Little Owls Nursery

Independence starts small at Little Owls Nursery: feeding yourself, recognising tiredness and getting ready to play outside. Those everyday steps shaped its September 2022 nursery life, alongside stories and outdoor exploration. This Broseley setting has capacity for 56 children, with a current age range of 3 to 60 months.

Little Owls Nursery received a Good judgement on 22 September 2022. The practical emphasis was on children learning to manage their feelings and physical needs, rather than adults doing everything for them.

In September 2022, the indoor design echoed a home environment, while the baby room included toddler stairs and a slide. Babies practised feeding themselves, older babies used the sleep room when tired, and older children managed their coats and shoes before outdoor play. Independence had concrete tasks attached to it.

The early years foundation stage sets the framework for children's learning, development and care: here, its everyday expression included stories, physical activity and learning to look after yourself. In September 2022, children walked weekly to the forest school area for outdoor learning and could recall their experiences there. Exercise also prompted conversations about changes in their bodies.

Stories connected language with hands-on exploration. In September 2022, an animal story introduced size vocabulary, which children then explored through painting with animals. A lending library extended shared reading into family life. Children also practised listening to one another and following familiar routines.

At the September 2022 inspection, Ofsted found safeguarding effective, identified targeted communication and language support through the special educational needs coordinator, and judged that children made good progress. These findings describe that inspection's care and support, rather than a current assessment.

In September 2022, a key person learnt about each child's interests from their family and used them to shape activities; transitions into the nursery and between rooms involved sharing developmental information. That made family knowledge part of planning, rather than a separate conversation.

Healthy habits also featured in September 2022: handwashing before meals, nutritious snacks and encouragement to eat balanced lunches, alongside discussions about sugar and teeth and oral-health information for parents. Apprentices received support to practise teaching skills, although professional development across the whole staff team needed strengthening.

Little Owls Nursery is on Dark Lane, Broseley, TF12 5LW. It opens throughout the year, Monday to Friday, from 8am to 6pm. That opening window gives families the boundaries within which to plan care.

In September 2022, the nursery provided funded early education for two-, three- and four-year-old children.

• Staff development. The September 2022 improvement priority was stronger professional development across the team. Some staff were unclear about which aspects of their practice to develop, making consistent teaching support an important consideration.
• Independence in practice. Weekly forest school area visits and supported self-care were features of September 2022. On a visit, how do settling arrangements and outdoor experiences work for your child's age now?

Little Owls Nursery suits families seeking year-round weekday care. Practical independence was a clear emphasis in September 2022. Its September 2022 examples give that emphasis substance: self-feeding, dressing for outdoors and learning through stories and physical activity. The Good judgement provides a dated quality benchmark, balanced by a clear staff-development priority.