Bestwood Park Nursery and Out of School Club

Real objects, loose parts and a lending library give Bestwood Park a recognisable character. The Curiosity Approach, its child-led approach to learning through exploration and open-ended materials, shapes the rooms and resources. Neutral decoration replaces bright displays, and children handle authentic objects rather than plastic playthings. This is a clear choice of nursery style, with practical consequences for how children spend their day.

At its 19 April 2023 inspection, Ofsted rated the nursery Good overall, with improvements needed in planning babies’ next steps and developing mathematical learning. Those details matter alongside the grade. The nursery cares for babies from three months, with Preschool for children aged 3 to 5, and operates at Bestwood Park Community Centre in Nottingham.

Full-day and half-day care sit alongside morning and afternoon sessions. The home-visit settling arrangement, indoor soft play and two-way Famly communication app add useful substance to the offer.

Rooms and Ages

The Nest accommodates babies and toddlers in a calm room with different learning areas and free movement between inside and outside; Preschool, for ages 3 to 5, also gives children indoor and outdoor access, with activities shaped by their interests and everyday experiences. Both rooms put children’s choices into practice rather than treating outdoor play as a single scheduled break.

A sensory room provides somewhere quieter to pause, while a dedicated sleep room accommodates children needing a nap. These spaces serve different purposes: rest does not have to compete with active play. The soft play frame gives children another place to practise large movements, including when wet weather makes outdoor activity less appealing.

Learning and Activities

The Early Years Foundation Stage (EYFS) provides the framework for learning and care, with play, individual planning and everyday experiences helping children develop their skills. The Curiosity Approach sits alongside that framework. Its concrete additions here include recycled materials, wooden resources within children’s reach and loose parts that can be used in different ways. Children decide what to make of the materials rather than following a toy’s fixed purpose.

Books are distributed through the nursery, and stories can become part of play rather than requiring the whole group to stop together. Snacks are offered on a rolling basis, allowing children to pause for fruit or vegetables and a drink. That organisation suits children who become absorbed in what they are doing: the day makes room for sustained play.

In April 2023, children worked together on making a house, choosing its paint colour and mixing paint themselves. Baking also provided opportunities to remember ingredients used before. These examples show practical tasks bringing conversation, decisions and shared work together.

The same April 2023 findings identified two weaknesses. Staff working with babies did not consistently identify the precise skills each child should develop next, and mathematical activities did too little to connect counting with an understanding of number. A child-led day still needs purposeful teaching. Families should weigh the appealing resources alongside those specific curriculum questions.

Outdoor and Community Life

During April 2023, the mud kitchen prompted children to combine soil with water, explain their mixtures and involve friends. Outdoor activity also included learning to check that a small ladder was stable before climbing. The emphasis was on learning how to judge a manageable risk, with adult support, rather than simply being told to avoid it.

Occasional walks take children into the surrounding community or to the local nature reserve. The lending library outside the nursery extends access to books beyond the childcare day, with families encouraged to borrow them for home. Neither activity needs elaborate equipment to connect nursery experiences with family life.

Relationships and Communication

Settling begins with a home visit. Staff meet the child in familiar surroundings, complete an All about me form and give parents time with the child’s key person. That creates a practical starting point for sharing routines and preferences before nursery becomes part of the week.

Each child has a designated key worker, while other practitioners also build relationships with them. Famly, the nursery’s communication app, carries photographs, notes and updates in an individual learning journal. Parents can contribute their own observations and pictures, which staff use when planning activities. Communication runs in both directions, rather than ending with a daily update from nursery.

Parents are regularly invited to join play sessions and special days, and can accompany trips. These invitations offer another way to understand the child’s nursery life. In April 2023, staff also had regular supervision meetings, giving them time to discuss their work and develop their practice.

Inclusion and Wellbeing

At the April 2023 inspection, Ofsted found safeguarding effective and children with SEND well supported through collaboration with parents and other professionals, including carefully targeted additional funding. The practical examples included using soft play and yoga for physical development. These are dated findings, rather than a guarantee about every child’s experience today.

In April 2023, tired children received reassurance and were helped to settle for sleep, then allowed to wake naturally. Everyday independence was also encouraged: babies practised feeding themselves, toddlers poured drinks and washed their hands, and older children prepared fruit. Small tasks gave children opportunities to do more for themselves.

Meals and snacks are cooked by the nursery, with puréed versions offered during weaning; special diets are catered for, and the nursery’s allergy-management policy excludes packed lunches. Before weaning, parents supply baby milk and its accompanying extras.

Sessions and Attendance

The address is 227 Beckhampton Road, Nottingham, NG5 5NE. Opening hours are 7.30am to 5.30pm, Monday to Friday, over 48 weeks of the year, with a two-week Christmas closure. Early starts and late finishes can be requested for an additional charge. The normal closing time therefore matters when matching childcare to a working day.

The attendance choices include full-day and half-day care. Morning sessions begin at 8.30am and finish at 11.30am, when lunch club starts; afternoon sessions finish at 3.30pm. Breakfast club begins at 7.30am. This gives families several attendance patterns, while keeping the nursery’s opening window separate from individual session times.

For older children, the out-of-school provision includes breakfast, afterschool and holiday clubs. Afterschool Club includes collection from school and ends at 5.30pm, with care until 6pm offered for an additional fee. Its activities include outdoor play, craft and games, followed by dinner and quieter activities. That broader provision may be useful for families arranging childcare for siblings of different ages.

Enquiries can be made through the contact form, by email or on 0115 9666050.

Funding and Paid Extras

Funded childcare includes 15 and 30-hour schemes, with funding accepted from nine months under the working-family scheme. Funded hours are stretched across the nursery’s operating weeks. Eligibility remains conditional, so participation in a scheme does not itself establish a family’s entitlement.

Private childcare is also offered. Prices depend on the sessions required, and families receive an estimated quotation when they enquire. Early and late extensions carry an additional charge. Parents supply baby milk and accompanying extras before weaning; these should be considered alongside the session quotation when planning costs.

• Purposeful learning. In April 2023, babies’ individual next steps and mathematical learning needed strengthening. At a visit, ask how planning now connects children’s interests with the specific skills they need to develop.
• A shorter core day. Normal opening ends at 5.30pm, and early or late extensions are arranged on request for an extra charge. Families working beyond that window should establish the extension arrangement before choosing their attendance pattern.
• The session quotation. Funding is stretched across 48 operating weeks, while private prices depend on the sessions chosen. Ask for the quotation to separate funded hours, additional attendance, meals and non-food supplies so the whole arrangement is clear.
• Diet and weaning. Packed lunches are excluded under the allergy-management policy, while parents supply milk before weaning. Families managing an allergy should confirm current food preparation and handling arrangements before starting.

Bestwood Park suits families choosing between full-day care and shorter morning or afternoon attendance who want child-led play with authentic materials. The Nest, sensory room and soft play frame give that approach a physical shape; home visits and Famly make the relationship with parents equally concrete.

The April 2023 Good judgement provides a useful benchmark, but the baby-planning and mathematics weaknesses deserve attention. The strongest fit is with families who value sustained exploration and practical independence, and whose working arrangements align with the core hours or requested extensions.