Wath Court Nursery

A fire pit, a mud kitchen and vocabulary-building activities give Wath Court Nursery’s June 2022 account a clear character: practical exploration sits alongside language and growing independence. The Hovingham setting has capacity for 58 children, from birth to five years.

At its 14 June 2022 inspection, Ofsted rated the nursery Outstanding, judged safeguarding effective and found that children with special educational needs and/or disabilities received exceptional support. That is a strong dated assessment, with concrete examples behind it.

In June 2022, learning was adapted to individual children: some practised writing their names, while others recognised sounds in spoken words. The early years foundation stage provides the framework for children’s learning, development and care; here, the dated examples connect those aims with conversation, practical activities and self-care.

Word of the Week helped extend vocabulary in June 2022. Toddlers heard staff demonstrate pronunciation, while older children explained their thinking about managing the fire pit. Language had a practical purpose.

Outdoor learning also carried substance that June. Children cut leaves for potion-making, toasted marshmallows at the fire pit and wrote shopping lists for the mud kitchen. Babies sustained their interest in music activities. These examples give families a useful picture of learning through doing, rather than a timetable of formal lessons.

In June 2022, home visits informed settling arrangements, including activities chosen around a new baby’s interests. Staff adjusted the height and accessibility of resources for children with additional needs. Those are concrete mechanisms for making participation possible.

Independence started early in the June 2022 account: older babies practised pouring drinks, toddlers took part in personal care, and older children explored what a first dental appointment might involve. Staff helped younger children practise sharing and taking turns.

In June 2022, parents contributed to planning and decision-making. A parent representative contributed to decisions, parental feedback shaped planning, and families borrowed books from the nursery lending library. School preparation included pictures of children’s future schools and contact with teachers, helping make the next stage more familiar.

Baby-room staff had undertaken sleep-related training by June 2022. Training addressed individual children’s needs, and staff shared what they learnt with colleagues; an appointed wellbeing champion also supported staff self-care.

Wath Court Nursery is at Wath Court, Hovingham, York, YO62 4NN. Opening hours are 8am to 6pm, Monday to Friday, across the year.

In June 2022, session times ran from 8am until 6pm, with closures over Christmas and on bank holidays. Funded early education was provided for children aged two, three and four at that time. Families should distinguish that historical attendance picture from the current opening window.

• An older assessment. The Outstanding judgement dates from June 2022. Use its examples of language, outdoor learning and inclusion as specific points to discuss on a visit.
• Attendance and funding fit. With an 8am to 6pm opening window and funded early education documented in June 2022, what booking patterns, funded-hours arrangements and associated charges would apply to your child now?

Wath Court suits families who value practical exploration, language development and children learning to do things for themselves. Its June 2022 assessment gives those priorities substance, from mud-kitchen writing to carefully planned settling activities. The current weekday opening window offers a useful starting point for assessing whether attendance fits family routines.