Daisy Chain at Mytton Oak

Paper-making, vegetable planting and visits beyond the nursery give Daisy Chain at Mytton Oak a practical, exploratory character in its November 2022 account. Children learnt by handling materials and meeting people. That is the strongest thread running through its inspection-era day.

Ofsted rated the nursery Outstanding on 1 November 2022, finding that its curriculum extended children's understanding through experiences within and beyond the setting. On Mytton Oak Road in Shrewsbury, it has capacity for 72 children aged three months to five years.

In November 2022, preschool children made paper as part of learning about recycling, while toddlers planted seeds and dug for carrots and radishes. Babies explored water containing citrus fruit, with staff adding words to their sensory play. These examples connected language with something children could touch, smell or do.

The early years foundation stage sets the framework for children's learning, development and care. In November 2022, activities connected those areas through stories, conversation and physical play: a space-themed story prompted children to use new vocabulary and draw on earlier learning about planets.

Outdoor areas served children of different ages. Indoors, babies used soft play to practise climbing and tumbling, while toddlers combined dancing with listening for the music to stop. November 2022 experiences also included a bus trip to a local castle, visits to care-home residents, and visits from football coaches and an animal zoo. These brought learning into contact with people and places beyond the nursery.

At its November 2022 inspection, Ofsted found effective safeguarding arrangements, close relationships between staff and children, and targeted support helping children with special educational needs and/or disabilities and those learning English as an additional language make rapid progress.

In November 2022, parents received spoken updates and online feedback each day. Learning also travelled home: older children decorated hand pictures with henna patterns during work about Diwali, linking family participation with the nursery's topic.

Home-cooked meals formed part of that November 2022 day, with staff passing individual dietary and allergy needs to the chef daily. Adults sat alongside children and helped them practise pouring drinks and handling cutlery, making mealtimes opportunities for conversation and independence.

The address is Mytton Oak Road, Shrewsbury, SY3 8XD. Opening hours are 7am to 6pm, Monday to Friday, across the year, with closures for bank holidays and one week at Christmas.

In November 2022, session times ran from 7.30am to 6pm, and the nursery provided funded early education for children aged two, three and four. Those arrangements belong to that inspection date.

• Inspection date. The Outstanding judgement dates from November 2022. Families should weigh that dated assessment alongside their priorities for care now.
• Sensory and community learning. Planting, paper-making and visits beyond the setting featured in November 2022. At a visit, ask how today's attendance options, funded hours and daily activities would fit your child.

Daisy Chain at Mytton Oak suits families who value practical learning, physical activity and contact with the wider community. Its November 2022 account gives concrete examples of each, rather than relying on a grade alone. The current weekday opening window also makes it relevant to families organising care around work, with the Christmas closure an important planning detail.