Dickory Dock Nursery

Child-led stories, listening walks and practical jobs give Dickory Dock Nursery a recognisable character: children help shape the day rather than simply follow it. Based in the former community rooms of St. Thomas More Church in Sheffield, this charitable, non-profit nursery combines a play-based day with structured small-group learning. Its three rooms take children from birth to five, with activities changing as they grow.

At its October 2022 inspection, Ofsted rated Dickory Dock Outstanding and found that children made sustained progress and were well prepared for their next stage of learning. That judgement provides a strong foundation for considering the nursery, while the detail beneath it matters more than the label: language, independence and relationships run through the account of children's experiences.

Families can choose full or half days, alongside year-round and term-time contracts. Parent involvement is substantial, too. Home observations contribute to children's learning records, and the Parentzone app connects nursery life with what happens at home. This suits parents who want an active part in understanding their child's development.

Rooms and Ages

Discoverer’s caters for birth to two, using tactile play, sensory materials, mirrors, books and family photographs to give babies familiar connections alongside things to explore. These are concrete resources for a very young child's day: textures invite investigation, while photographs keep home recognisable within the nursery environment.

Explorers starts from age two, with equipment selected for differing abilities and an emphasis on the prime areas of learning; Inventor’s starts from age three, with a programme spanning all seven areas and opportunities to practise skills useful for school. The progression is practical rather than just a change of room name. Babies explore through their senses, while older children increasingly make choices, work alongside others and develop independence.

Across the rooms, children can select activities and remain with a task, as well as join groups led by adults. Outdoor play includes both children's own choices and activities organised by staff. That gives the day different kinds of participation: independent exploration has a place alongside shared learning.

Learning and Activities

The EYFS provides the framework for learning through play, communication, physical development and experiences that build towards school. Dickory Dock plans around children's interests and developmental needs, using observations and parents' contributions to decide what comes next. Its curriculum and activities give a clearer picture of how that framework becomes a nursery day.

Tales Tool Kit (TTK) groups put children in charge of creating stories: they choose a character, a setting, a problem and a solution. This gives imagination a structure. Rather than only listening to a finished tale, children contribute ideas and work out how the story develops.

Maths groups use games, counting and number songs in each session, while Phonics groups begin with listening to environmental sounds before exploring rhyme and initial sounds. Listening walks make the starting point concrete. Early reading preparation here includes paying attention to sounds and enjoying language, alongside recognising letters.

Nurture groups address feelings and friendships through discussion, yoga, sharing and taking turns. School preparation also includes everyday responsibilities: older children can read or sing to babies, help make snacks and visit shops. These experiences give independence a purpose beyond completing an activity for an adult.

In October 2022, children invented dramatic stories using natural materials, and two-year-olds explored action words through movement and modelling material. Babies joined songs with matching actions, while puppets and costumes supported storytelling. Those examples show how language, movement and imaginative play worked together at that time, rather than occupying separate parts of the day.

Outdoor and Community Life

Local outings extend learning beyond the nursery, and parents can volunteer each term for activities including reading, baking and trips. The church community-room setting is a concrete part of Dickory Dock's identity, but its educational day also reaches into the surrounding area. Visits to shops connect children's developing independence with ordinary tasks outside their room.

In October 2022, children practised choosing activities through voting and encountered words from one another's home languages, including Japanese, Spanish and Kurdish. These were practical ways to explore choice and difference: children could express a preference and hear language used by other families.

Relationships and Communication

Settling starts with an exchange of information between home and nursery. Home visits help gather knowledge about children, and parents are introduced to their child's key workers and the Parentzone app. Likes, dislikes, interests and allergies form part of that starting picture, so staff can plan around the child they are getting to know.

Parents also complete an initial assessment with a key worker, describing what their child can already do. Subsequent observations, photographs and videos contribute to the child's learning record. Home observations remain part of that process, giving staff information about abilities and interests that may emerge outside nursery.

The iconnect – parentzone system provides daily information, including sleep and nappy updates, and parents can respond through the app. Progress reports can also be requested. This is useful communication for families who want both the practical detail of the day and a developing picture of learning, rather than relying on occasional summaries alone.

Inclusion and Wellbeing

At the October 2022 inspection, Ofsted found safeguarding effective and SEND support highly effective, with early identification, carefully planned steps and collaboration with speech therapists and local authority advisers. These are dated judgements about practice, rather than a general promise about every child's future experience.

The current team structure includes special educational needs coordination, designated safeguarding lead roles and staff trained in first aid. There are also staff responsibilities for wellbeing, early phonics, physical health and families' involvement. Those responsibilities give parents specific areas of work to discuss when considering how their child would be supported.

In October 2022, babies formed close relationships with staff, and children practised caring for themselves through physical activities and everyday routines. The current routines include toothbrushing, stories, singing and snacks that children can access as part of the session. Care and learning meet in these ordinary habits.

Children and adults eat together, with menus planned for meals and snacks; a weekly snack contribution is requested. Families share dietary needs with the nursery as part of planning their child's care.

Sessions and Attendance

Dickory Dock Nursery is at 58 Margetson Crescent, Sheffield, S5 9NB. Opening hours are 7.30am to 5pm, Monday to Friday, excluding bank holidays, and the nursery operates for 50 weeks of the year. Full-day and half-day sessions sit alongside year-round and term-time contracts, giving families different ways to organise attendance.

The waiting-list process requires at least two days' attendance, and joining it does not guarantee a place. Entry to the Early Years group is in September after the year the child becomes eligible for funding. Children turning three in September or October can request a start in the year they turn three, subject to an offer, and should also complete the following year's form in case that earlier start cannot be offered. Parents are contacted by March or April before their child is due to start, then invited to visit and complete an enrolment form requesting days and wraparound care. Allocation follows the return of those forms. This is a staged process, so expressing interest and receiving a formal offer are separate steps.

The registration form accepts interest for children aged birth to five. General and registration enquiries use the same telephone number, 0114 233 8679, and families can also use the contact form. Once a place has been formally offered, an advance payment towards the first month's fees is required; it is non-refundable if the family decides against taking the place.

Funding and Paid Extras

Funded childcare is offered for eligible two-, three- and four-year-olds, with 15hrs or 30hrs per week during the 38-week school year, or fewer weekly hours spread across 50 weeks. The choice matters for budgeting and routines: term-time delivery concentrates the entitlement into school terms, while stretching distributes it across more of the year.

Paid childcare is also offered, with monthly invoices issued at the end of the month. A weekly snack contribution is requested separately. Families should obtain a current written quotation from the nursery to understand their own contract and charges.

• Attendance commitment. The waiting-list route requires a minimum of two days, and an application does not secure a place. Use the enrolment visit to discuss how the requested days and wraparound care would fit your working week.
• Settling and partnership. Home visits, initial assessments and app contributions make parents part of the learning process. At a visit, discuss how these arrangements would work for your child's temperament and your family's routines.
• Your funding contract. The entitlement can be used during term time or stretched across the year, and a snack contribution is requested. Ask for one written breakdown covering funded hours, paid hours, meals and non-food consumables before accepting an offer.

Dickory Dock suits families seeking either full-day or half-day attendance, with a choice between term-time and year-round contracts. Its strongest practical appeal is the connection between child-led ideas and structured experiences: Tales Tool Kit gives storytelling a clear shape, listening walks introduce early sound awareness, and everyday jobs build independence.

The October 2022 Outstanding judgement supports that picture, while the current parent partnership gives families a clear role in their child's learning. The two-day minimum and staged allocation process deserve attention before committing. For parents comfortable contributing observations and discussing development with key workers, there is a substantial partnership to take part in.