries can be made by telephone on 01937 557 602 or by email to barkstonashnursery@gmail.com.

The nursery describes a partnership with Barkston Ash RC Primary School involving joint training, events, information sharing and school visits to children preparing to move on. These links can help make the transition more familiar, but attendance does not guarantee a school place. Families still apply through the local authority admissions process.

• Term-time planning. Nursery attendance follows school terms. Families needing care during school holidays will need an arrangement that covers those periods as well.
• Session conditions. Standard Session is for non-funded children, and Wrap Around starts from age three. At a visit, discuss how the appropriate pattern would work for your child's age and funded hours.
• The whole bill. Funded attendance still sits alongside the monthly standing charge, and extra private sessions are charged separately. Compare the written quotation for the complete booking, including the sickness and holiday payment terms.
• A younger child's afternoon. Extended Session 2 and Wrap Around continue well beyond lunchtime. At a visit, ask how rest is managed for a child who still needs an afternoon sleep.

Barkston Ash suits families seeking term-time nursery education with a strong connection to village life. Its morning Standard Session, full-day pattern and differently timed extended sessions serve distinct routines; wraparound adds a longer option from age three. The Secret Garden, Stockbridge Technology Centre harvest and Barchester Nursing Home visits give the offer substance beyond the hall. The Outstanding judgement from March 2025 supports the educational case, while key-person communication and gradual settling make the practical care arrangements easy to understand. The main decisions are whether school-term attendance fits family life and which session and charge structure fits the child.