Casterton Nursery

A Forest Garden, access to a college Sports Hall and a separate Food Room give Casterton Nursery a character that extends beyond its playrooms. Outdoor discovery and practical independence run through the offer: children investigate seasonal changes, choose resources for themselves and build familiarity with the routines they will encounter at school. These are concrete reasons to consider it.

Based at Casterton College Rutland in Great Casterton, the nursery accepts children aged two to 59 months. At its March 2022 inspection, Ofsted rated it Good overall and found that staff used both planned activities and unexpected opportunities to extend children’s learning. That judgement is dated; the current curriculum and attendance arrangements provide the practical detail for choosing now.

Term-time contracts, year-round attendance and flexible sessions give families different ways to use the setting. The important distinction is between the nursery’s opening window and the particular sessions booked within it.

Learning and Activities

The Early Years Foundation Stage (EYFS) supplies the shared framework for learning, development and care: children learn through play, conversation, movement and opportunities to solve problems. It is the foundation required of early years settings, rather than a special Casterton programme. Here, the practical approach gives children time to investigate objects, test ideas and make choices, alongside experiences organised by adults.

Natural materials and everyday objects are part of the room resources. Children can compare textures and weights rather than use only toys with a predetermined purpose. That gives an ordinary object several possible uses and lets an activity develop from the child’s question. The emphasis is on exploration with enough adult involvement to move learning forward.

In March 2022, a visit involving newborn lambs prompted different conversations for different ages: younger children explored sounds and touch, while older children compared animals. Another discussion developed from switching off torches into investigating batteries, recording words and counting objects. These examples show how an everyday question could connect language, early writing and mathematics, rather than becoming an isolated exercise.

Outdoor and Community Life

The onsite Forest Garden is used for Explorer sessions, sensory experiences involving seasonal change, wildlife and questions about sustainability. Their value is in giving children something real to examine and discuss. Regular outdoor opportunities are part of the offer, although the sessions should not be read as a promise of a particular weekly timetable.

College facilities broaden the possibilities further. Autumn walks use the college field, while the Sports Hall gives children another setting for energetic activity.

In March 2022, children worked together on a leaking water-play pool, moving sand and negotiating over tools as they tried to solve the problem. It is a useful illustration of the learning involved in outdoor play: persistence, conversation and cooperation were all part of the same activity.

Relationships and Communication

Children have a say in who becomes their key person. After the initial weeks, staff identify the adult towards whom a child naturally gravitates and explain that person’s role to the family. This makes the relationship responsive to the child’s developing attachments. Three taster sessions are offered before starting, with additional planning involving other professionals where necessary.

Famly is the online learning journal for observations, photographs and activity updates, including ideas for continuing learning at home. Parents can contribute their own experiences too. Two parent evenings each year provide a separate opportunity for a fuller discussion, while termly Stay and Play Sessions let parents join their child’s activities; these are often connected with occasions such as Mother’s Day or Christmas.

Four room leaders and a dedicated SENCO support the management structure. Team members hold, or are working towards, qualifications from Level 3 to Level 6 and beyond, and continuing training forms part of staff development. The practical benefit of that structure is that families have room-level contacts as well as a role responsible for coordinating additional support.

Inclusion and Wellbeing

SEND support uses an assess, plan, do and review cycle, with the key person, SENCO and parents involved in deciding what is needed. Progress and support plans are reviewed every six weeks. Adapted activities, specialist equipment where appropriate and liaison with outside professionals are mechanisms for meeting individual needs, rather than a blanket promise about outcomes.

A Visual Routine Chart helps children understand the sequence of the day, and each room has a quiet retreat. The nursery and preschool accommodation is on one floor, with wheelchair access and accessible toilets. These details matter for children who need predictability, a pause from activity or physical adjustments to take part.

At the March 2022 inspection, Ofsted found safeguarding effective, but identified a need for leaders to improve information-sharing with other professionals after a failure to notify it about advice sought on a potentially significant event; it found that this omission had not affected staff suitability or put children’s safety and welfare at risk. The improvement point deserves attention alongside the grade. Current arrangements include designated safeguarding cover during opening hours, while the nursery says adults help children recognise feelings and recover from distress.

