Children 1st Plumtree Nursery School

A Crooked House and a Jungle exploration area give Children 1st Plumtree Nursery School an immediately recognisable character. These indoor features sit alongside a large outdoor space and a dedicated baby unit, giving families concrete reasons to consider the setting beyond its attendance options. The appeal is playful space, with practical flexibility behind it.

At its April 2023 inspection, Ofsted rated the nursery Good overall, with improvements required in toddler teaching and the organisation of transitions during the day. That judgement provides a useful starting point, but the detail matters: children were taking responsibility for everyday tasks, enjoying stories and building relationships with their key person.

The nursery has capacity for 143 children, accepting ages from two months to five years. Its Station Road address places it in Plumtree, Nottingham. Attendance options include mornings, afternoons and several day lengths, rather than a single all-day booking pattern.

Rooms and Ages

The dedicated baby unit gives the youngest children their own space. Elsewhere, the Crooked House and Jungle exploration area add recognisable indoor settings for play, while the outdoor grounds provide room for movement and exploration. For parents comparing environments, these are tangible features to weigh alongside how their child responds to the daily routine.

In April 2023, babies could choose books for themselves and practise moving around furniture and climbing steps. Songs and rhymes accompanied that physical exploration. Older children helped prepare the lunch table and took on small responsibilities within their room, making independence part of ordinary nursery life rather than a separate lesson.

Learning and Activities

The early years foundation stage is the statutory framework for children's learning and care: in everyday terms, play, conversation, movement and practical tasks help children develop their skills. In April 2023, activities were shaped around children's interests and learning needs, with language and emotional development receiving sustained attention. For babies, staff used eye contact and clear mouth movements while talking to them.

Cookery sessions add a practical experience to the current offer. Children handle ingredients and explore their origins, including opportunities to learn about growing food. This group-wide activity is described on Plumtree's own page; its value is the connection between making something and understanding what goes into it.

The setting also includes Forest School, an approach to learning outdoors through exploration, among its additional activities. Yoga and community trips are part of the offer too. These additions sit alongside the statutory framework; they do not replace it.

Outdoor and Community Life

Plumtree's large outdoor area gives active play a substantial place in the environment. Community trips extend experiences beyond the nursery, while cookery connects practical activities with the origins of ingredients. Together, these give families reasons to consider both indoor play and experiences outside the room.

In April 2023, families also contributed information about their cultures, and children joined cultural celebrations. Sharing flour while making play dough and listening during group activities were examples of children learning to cooperate. The useful point is how social learning appeared in familiar tasks, rather than only in adult-led discussion.

Relationships and Communication

In April 2023, children had affectionate relationships with their key person, and staff supported them both when starting nursery and when moving between rooms. Handover conversations gave parents detail about the day. Those exchanges linked care at nursery with care at home, rather than leaving families to piece together what had happened.

A lending library was also operating in April 2023, allowing stories to continue at home. This complemented children's access to books during the day. Staff gave children time to practise self-care: babies used spoons, while older children served food and cleared their plates. Small tasks carried real responsibility.

Inclusion and Wellbeing

At the April 2023 inspection, Ofsted judged safeguarding effective and found that children with special educational needs and/or disabilities received very good support through individual plans and joint working with families and professionals. The practical mechanism matters: concerns led to tailored targets, rather than a general promise of inclusion.

In April 2023, staff also helped children manage the emotional demands of starting nursery and changing rooms. Patient adult responses and opportunities to complete tasks independently were part of that experience. These are dated observations, useful for understanding the inspection judgement and the questions families bring to a visit.

Food is prepared on site by a chef, using local ingredients where possible. The group-wide menu arrangements described for Plumtree accommodate dietary requirements, so meals form part of the care discussion as well as the bill.

Sessions and Attendance

The address is Station Road, Plumtree, Nottingham, NG12 5NA. Five named attendance patterns cover different lengths of day: Business Days run from 8am to 6pm, Nursery days from 8am to 5pm, and School days from 9am to 3pm. Mornings run from 8am to 1pm; Afternoons run from 1pm to 6pm.

These choices make a material difference to planning. A family needing an afternoon has a defined session, while one organising a longer working day can compare two different finishing times. School days are an attendance label here, rather than a promise of term-time provision.

The nursery operates across the year, with Christmas week and two staff training days among its closures. Its funding arrangement spans 51 weeks. Enquiries can be made by telephone or through the branch's enquiry form, and tours are offered.

Funding and Paid Extras

Eligible children can access the 15 Hours or 30 Hours funding offer from nine months onwards, with entitlement beginning in the relevant term after the qualifying birthday. Funding is stretched across 51 weeks, providing up to 11.18 or 22.35 hours each week respectively. Up to 10 funded hours can be used in a day, within the nursery's regular sessions.

Private fees include meals, snacks, milk and infant formula, alongside nappies, wipes, nappy cream and sun cream. Funded sessions carry separate food, consumables and activity charges, while additional unfunded hours are paid for separately; activity charges apply to children over two, with no activity charge for under-twos.

A non-refundable registration charge and a deposit credited against the first invoice form part of joining. Current prices come in the nursery's written quotation. The Plumtree fees and funding page sets out the distinction between included private care and additional charges on funded sessions.

• Toddler teaching. In April 2023, professional development in the toddler room was still being established, and teaching varied in consistency. During a visit, ask how training now supports practice in that room.
• Transitions during the day. In April 2023, some children waited while others finished meals or returned indoors. Ask how these moments are organised now so your child stays involved.
• Funded care costs. Food, consumables and activities are charged separately on funded sessions. Request a written quotation for your chosen pattern, including the options outside the integrated package.
• Dietary needs. Menus accommodate dietary requirements. Families managing allergies should confirm the current arrangements for their child's meals with the nursery.

Children 1st Plumtree Nursery School suits families seeking a choice between morning or afternoon sessions and different day lengths, with sizeable outdoor space and memorable indoor play features. The Crooked House, Jungle exploration area and practical cookery give the offer a clear character.

The April 2023 findings make toddler teaching and daily transitions sensible priorities for a visit. Funding adds another decision: stretched hours can support attendance across the year, but the separate charges need to be understood alongside the chosen session pattern.