Unicorn Nursery Maesbury

A galleon, vegetable-growing allotments and a Forest Room for teaching outdoors give Unicorn Nursery Maesbury a character that extends well beyond its playrooms. Based in the former Maesbury Primary School, this rural nursery combines substantial outdoor space with a Curiosity Approach emphasis on children choosing how to use natural materials and everyday objects. There is plenty here for children who like to investigate, make things and get messy.

The nursery cares for children from two months to five years. At its July 2023 inspection, Ofsted rated it Good, found safeguarding effective and recognised good progress and specialist support for children with SEND through professional partnerships. It identified two priorities: sharper monitoring of staff practice and better organisation of activities to sustain children's engagement. That is a positive assessment with specific work attached, rather than an unqualified endorsement.

Morning, afternoon, short-day and full-day bookings give families several attendance patterns to consider. The outdoor provision is the stronger reason to look closely: younger children have their own space to explore, while preschool children can use an outdoor classroom whatever the weather.

Rooms and Ages

Ducklings caters for babies up to 12 months, Ducks for children aged one to two, Caterpillars for two to three, and Butterfly Room for three to five. These stages separate the youngest babies from older children while allowing the environment to change as children develop. Baby-room moves are individualised and usually linked to becoming mobile, rather than being treated solely as a birthday milestone.

Within the toddler provision, messy creativity, physical activity and quieter time have separate spaces, including a gym and somewhere to read or nap. Butterfly Room emphasises experimenting and learning through play as children approach school. Its surroundings include a Library Area used for small intervention groups and the nursery's own piano: books, quieter group work and music each have a physical place.

Sensory Room brings together talking tubes, a tinker board, scented bags and a table for sensory writing. Children can also use it for stories, songs or quieter time with changing lights. It adds a different kind of experience to the larger play spaces, with opportunities to handle, listen and explore at a gentler pace.

Learning and Activities

The Early Years Foundation Stage (EYFS) provides the common framework for children's learning, development and care; here, children practise skills through play indoors and outside, with resources selected around their next steps. It is the foundation of the day, rather than an extra programme exclusive to Unicorn.

Alongside it, the Curiosity Approach uses open-ended resources to let children decide what their play becomes. Wooden objects, baskets and authentic everyday items replace toys with a fixed purpose, while neutral colours form the backdrop. A child can investigate an object's possibilities instead of following a predetermined use. The nursery began working towards accreditation in September 2022; that is a starting point, not a claim that accreditation has been achieved.

Staff also set up invitations to play that introduce an idea or skill but leave the outcome open. Resources remain accessible inside and in the gardens throughout the day. This makes child choice a practical part of the arrangement, rather than simply a description of its philosophy.

Early Learning Cooking involves children in food preparation, connecting something they do at nursery with an activity families can share at home. Story time gives another route into language, encouraging children to respond to questions and ask their own. Neither needs an elaborate finished product: participation and conversation are the point.

In July 2023, staff added vocabulary during water play, block-building and vegetable watering, linking words to what children were doing. Activities were adapted so children could reach and use the resources. However, some arrangements did not hold children's attention sufficiently well, which explains why activity organisation remains a useful subject for a visit.

Outdoor and Community Life

Forest School adds physical exploration and opportunities to consider how to tackle challenges outdoors. Its site occupies one and a half acres at the former school. The Forest Room extends preschool teaching outside in wet weather, while Baby Forest gives the youngest children opportunities for digging and swinging. Outdoor learning is therefore more than an occasional change of scenery.

The Allotment links growing with eating: children cultivate vegetables that go to the nursery cook and then into nursery food. Beans, beetroot, potatoes and lettuce are among the crops. That gives children something concrete to tend and watch change, with a connection between the garden and their meals.

Elsewhere, the Galleon supplies a setting for imaginative play, the Obstacle Course encourages balance and strength, and the Baby Mud Kitchen gives younger children a place for messy exploration. A child-made Bug Hotel adds another reason to notice the small creatures around them. These resources offer different reasons to be outside, rather than relying on one large play structure.

In July 2023, children explored insects and other small creatures, discussing their appearance and habitats with staff. Waterproof clothing and boots kept outdoor exploration possible in damp conditions. Those observations belong to that visit, but they help explain the educational potential of the grounds.

