Small People

A full acre, a pig and chickens, and gardens for babies as well as older children: outdoor life gives Small People its character. At Robin House in Cropwell Bishop, this is an outdoor nursery where natural wooden toys, animal care and seasonal exploration shape the offer. It accepts children from two months to five years. For families drawn to learning outside, the setting makes that preference central to the nursery day.

At its February 2025 inspection, Ofsted rated Small People Good and judged safeguarding effective, while identifying inconsistent information sharing that affected the continuity of some children's learning support. That balance matters: the outdoor approach has a positive inspection judgement behind it, alongside a specific improvement priority.

Full-day, morning and afternoon bookings serve different family routines. The minimum attendance commitment, including a Monday or Friday, deserves attention before choosing a pattern.

Learning and Activities

Forest School principles, an approach centred on learning through outdoor experiences, guide the nursery's use of its acre. The main garden, baby garden and field give this approach physical substance. Children care for the pig and chickens in the animal areas, bringing living creatures into their experience of the natural world rather than restricting nature learning to toys or pictures.

The Early Years Foundation Stage provides the framework for children's learning, development and care: play and everyday experiences support learning as well as practical independence. Outdoor provision sits alongside that framework. Natural wooden toys and exploration of seasonal changes give the day its particular materials and setting.

In February 2025, older children revisited a familiar story beneath a canopy. Adults used questions about the next part of the story and explanations of unfamiliar words to extend the conversation. Reading therefore had a clear place within outdoor provision; the canopy was a space for sustained discussion as well as shelter.

Different ages tackled different practical tasks during that visit. Babies copied adults while popping bubbles with their feet, toddlers handled pom-poms with tongs, and older children cut pineapple using a safety knife. These examples show how movement and handling objects were woven into play, with the fruit-cutting activity connecting play to skills used at mealtimes.

Outdoor and Community Life

Regular culture days in February 2025 introduced children to foods and countries associated with different heritages. Staff also talked frequently with children expecting a new sibling. Familiar experiences from home became subjects for conversation, giving children opportunities to talk about changes in their own families.

The outdoor identity reaches beyond a single activity. Gardens, animals and natural play materials are part of the current offer, while the February 2025 account gives concrete examples of reading and practical tasks outside. This is a meaningful choice for parents who want outdoor learning to shape the day, rather than appear only as an occasional session.

In February 2025, staff used covered pods and yurts during wet weather and checked children regularly. Before sleep, they removed outer clothing to avoid overheating; handwashing stations were replenished with warm, soapy water. For a setting built around outdoor care, these details make the practical handling of rest, weather and hygiene especially relevant.

Settling arrangements at that time drew on conversations with parents when children started. Families received updates about routines and activities, alongside information about the next steps in learning and ideas to try at home. That connects the nursery day with family life, rather than making communication solely a record of meals and sleep.

During the same period, adults helped children handle small disagreements by offering words for sharing and adjusting how play materials were arranged. At a play-dough table, moving resources made them easier for everyone to reach. The example is practical: staff changed the situation as well as talking children through it.

Information sharing was the qualification to this otherwise positive picture. In February 2025, changes in the staff team had led to uneven timing and methods for passing on learning information, so some children received less consistent support. The improvement priority concerned communication among everyone involved in children's learning, not simply updates to parents.

Meals are freshly made on site each day with seasonal ingredients. Food is included in non-funded fees, while funded hours have a separate, optional food charge through the Essentials Package.

Sessions and Attendance

The address is Robin House, Colston Road, Cropwell Bishop, Nottingham, NG12 3BN. Opening hours are 7.30am to 5.45pm, Monday to Friday. Onsite parking supports collection and drop-off by car.

A full day runs from 7.30am to 5.45pm; mornings finish at 1pm after a 7.30am start, and afternoons run from 1pm to 5.45pm. The minimum weekly booking is either two full days or four morning/afternoon sessions, and the arrangement must include Monday or Friday. Shorter sessions therefore still require a recurring weekly commitment.

The nursery operates for 51 weeks, closing for public holidays and a Christmas week. Fees are collected monthly in advance, with Direct Debit, childcare vouchers and Tax Free Childcare accepted. Permanent session changes and cancellations require one calendar month's notice; sickness and holidays do not attract exchanges, credits or refunds. These terms matter when comparing the attendance pattern with working weeks and family holidays.

Funding and Paid Extras

Funded childcare is offered for children aged nine months to four years, covering the 15-hour and 30-hour entitlements based on 38 weeks, alongside 2 Help funding. The standard arrangement stretches funded hours across operating weeks. Funded hours can be used alone or combined with paid attendance, with day, morning and afternoon arrangements subject to availability.

Non-funded fees are all-inclusive, covering food and consumables. During funded hours, meals, consumables and enrichment are charged separately through the optional Essentials Package, which adds these services to the funded childcare itself. Consumables include wipes, nappies, nappy bags, cream and suncream. Parents can opt out by contacting the manager before term starts; depending on the nursery's policy, they may then need to supply suitable alternatives or collect and dispose of consumables.

The package's Enrichment Programme may include gardening, baking, celebration days, graduation events, visits from local specialists and sessions inspired by Forest School. These are possible elements of the package, rather than a guaranteed activity timetable. Registration and deposit charges are waived for fully funded places; otherwise, the deposit is credited against the final invoice. Current prices come in the nursery's written quotation.

• Outdoor care throughout the day. Gardens and animal areas are central to the offer. On a tour, ask how your child's sleep, clothing and comfort would be managed across changing weather.
• Communication between adults. The February 2025 improvement priority concerned sharing learning information consistently. Ask how staff now pass on individual learning plans and changes in children's needs.
• A recurring booking commitment. Two full days or four morning/afternoon sessions must include Monday or Friday. Match that requirement to your weekly routine before committing.
• Funded extras and opting out. The Essentials Package separates food, consumables and enrichment from funded hours. Discuss the alternatives and practical responsibilities before choosing whether to take it up.

Small People suits families who actively want an outdoor nursery, with animal care and seasonal exploration giving that choice concrete meaning. Full-day bookings and morning or afternoon sessions accommodate different routines, although both sit within a minimum weekly commitment.

The February 2025 Good judgement supports the appeal of the setting, while the information-sharing priority remains a useful question for families. The decision turns on the outdoor model, the attendance commitment and the structure of funded extras. For parents who value those arrangements, Small People offers a clearly defined nursery experience.