Village Nursery

Growing, harvesting and tasting produce gives Village Nursery's Vegetable Garden a practical purpose: children can follow food from the garden to their plate. Dedicated outdoor space adds room for movement and play, while an onsite chef prepares fresh meals. These are useful, concrete reasons to consider this Lees setting.

Ofsted rated the nursery Good on 19 January 2023, with improvements required in newer staff's curriculum delivery, oversight of teaching and the development of children's language. The judgement provides a positive starting point, but the detail matters more than the label.

Village Nursery has capacity for 45 children, with an accepted age range of 2 to 60 months. That is a whole-nursery figure, rather than a measure of the number of children sharing any particular room. Opening hours run from 7.30am to 6pm on weekdays.

Learning and Activities

The EYFS provides the framework for children's learning, development and care, bringing play, communication, physical activity and growing independence into the nursery day. Here, the Vegetable Garden gives that learning a tangible setting: children grow produce, harvest it and try what they have grown. It connects an outdoor activity with something familiar at mealtimes.

In January 2023, water play involved pouring through funnels and searching for toy fish beneath bubbles. Children concentrated on the task and shared equipment. These were simple activities with several purposes: manipulating a jug, sustaining attention and making space for someone else's turn.

Babies explored a stacking rainbow toy in January 2023, reaching for and handling its pieces in a calm baby room. Toddlers investigated insects and herbs outside, alongside imaginative play with toy dinosaurs. The activities gave the youngest children objects to handle and older children things to notice and talk about.

Adult involvement was less consistent. In January 2023, experienced practitioners extended toddlers' conversations during painting, but some less-experienced colleagues asked questions without allowing enough time for replies or developing the discussion. For parents, the useful distinction is between providing an interesting activity and helping a child get more learning from it.

Outdoor and Community Life

Dedicated outside space supports free-flow play and physical activity. The Green Flag Award recognises the nursery's work on sustainability and its outdoor environment; the garden provides a concrete example of children taking part in that work.

In January 2023, local outings included buying snack ingredients from a fruit and vegetable stall and visiting a café in connection with a story. These experiences took learning beyond nursery resources and into ordinary neighbourhood life. Neither example should be read as a fixed outing timetable.

At the January 2023 inspection, Ofsted found safeguarding effective and described leaders seeking specialist advice and extra help for children with SEND to support their progress. These are dated findings about practice, rather than a guarantee about any individual child's support arrangements.

Relationships and settling received positive attention in January 2023. Staff showed warmth towards children and recognised their achievements, while families appreciated an individual approach when children first joined. Parents also received information about care and learning, including ways to continue learning at home. That combination matters: settling involves the family as well as the child.

Everyday independence was visible in January 2023, when children served themselves food and drinks, cleared their plates and managed small hygiene routines. A child choosing a tissue, disposing of it and washing their hands was practising responsibility through an ordinary part of the day.

Fresh meals are prepared by the onsite chef, with provision for dietary needs. For children, food is therefore part of the nursery's daily care rather than something separated from the rest of their experience.

Sessions and Attendance

The address is 9 Albert Street, Lees, Oldham, OL4 5DG. Village Nursery opens Monday to Friday, from 7.30am to 6pm, and is closed at weekends. It operates across the year, with closures for bank holidays and a week at Christmas. Families weighing their working arrangements against nursery care should distinguish these opening hours from the attendance pattern they book.

Enquiries can be made through the nursery's contact form or by telephone. The sheltered buggy park gives families somewhere to leave a pram during the nursery day, and onsite parking provides a practical option for those travelling by car.

Funding and Paid Extras

In January 2023, the nursery offered funded early education for children aged two, three and four. That describes its offer at that time. Current prices come in the nursery's written quotation, allowing families to assess the cost of their own attendance arrangements.

School preparation centres on independence, confidence and children's interest in learning. This describes preparation for the next stage, rather than an admissions benefit at a particular school.

• Conversation during play. January 2023 improvement priorities included newer staff's teaching, monitoring of practice and communication and language. On a visit, look for adults extending children's ideas and giving them time to answer, especially during apparently simple activities.
• Your attendance and funding plan. The weekday opening window is 7.30am to 6pm. How would any funded hours fit into your proposed booking, and what would the meal and consumable arrangements be?
• Outdoor learning for your child's age. The Vegetable Garden and free-flow outdoor space are useful attractions. During a visit, explore how your child's age group uses them and how garden activities connect with the rest of the day.

Village Nursery suits families looking for care across the year, a practical outdoor element and meals prepared onsite. Its garden gives children something purposeful to do outside, while the January 2023 account shows everyday opportunities to practise independence and explore the local area.

The teaching caveat deserves equal weight. Interesting resources worked best when adults developed the conversation around them; that is the aspect to assess alongside the physical facilities. The nursery's appeal rests on those everyday experiences, with the quality of adult interaction central to the decision.