The Ark Association

A school swimming pool on Mondays and forest school on Wednesdays give The Ark Association's Burley Road nursery a recognisable weekly rhythm. Based within Oakham C of E Primary School, it combines outdoor activity with practical preparation for school: changing clothes, managing belongings and learning to work alongside other children. The school setting has everyday uses.

At its 22 January 2025 inspection, Ofsted judged the nursery Good and found safeguarding effective, with children, including those with special educational needs and/or disabilities (SEND), progressing well from their starting points. There was a clear improvement point, too: staff needed a fuller picture of children's existing abilities when planning their first learning steps.

The accepted age range is 3 months to 5 years, while the Burley Road rooms are organised around children from 18 months onwards. Morning, afternoon and full nursery-day bookings are offered, with holiday attendance taking place at the association's Princess Avenue nursery. That distinction matters for families choosing between a term-time routine and care across the year.

Rooms and Ages

Burley Road has two main rooms: one for children aged 18 months to 3 years, and another from 3 years until they start school. The Investigators room includes baking among its activities, giving children a practical task to share with an adult.

Outside, a messy play kitchen and potion station provide places for experimenting, while larger physical equipment supports active play. The play space includes both grass and playground surfaces. Children can move between imaginative activity and more energetic exploration, rather than relying on one kind of outdoor experience.

Learning and Activities

The early years foundation stage sets the requirements for children's learning, development and care; here, the day combines play, conversation, stories and physical activity. Children practise communicating, moving, making choices and developing independence through what they do.

In January 2025, garden number searches were used to address an identified need in early mathematics. Children located hidden numbers and matched them with those they held. This is a useful example of learning shaped around a specific next step: the garden became part of the mathematical activity, rather than a break from it.

Stories, singing and mark-making also featured in January 2025. Staff modelled clear pronunciation, talked through children's play and used questions to encourage thinking. Painting and sand activities exercised the hand movements needed for early writing. These were connected experiences, with language and physical skills developing alongside play.

Outdoor and Community Life

Preschool children use the host school's swimming pool each Monday morning. Wednesday mornings bring a weekly forest school session, an outdoor learning approach involving exploration of the natural environment, with transport in the nursery's own minibus. These additions give preschool children experiences beyond the nursery rooms and its immediate play space.

In January 2025, children practised changing for water play in the shallow pool and getting themselves dressed for outdoor excursions, receiving adult help when necessary. That makes the activity useful beyond the swim or outing itself: children rehearse managing their clothes and preparing for what comes next.

Community visits at that time included woodland, museums, castles and the fire brigade. Woodland collections became opportunities to compare the sizes of natural objects.

Relationships and Communication

Settling begins with a free introductory hour, during which a parent or carer can remain with their child or leave. Attendance then builds towards a morning or afternoon session and fuller hours; children who need more time can increase their stay gradually. This gives the start a practical structure while allowing the pace to follow the child.

Across the Ark nurseries, a key worker observes children's development, and Famly provides photographs, observations and updates, alongside messaging and invoice access. For a parent who cannot manage every collection, this creates another way to keep up with nursery life and communicate with practitioners.

In January 2025, parents also received developmental updates through termly assessments and opportunities to play alongside their children at nursery. Initial discussions covered care requirements and interests, but did not establish children's existing skills thoroughly enough. The distinction is important: knowing what comforts a child helps settling, while knowing what they can already do helps staff choose the right learning challenge.

Inclusion and Wellbeing

A shared special educational needs co-ordinator works across both Ark sites, supporting early identification and additional support, education and behaviour plans where needed. Links include Rutland County council's SEND/Inclusion team, speech and language therapists, occupational therapists and educational psychologists. These are specific routes for organising support with families and other professionals.

In January 2025, adults offered physical comfort when children needed reassurance and encouraged cooperation during games. Children helped keep resources tidy and practised hygiene routines before eating. These small habits connect emotional reassurance with learning to manage shared spaces and everyday responsibilities.

Term-time hot lunches are prepared by the Oakham C of E Primary School kitchen and charged separately, with a main course and pudding; families can instead send a packed lunch with an ice pack. Breakfast for children arriving before 8.30am, morning and afternoon snacks, and snack tea for children staying after 4pm are optional paid extras, with home-supplied snack alternatives restricted to chopped fruit in a named container.

Sessions and Attendance

The nursery is at Oakham C of E Primary School, Burley Road, Oakham, LE15 6GY. Enquiries go to the Burley Road team on 01572 770121, and a show around can be arranged by telephone.

Morning sessions run from 9am until noon or 1pm. Afternoon bookings begin at noon or 1pm and finish at 3.30pm, while the full nursery day runs from 9am to 3.30pm. A breakfast session from 7.30am to 9am can extend the morning.

Burley Road operates during term time, with the option of attending Princess Avenue in school holidays. Children and staff from the sites come together there, retaining familiar practitioners while changing location.

Funding and Paid Extras

Funded places are offered from 9 months to 4 years, with 15 or 30 hours dependent on eligibility. At Burley Road, funding can be used Monday to Friday between 9am and 3.30pm; hours outside that window are paid for separately.

Food charges sit separately from childcare hours, including funded hours. Parents supply nappies, wipes, required creams and formula milk; an optional monthly consumables charge is also offered. Current prices should be obtained in a written quotation, and the registration charge applies only to children without funding.

Being based at Oakham C of E Primary School also supports preparation for the next stage: in January 2025, practitioners worked with the host school's teachers on transition. Nursery attendance does not guarantee a Reception place. Families still apply through the local authority admissions process.

• Care below 18 months. The accepted ages begin at 3 months, but the Burley Road room arrangements start at 18 months. For a younger child, ask which site and room would provide their care.
• Extended opening hours. Closing times conflict for Tuesday to Thursday: 6pm or 5.30pm. Monday closes at 6pm and Friday at 5.30pm. Confirm the closing time for each intended day before arranging work around it.
• Holiday location. Year-round attendance involves moving to Princess Avenue during school holidays, with practitioners from both sites. Include that nursery in a visit if holiday care will be part of the booking.
• Early learning plans. In January 2025, initial planning needed better information about children's existing abilities. Ask how the settling discussions now capture what your child already knows and can do, as well as their interests and care needs.

The Ark's strongest combination is practical independence, substantial outdoor play and preschool experiences using the host school's pool and weekly forest school. The January 2025 judgement supports that picture, while the improvement point gives parents a precise issue to explore during joining discussions.

It suits families seeking morning or afternoon sessions as well as a full nursery day, especially those who value activities beyond the room. Families needing holiday care should be comfortable with the move to Princess Avenue. For babies and parents relying on later collection, the room arrangement and day-specific closing times are the decisive details to settle.