Mount Lane Day Care Nursery

Colour-coded rooms and a shared living room give Mount Lane Day Care Nursery a clear identity: children have a base for their stage of development, alongside a space used across the age groups. This Market Drayton setting takes children from three months to five years for early-years care, with Club 5-11 providing before- and after-school care for older children. The distinction matters for families looking beyond the preschool years.

At its 23 February 2022 inspection, Ofsted rated the nursery Good and found that children made good progress, children with SEND received effective support, and safeguarding arrangements were effective. That is a dated assessment. Its strongest practical features today are the age-specific rooms, a key-person approach connecting home and nursery, and attendance extending from a single five-hour session each week to five full days.

Rooms and Ages

Pink Room caters for under-twos, combining activities directed by adults with a flexible routine that lets practitioners choose suitable moments for individual babies.

Blue Room has a maximum of 24 children aged two to three, with accessible resources enabling children to choose their play and practitioners using observations to develop their learning. Yellow Room takes children aged three to five, with a capacity of 40 and a structured routine that can change around children's interests and needs. These are room capacities, rather than small-group sizes.

Orange Room is the base for Club 5-11, catering for children aged five to eleven, who help decide activities and holiday outings rather than following another school-style timetable. Its emphasis is on giving older children a say after their school day. Green Room is a shared living room available across the age groups, adding a domestic space alongside the separate age-based rooms.

Learning and Activities

The EYFS provides the framework for learning and care, covering language, physical development, relationships, early literacy and mathematics, understanding the world, and creative expression. Here, planning combines longer-term coverage of those areas with shorter-term activities shaped by observations of individual children. That means a child's interests can influence the resources and experiences practitioners prepare, rather than every child following an identical activity plan.

Play has several starting points. Children sometimes direct it themselves; at other times an adult introduces an idea for them to develop, or leads an activity with a particular learning purpose. This balance leaves room for independent exploration alongside deliberate teaching. Resources are accessible in the early-years rooms, giving children opportunities to make their own choices.

In February 2022, babies practised movement and balance on soft-play equipment, while toddlers used dough animals to develop naming and sound-making. Older children counted how many additional desserts were needed at the table. Books also prompted children to anticipate what would happen next and join familiar parts of stories. These examples show how conversation, movement and number work could sit within ordinary play and routines at that time.

Outdoor and Community Life

Outdoor play continues in different weather conditions, so wellies, waterproof clothing and seasonal protection are part of the practical preparation. In February 2022, an outdoor tap became part of pretend vehicle washing, giving children a simple resource for imaginative play. The important detail is the opportunity to make something of the space, rather than a claim about the size of the grounds.

Club 5-11 takes daily trips during school holidays, with children contributing suggestions about activities, themes and outings. This is an older-child offer, separate from the early-years day. Families with siblings may value that continuity of setting, while recognising that the club's routines and activities serve a different age group.

Relationships and Communication

The Key Person Approach assigns one or two adults to support a child and their family, providing continuity between home and nursery. Parents can pass on changes such as illness, a house move or a new sibling through that relationship. This gives practitioners a route to understand circumstances that may affect a child's emotions or behaviour, rather than treating nursery life in isolation.

In February 2022, settling sessions helped staff learn about new children and their families, and babies' routines at home informed their care. Practitioners also encouraged children to handle manageable tasks themselves, including getting ready to play outside and helping clear away. These were practical steps towards independence, adjusted to what children could do.

Communication includes conversations at handover and a monthly newsletter. Profile Books are individual red books in which staff and families contribute examples of children's experiences, including activities outside nursery. They give parents something concrete to share with their child and add to themselves. Room books also record examples of the day, extending that conversation beyond a brief verbal update.

Assessment includes a Look what I can do booklet when a child starts and What to Expect When, used with the key person to discuss development and next steps. Parents contribute their perspective each term, while staff aim to refresh assessments termly. This gives home observations a place alongside what practitioners see during nursery activities.

Inclusion and Wellbeing

The team includes designated safeguarding lead and SENCO roles, as well as supervisors for the baby, toddler and preschool provision. Early Years Professional Status is represented in senior management. These describe the team's structure and experience; they do not establish how many adults are deployed in a room on any particular day.

In February 2022, staff exchanged information with parents about progress and future learning, and links with local schools supported children's preparation for moving on. Assessment documents are handed to families when children leave, with the expectation that they are passed to the receiving school. This supports continuity of information rather than an admissions advantage.

A cook prepares food on site each day, with meals and snacks supplied and baby food adapted to stages such as purées or finger foods. The nursery's allergy guidance invites parents to discuss ingredients and preparation arrangements, and its feeding policy supports both bottles and breastfeeding preferences.

Sessions and Attendance

Mount Lane Day Care Nursery is on Mount Lane, Market Drayton, Shropshire TF9 1AQ. Opening hours are 7.30am to 6pm, Monday to Friday, across the year, with closures on bank holidays and for one week at Christmas. Those hours describe the opening window, rather than the clock times of every booking pattern.

Attendance can begin with one five-hour session per week and extend to five full days. Club 5-11 adds before- and after-school care. This gives families different levels of attendance to consider, rather than requiring a full working week at nursery. The contact route includes an enquiry form and telephone contact with the office.

Funding and Paid Extras

Government-funded childcare is offered for children aged nine months and over, two-year-olds, three-year-olds and four-year-olds. For children aged two, three and four, the attendance offer includes up to 15 or 30 funded hours weekly during term time. These are entitlement-based arrangements, so the appropriate offer depends on the family's circumstances.

Private attendance also forms part of the booking model. Current prices come in the nursery's written quotation; the fees page gives the contact route for discussing fees and funded sessions. The key decision is how the funded entitlement fits the family's chosen attendance, alongside any privately paid time.

• Care in Pink Room. Activities for under-twos follow a flexible routine responsive to individual babies. During a visit, ask how the room is organised during busy periods and how the key-person relationship works across your intended attendance.
• Teaching and group activities. In February 2022, the improvement priorities were further staff development and better organisation of some group activities to sustain children's engagement. Ask how staff development and activity planning work now.
• The complete attendance cost. Meals and snacks are supplied, and funded attendance for two-, three- and four-year-olds is term-time. When discussing your quotation, ask how your chosen hours, food and non-food consumables are treated during funded and private attendance.
• Food allergies and feeding. Baby food can be adapted to developmental stages, and the allergy guidance directs families to discuss ingredients and preparation areas. Families managing allergies should confirm current arrangements for their child's needs, including preparation and serving.

Mount Lane suits families wanting one 5-hour session per week or full days, with a before and after school club extending its usefulness for older siblings. The shared Green Room, age-based rooms and family contributions to Profile Books give the offer recognisable substance.

Individual care deserves attention. Pink Room's flexible routine responds to babies' needs, while the February 2022 improvement priorities give parents clear questions about teaching. For families who value a continuing relationship with practitioners and a choice of attendance levels, there is a concrete offer to assess.