Food is prepared onsite, with regularly rotated term-time menus planned by the College chef; lunch and tea are charged separately, parents supply holiday packed lunches, and the nursery’s policy prohibits nuts and nut-containing foods. Preschool children use The Food Room to practise eating in a separate space, making preparation for school part of an everyday routine.

Moving on also involves sharing information with the next setting or school and, where needed, arranging a discussion about the child’s needs. Local schools may visit children in the nursery before Reception. These are transition arrangements, not an admissions advantage: nursery attendance does not guarantee a Reception place.

Sessions and Attendance

The address is Casterton College Rutland, Ryhall Road, Great Casterton, PE9 4AT. Opening hours are 7.30am to 6pm, Monday to Friday, across 51 weeks, with closures on bank holidays and between Christmas and New Year. Enquiries can be made through the contact form, by telephone on 01780 754780 or by email at childcare@castertoncollege.com.

The bookable sequence includes Early Morning Session from 8am to 9am, Morning Session from 9am to noon, Afternoon Session from noon to 3pm and Late Afternoon Session from 3pm to 5pm. Funded hours are taken within these sessions. Early Drop Off runs from 7.30am to 8am, and Late Collection from 5pm to 6pm includes tea; these sit outside the funded session window.

Term-time-only and all-year contracts are offered, alongside flexible hours. Term-time contracts carry holiday retaining charges, including for additional paid sessions beyond funded hours; attendance during holidays is subject to availability and charged in full for the hours used. The minimum attendance requested is two mornings a week, totalling six hours. Shift patterns can be accommodated subject to availability and agreement at booking, with set days, patterns supplied at least a month ahead and a retainer for unused rota days. Flexibility here still involves a defined contract.

Funding and Paid Extras

Disadvantaged Two-Year-Old Funding, Universal Funding for three- and four-year-olds and the Working Families Entitlement are accepted. Delivery can be over 38 term-time weeks or stretched across 51 weeks; the stretched offer changes the weekly hours rather than adding to the entitlement. Additional attendance beyond funded hours is charged separately.

Lunch and tea carry separate charges, with a packed-lunch option for lunch; snacks are covered by the resource fee. Ordinary educational materials are covered by private fees unless otherwise notified. For fully funded sessions, a voluntary consumables contribution covers items including wipes, tissues, bedding and extended art materials, together with associated activities and services. Families who decline that contribution also opt out of the associated provision, and insufficient contributions can affect whether some activities continue. The contribution therefore needs to be considered alongside the attendance pattern, rather than treated as part of the funded hours themselves.

A non-refundable administration charge applies when accepting a place. Current prices come in the nursery’s written quotation, and the fees and funding page explains the charge categories. Withdrawal normally requires four weeks’ notice; changing hours or days requires a month’s notice, and missed booked sessions are not exchanged for another day.

• Funded extras. Declining the voluntary consumables contribution also removes the associated activities and resources. Ask for a written example showing how this would work for your child’s chosen sessions, including snacks and Explorer provision.
• A defined attendance commitment. Two mornings a week is the requested minimum, and changes to hours or days need a month’s notice. During a visit, work through the proposed pattern and how it would accommodate changing work shifts.
• Information-sharing. The March 2022 improvement point concerned leaders’ communication with other professionals. Ask how significant information is now passed between the nursery, families and relevant agencies.
• Holiday food and allergies. Holiday attendance involves parent-provided packed lunches, and the nursery publishes a nut-free policy. Families managing allergies should discuss current preparation, seating and packed-lunch practice before agreeing arrangements.

Casterton suits families seeking either term-time mornings and afternoons or year-round attendance assembled from its session pattern. Its strongest practical attractions are the Forest Garden, access to college activity spaces, child-led resource choices and everyday preparation for greater independence.

The support arrangements are also specific: a child-chosen key person, parent contributions through Famly and a SENCO-led review process give families identifiable ways to participate. Balance those features against the contractual minimum, notice requirements and the effect of opting out of funded extras. The March 2022 Good judgement provides useful context, but the decision should turn on how the current room, support plan and booked sessions fit the individual child.