Ever After Day Nursery

A garden with digging space, an outdoor classroom and a mud kitchen gives Ever After Day Nursery a clear identity: children have plenty to investigate beyond the indoor play areas. In Cleobury Mortimer, its Caterpillar Room serves babies and toddlers, while the Butterfly Room gives older nursery children space for messy play and outdoor exploration. The offer also extends to school-age children.

Ofsted rated the nursery Good at its 27 October 2023 inspection. Ever After cares for children from 3 months to 11 years and has 60 places in total; that whole-setting figure is separate from the number of children in an individual room. After-school care and a Holiday Club provide two different ways for families with older children to use the setting.

Rooms and Ages

The Caterpillar Room caters for children from 3 months to 2 years, with sensory resources and soft toys chosen for babies and toddlers. This gives the youngest children materials suited to early exploration, rather than simply a smaller version of the older children's provision.

For children aged 2 to 4, the Butterfly Room combines activities shaped by their interests with access to outdoor play, including painting, water, sand and messy materials. Its key worker observes play and plans what a child might learn next. The connection between children's interests and those next steps matters: an enjoyable activity also needs a clear purpose.

Learning and Activities

The Early Years Foundation Stage provides the framework for learning and care, with children developing skills through play, exploration and interaction. Here, practical examples include experimenting with shaving foam and gloupe, painting and playing with water. Children can handle materials and investigate what happens, rather than relying only on adult explanation.

In October 2023, books were distributed in baskets around the play areas, and a chosen story gave the week a shared theme. Songs and rhymes also prompted children to sing with adults or friends. These arrangements brought language into different parts of the day, rather than confining books to a single reading space.

The October 2023 improvement points were specific. Staff needed to connect activities more consistently with the learning they had planned, and use more mathematical vocabulary during play. Counting pumpkin seeds offered an example of mathematical exploration, but the language accompanying such experiences needed more attention. For parents, the useful distinction is between having appealing resources and making full educational use of them.

Outdoor and Community Life

The outdoor provision includes an all-weather soft play surface, grass, and space for gardening and digging. These areas are used daily. Butterfly children can move freely into their outdoor area whatever the weather, with bikes, stepping logs and sand or water play offering different ways to move and explore.

An outdoor classroom adds nature-based activities, while the mud kitchen contains pans and pots for exploratory play. In October 2023, children investigated pumpkins and remembered growing their own earlier that year. They also practised balance using beams supported by crates. The garden supported both physical activity and conversations about things children had experienced themselves.

School-age provision has its own character. The After School Club lets children choose activities such as cooking, crafts, games and sports. Holiday Club outings include park picnics, visits to shops and the library, alongside activities back at the nursery. These are different experiences from the baby and preschool rooms, even though they share the same setting.

A key worker is assigned when a child joins the Butterfly Room, helping with settling and exchanging information with parents or carers. The same role includes observing play and planning next steps, linking everyday care with learning. Snacks and drinks are offered during the day, with mealtimes treated as opportunities to spend time with friends.

At the October 2023 inspection, Ofsted found safeguarding effective and described staff arranging additional support plans promptly, with advice from professional partners where needed. These are dated findings about practice, rather than promises about every child's future experience.

In October 2023, The Treasure Map, a large visual timetable, helped children understand the day's sequence and what would happen next. Quiet areas offered space for a book, calm play or time beside an adult. Together, those features gave children ways to anticipate the routine and take a quieter pause within it.

Communication also extended beyond conversations at collection time. In October 2023, parents received information about their child's development through an online communication tool. For a family, that offers a different view from a simple account of activities: it helps connect what a child enjoys doing with what they are learning.

Sessions and Attendance

Opening hours are 7.30am to 6pm, Monday to Friday, throughout the year, with closure on bank holidays. The After School Club runs from 3.15pm to 6pm; its walking bus collects children from Cleobury Mortimer Primary School. This collection arrangement is a practical service, rather than a claim about school admissions.

Holiday Club runs from 7.30am to 6pm and caters for children from 3 months to 11 years. Its activities include cooking, singing, dancing and sports, as well as outings. Enquiries can be made by telephone or email, giving families a direct route to discuss joining.

Getting There

The nursery is on Lower Street, Cleobury Mortimer, DY14 8AF, beside Cleobury Mortimer Fire Station. Parking and a drop-off area are within the premises, which is useful for families bringing babies or managing more than one child.

Funding and Paid Extras

Funded childcare includes 24U for 2 year olds and 15 & 30 hours free funding for 3 year olds. These offers need to be considered separately from the attendance arrangements a family chooses; the number of funded hours alone does not describe a child's complete nursery week.

• Teaching through play. The October 2023 priorities concerned carrying planned learning through into activities and adding mathematical language. On a visit, ask staff to demonstrate both using a current Butterfly Room activity.
• Baby care. The Caterpillar Room caters for children from 3 months to 2 years. On a visit, ask how settling is arranged for babies in this room.
• School collection. The After School Club's walking bus serves Cleobury Mortimer Primary School. That named collection point is an important fit question for families choosing care around an existing school day.

Ever After suits families seeking sensory play for babies, outdoor exploration for preschool children, or care through its After School Club and Holiday Club attendance patterns. The garden, Butterfly Room activities and named school collection service give parents concrete reasons to consider it.

The Good judgement from October 2023 provides a clear inspection position, while the teaching and mathematical-language priorities deserve attention. The strongest choice will be one where the room, daily routine and attendance pattern match the child's stage and the family's practical needs.