Wickersley Nursery

Story sacks, outdoor chalkboards and word mats sent home give Wickersley Nursery a recognisable thread: children meet language through play, then carry it into family life. A key story shapes learning each half term, while outdoor areas cater for different ages. This is an offer built around repeated experiences rather than a succession of unrelated activities.

At its February 2022 inspection, Ofsted rated the nursery Good and judged safeguarding effective. The current curriculum brings together conversation, physical activity and emotional development, with daily outdoor play and a key person for each child.

Wickersley Nursery serves children aged 0 to 5 at 2A Black Carr Road, Wickersley, Rotherham. Full days, morning sessions and afternoon sessions are offered throughout the year, with an early-start option. The choice matters for families balancing shorter nursery days with longer working days.

Rooms and Ages

Baby Room puts familiar routines and relationships first, working with families to reflect life at home. Toddler Room emphasises communication, social interaction and increasing independence. Pre-School develops confidence, communication and independence for the move towards school, using play as the means of learning.

Across the setting, open-ended materials let children use resources in different ways rather than follow a single prescribed result. The physical arrangement also supports choice: outdoor spaces are organised by age, and children aged 2 and above can choose between indoor and outdoor play. That gives movement a place within the day, rather than confining it to a separate activity.

Learning and Activities

The Early Years Foundation Stage (EYFS) is the common framework for children's learning, development and care: here, conversation, stories, counting, creative play and movement provide everyday ways to put it into practice. Alongside that framework, Active in Mind develops language and thinking through storytelling, sorting, counting, investigation and creative materials. These are concrete activities parents can recognise, rather than an unexplained curriculum label.

Active in Body covers physical play, balance and coordination, alongside drawing and construction to develop hand control. Its Mindful Moments activities introduce gentle yoga and mindfulness. Active in Heart addresses recognising feelings, treating others kindly and building confidence through supported interaction. Together, the three strands connect what children think, do and feel, complementing the EYFS.

Planning starts with observations of children's interests and development. Each half term brings a theme and key story, while room-level stepping stones identify what children can already manage and what comes next. For parents, the useful distinction is between a shared theme and an individual learning path: children can explore the same story while working towards different goals.

Owl Babies, Dear Zoo, Whatever Next and The Gruffalo are among the key texts. Books and rhymes are revisited over several weeks, with puppets, story sacks and actual objects helping children connect language with meaning. Repetition gives children time to recognise characters, try new vocabulary and contribute more confidently. Outdoor chalkboards share vocabulary with families, and word mats take that learning home.

In February 2022, children explored Jack and the Beanstalk by imagining what they might discover above the beanstalk, with adults demonstrating fuller sentences. Babies practised turn-taking with a ball, while other children stacked blocks and identified colours. These examples show the kind of small, purposeful interaction beneath the broader curriculum headings, while remaining observations from that date.

Outdoor and Community Life

Outdoor play happens daily, including in different weather conditions. Separate outdoor areas serve different age groups, and the indoor-outdoor choice for children from age 2 allows them to follow an interest across both spaces. Physical activity sits alongside exploration rather than being treated solely as exercise.

Relationships and Communication

Each child has a key person, giving the family a consistent relationship around care and learning. Support is offered during settling and key transitions, while Baby Room works with parents on familiar routines. For a young child, continuity between home and nursery can make changes in daily care easier to understand.

FAMLY provides daily updates, messages and reminders. This sits alongside conversations with staff about progress and support, while vocabulary chalkboards and word mats give families specific material to use at home. Communication therefore includes both accounts of the nursery day and practical ways to continue a child's learning.

At the February 2022 inspection, Ofsted found that children with SEND benefited from work with outside specialists, including speech and language therapists, but asked the nursery to improve communication so all parents understood their child's next learning steps. The communication concern arose when pandemic restrictions reduced face-to-face contact and some parents did not regularly use the online information. The current use of FAMLY makes access to updates an especially useful subject for a visit discussion.

Inclusion and Wellbeing

In February 2022, practitioners explained nappy changes to children, sought their permission and used calm reassurance when children were hurt. Songs helped children settle to sleep. Those observations give a specific picture of care at that time: routine tasks included conversation and attention to children's responses.

A Designated Safeguarding Lead and deputy role are in place. The nursery also provides safeguarding training at induction and subsequent updates.

Sessions and Attendance

The nursery offers year-round care, with its overall day running from 7.30am to 6pm. The full-day booking is 8am to 6pm; mornings run from 8am to 1pm, and afternoons from 1pm to 6pm. An early-morning option covers 7.30am to 8am. The full-day session and the overall operating window are therefore different, which matters when planning an early start.

Enquiries can be made through the contact form, by telephone on 01709 702422 or by email at info@wickersleynursery.com. Visits can be arranged through the same route. The address is 2A Black Carr Road, Wickersley, Rotherham S66 2DJ.

Funding and Paid Extras

Funded childcare includes 15 hours for eligible 2- and 3-year-olds and up to 30 funded hours per week for eligible working families with children aged 9 months to 5 years, subject to HMRC criteria. Working-family eligibility must be reconfirmed with HMRC every 3 months. Funding is stretched across the year and applied in 5-hour or 10-hour blocks; hours beyond a child's entitlement are charged separately.

Funded sessions have an optional, separately charged package covering meals, snacks, drinks and non-food consumables. The nursery's allergy policy prohibits food brought from home; families declining the package arrange an individual alternative with the manager. This makes the alternative plan an important part of understanding the funded offer, rather than assuming a packed lunch is the substitute.

No additional paid hours are required to access funded hours. Invoices separate the funded entitlement from extra hours, meal charges and other extras, helping parents distinguish childcare funding from the cost of attendance around it. Current prices come in the nursery's written quotation, and the funding and fees page explains the charging structure.

A non-refundable registration charge applies when booking paid childcare hours. For bookings consisting solely of funded hours, the payment is instead a deposit refunded within the first month of attendance. Fees are paid in advance, and remain payable during sickness and holidays, so families should include those terms when comparing booking patterns.

• Funded meals and allergy arrangements. The meal and consumables package is optional, but the allergy policy rules out food from home. Discuss the individual alternative and confirm current allergy practice before choosing how to use funded sessions.
• Early starts. The full day begins at 8am, while the early-morning option starts at 7.30am; funding cannot be used against early starts. Families needing the earlier time should include it in their written quotation.
• Keeping up with learning. The February 2022 communication improvement point concerned parents accessing information about next steps. During a visit, ask how FAMLY updates, conversations and home vocabulary materials work together for your family.

Wickersley Nursery suits families seeking either full-day care or shorter morning and afternoon sessions, with year-round attendance and stretched funding. Its clearest appeal is the connection between familiar books, individual planning and practical communication with home. Age-specific outdoor spaces and indoor-outdoor choice from age 2 add another useful dimension.

The February 2022 Good judgement provides a dated quality reference. For the current decision, the session boundaries and funded meal arrangements deserve close attention: they shape how this otherwise flexible offer fits a family's routine and budget.