Borrowby Nursery School

Water carried in pots, worms compared for length and books used to identify insects: in December 2023, Borrowby Nursery School gave children practical reasons to talk, count and investigate. Everyday materials supplied much of the learning.

Ofsted judged the nursery Good at its December 2023 inspection and found safeguarding effective. Based in Knayton, Thirsk, it has capacity for 24 children aged 24 to 60 months. That whole-setting figure is a capacity, rather than the size of a daily group.

The early years foundation stage sets the requirements for children's learning, development and care, bringing learning through play together with everyday routines. In December 2023, conversation, stories and songs supported language, while children practised writing their names on artwork. Counting also had a purpose: preparing the lunch table involved working out how many cups were needed.

Outdoors that December, the mud kitchen introduced measurement and how much different containers could hold. Children moved soil and sand, examined creatures beneath logs and rode bicycles wearing helmets. These experiences connected physical activity with practical investigation.

Indoors, construction materials became an imagined sheep enclosure, while puzzles and salt-dough decorations offered other ways to create and concentrate. The improvement priority was clear: adults sometimes passed over chances for children to predict an outcome and find their own solution by experimenting.

Children's interests helped shape activities in December 2023, but staff also brought unfamiliar possibilities into their play. Small-world figures gave children material for imagined situations and conversation. This made language part of what children were doing, rather than a separate exercise. Books prompted children to take an active role too: some held a book towards their friends and talked them through its story. Their enthusiasm gave reading a social purpose, with children sharing the storyteller's role. Alongside the conversations and songs, these examples show how an interest could become an opportunity to speak, listen or tell a story. The emphasis was on using language in situations that meant something to the children.

At the December 2023 inspection, Ofsted found that children trusted staff, behaviour was managed calmly and families were encouraged to contribute to their children's development. Those relationships mattered when children needed help, and also gave parents a role in supporting learning.

In December 2023, independence was practised through manageable tasks: putting on boots and coats, washing hands, cutting paper and handling dough tools. Children also shared resources and played together. Care and learning met in these ordinary routines, with opportunities to practise both coordination and responsibility.

Safeguarding practice in December 2023 included regular staff training and procedures for reporting worries about a child or a colleague's conduct. The manager understood the need for staff background checks, while security measures and detailed assessments addressed risks on the premises. These were practical elements of the safeguarding judgement: staff needed to recognise concerns, know where to report them and consider the hazards children might encounter. The finding belongs to that inspection date.

Staff support also had a structured place in December 2023. Supervision meetings covered practitioners' performance, wellbeing and children's progress, with guidance from the manager and continuing professional development. This connected discussion about staff practice with discussion about children, rather than treating them as unrelated matters. For families, it adds useful detail to the account of calm behaviour management: the adults' work was reviewed as well as the children's learning. Together, these observations describe both everyday interactions and the arrangements supporting staff behind them.

The address is The Cabin, Knayton C of E Primary School, Stockton Road, Knayton, Thirsk, YO7 4AN. The nursery operates during term time and closes on bank holidays, making the school-year calendar an important consideration for working families.

In December 2023, it provided funded early education for children aged two, three and four. That is a dated funding position, rather than a promise of a funded place for an individual child.

• Learning through experimentation. The December 2023 improvement priority concerned children predicting and testing ideas for themselves. On a visit, ask how practitioners now make space for children to try their own solutions.
• Term-time attendance. The nursery operates during term time. Families needing care throughout the year should weigh that calendar against their working arrangements.

Borrowby suits families seeking term-time early education for children aged 24 to 60 months, with an interest in practical play and outdoor exploration. The December 2023 picture combines purposeful language and number activities with growing independence. The balance to examine is how adult support leaves room for children to experiment and discover answers themselves.