Relationships and Communication

Each child and family is allocated a key worker. Settling arrangements are agreed with parents, and pre-start opportunities allow families to share likes, dislikes and other information that helps staff get to know the child. The practical value is continuity: there is an identified person with whom to build the relationship and discuss development.

Parent evenings take place twice a year, alongside informal conversations and access to children's written records. Parents can contribute to those records, so information moves both ways. This matters when a child's interests or routines change at home and need to be reflected in nursery care.

In July 2023, staff recognised children's signs of hunger, tiredness and the need for changing, responding around individual routines. Parents received information about development and ways to continue learning at home. These are dated observations of everyday care, not a substitute for seeing how the current team works.

Inclusion and Wellbeing

SEND arrangements include a SENCO role, individual support plans and an assess, plan, do and review cycle involving parents. The nursery's policy provides for contact with speech and language therapists, health visitors and other professionals where needed. The single-level building, ramps and accessible toilet facilities are relevant practical details for families considering physical access.

These support mechanisms give families a structure for discussing their child's needs, planning help and reviewing how it works.

Outdoor sleeping is part of the nursery's approach, with weather, shelter, clothing, bedding and supervision considered in its arrangements. It is a care choice families should understand in detail. Moving on is also planned: the receiving setting or school can be invited to visit, and a development summary is passed on when a child leaves, helping the next team understand the child.

Sessions and Attendance

The address is Unicorn Nursery, Main Road, Maesbury Marsh, SY10 8HD. General opening hours are 7.30am to 6pm, Monday to Friday, across the year, with bank-holiday closures and a week closed at Christmas. Enquiries can be made by telephone on 01691 655550 or through the contact form.

Full Day runs from 8am to 6pm; Short Day from 8.30am to 3.30pm. Nursery AM Session is 7.30am to 12.30pm, and Nursery PM Session is 1pm to 6pm. Extended Day has conflicting end times, addressed below. The terms require a minimum of two sessions each week, making that a useful starting point when matching attendance to work or family routines.

Funding and Paid Extras

Funded childcare includes 30 hours for children aged nine months to five years, 15 hours for two-year-olds and 15 hours for all children aged three to five, subject to the relevant entitlement. Funding can be taken over 38 weeks or stretched across the year. Funded sessions have a maximum of 10 hours in a day, so the funding structure needs to be matched to the chosen booking pattern.

All-inclusive rates for meals and consumables apply for the remaining 13 weeks outside the 38-week funded period. Funded hours carry separate supplementary charges for meals and consumables; families may instead supply lunch, tea and snacks without a food charge. Parents also keep a supply of nappies at nursery. These distinctions matter because funded hours and the associated extras are separate parts of the bill.

Food is prepared on site by two nursery chefs, who work with parents on dietary requirements. The nursery publishes a no-nuts policy and uses colour-coded placemats to identify dietary and allergy needs.

Regular invoices are annualised using 51 weeks, giving equal monthly payments for the agreed pattern. Bank holidays and absences remain chargeable. A registration charge is waived for funded-only places; otherwise it is non-refundable if the reserved place is not taken up. Reducing or cancelling a booking with less than a month's notice incurs a full calendar month's fees, with a settling exception if a child does not settle within the first four weeks. Current prices come in the nursery's written quotation; the fees and funding page explains the charging structure.

• Extended Day timing. The private Extended Day ends at 6.30pm, but its funded equivalent ends at 6pm, general opening hours end at 6pm and late-collection charges apply after 6pm. Agree the applicable collection time in writing before choosing this pattern.
• Teaching and engagement. July 2023 priorities concerned staff monitoring and keeping children engaged in activities. During a visit, ask how staff now review their practice and organise play when children's attention fades.
• Outdoor sleep and allergies. Outdoor sleeping and the no-nuts policy are relevant care arrangements. Discuss sleep consent, supervision and weather decisions, and confirm current allergy practice for your child's particular needs.

Unicorn Nursery Maesbury suits families looking for substantial outdoor play and child-led exploration, whether they need morning or afternoon sessions, a shorter day or full-day attendance. The Forest Room, Allotment and open-ended indoor resources give that character substance. Its July 2023 Good judgement provides a dated quality reference, with clear teaching priorities to discuss. The main practical decision is matching the booking and funding pattern to the written terms, especially where Extended Day collection times differ.