The Old Forge Nursery

A half-timbered building, a baby cabin and daily Forest School for Big Bears give The Old Forge Nursery a recognisable character. Based on The Green in Findern, it takes children from three months to five years and has capacity for 100 children. That is the whole nursery's capacity, rather than the size of an individual room.

At its 22 January 2025 inspection, Ofsted rated the nursery Good and found safeguarding effective, with positive relationships and a progressive curriculum, but called for clearer learning intentions, more inclusive group activities and stronger help with managing feelings.

Later safety findings also matter: Ofsted's compliance outcomes dated 7 October 2025 and 25 February 2026 recorded unmet requirements and corrective action concerning premises safety, with staffing ratios covered in the first outcome and food procedures in the second.

Full days, mornings and afternoons are offered, with funded hours stretched across the year. The practical choice is broader than a single long day.

Rooms and Ages

Five age groups organise the nursery day, with different spaces and expectations as children develop. The overlapping ages of Big Bears and Pre-School are useful to understand: they are separate groups, rather than a simple sequence of identical rooms.

Baby Bears, for three months to one year, combines sensory play and support for early movement with home-linked feeding and sleep routines, using a cabin with bunk-bed cots and its own outdoor access. Its stated ratio is one adult to three children. Bunk-bed cots in the baby cabin and direct access outside give the youngest children an environment designed around their daily needs.

Bear Cubs, for one to two years, encourages early speech, sharing and simple routines through baking, songs and stories, with family albums linking home and nursery and exploration extending into the garden, parks and canal surroundings.

Little Bears, for two to three years, brings counting, colours, fine motor practice and toilet training into a room with a book corner, role play and water activities, alongside garden access and countryside walks.

Big Bears, for three to four years, combines growing independence with daily Forest School, using a cabin that allows movement between indoor rooms and outdoor space. Mud painting, insect searches and campfire cooking make the outdoor work concrete.

Pre-School, for three to five years, develops pencil control, cutting, dressing and serving food through practical activities, with vegetable growing and trips to nearby parks adding to the room-based day. These are useful foundations for school because they include managing everyday tasks as well as early writing.

Learning and Activities

The early years foundation stage is the framework for learning, development and care here: children build language, physical skills and relationships through play and daily routines. Forest School adds outdoor exploration and practical learning, including opportunities to judge manageable risks. For Big Bears, it is a daily part of the timetable rather than an occasional outing.

In January 2025, children investigated how to build castle towers after a child's holiday inspired their play. Outdoors, jumping became an opportunity to count, while digging encouraged investigation of insects.

The same January 2025 observations exposed uneven participation. During a fruit-crumble activity, some children watched rather than taking an active role, and some practitioners were unclear about the knowledge or skills an activity should develop. The distinction matters: an appealing activity needs a clear purpose and a meaningful part for each child.

Outdoor and Community Life

Village walks begin with Baby Bears, while the older groups explore the canal, countryside and parks.

Pre-School children take part in Christmas Carols, a singing event, and a Pre-School Graduation ceremony marking their move on from nursery. These give older children shared occasions alongside their everyday preparation for school.

Relationships and Communication

Daily photographs and videos help parents follow their child's activities.

Baby Bears works to keep routines consistent with home, covering feeding, weaning and sleep as well as early development. Bear Cubs' family albums offer another practical link: familiar people remain part of the child's nursery world as speech and social relationships develop.

In January 2025, settling babies sought comfort from practitioners, and staff talked with younger children during activities to extend their vocabulary. Picture-making after looking at their faces in mirrors created a reason to describe facial features. Care and communication were connected through ordinary play.

Inclusion and Wellbeing

The team includes a Group Lead SENDCO role, nursery SEN support and designated safeguarding leads. These are identifiable routes for discussing additional needs or concerns; the roles themselves do not establish how effectively an individual child's support will work.

Toilet training is handled with parents in both Little Bears and Big Bears, with accessible toilet and potty facilities. That continuity is practical for children whose independence is developing at a different pace from their move between groups.

In January 2025, some children needed more help to handle emotions and participate in shared activities such as stories. Helping children recognise feelings and their effect on others was one of the improvement priorities, so behaviour support should be considered alongside the warm relationships described above.

Meals are prepared in the nursery kitchen, and the menu rotates over 16 days within a three-week cycle so children attending on different weekdays encounter different dishes. In January 2025, staff discussed individual dietary requirements with parents.

Sessions and Attendance

The address is Old Forge, The Green, Findern, Derby, DE65 6AA. Opening hours are 7.30am to 6pm, Monday to Friday, across 51 weeks, excluding bank holidays; the nursery also closes for a week between Christmas and New Year.

A full day runs from 7.30am to 6pm, a morning from 7.30am to 1pm, and an afternoon from 1pm to 6pm. Half-day bookings are also offered.

The nursery can be contacted on 01283 701533 or through its enquiry form. Its team includes room leaders, teachers, nursery practitioners and kitchen staff, giving the day both room-based leadership and specialist roles.

Funding and Paid Extras

Funded childcare and private childcare are both offered. The funding terms describe 15 hours per term-time week for children over nine months and an additional 15 hours for most three-year-olds, making 30 hours in total. Both amounts are stretched over 51 weeks; two-year-old deprivation funding is also offered. Eligibility conditions apply.

For non-funded sessions, meals, drinks and snacks are included in the fee, as are formula, nappies, wipes, nappy creams and sun cream. Trips and activity resources are also included in those non-funded fees.

The fees page sets out the attendance and funding structure. Current prices come in the nursery's written quotation. For families combining funding with paid attendance, the important comparison is the complete charge structure for their chosen pattern.

• Repeated premises-safety findings. The outcomes dated 7 October 2025 and 25 February 2026 both covered premises safety and recorded corrective action. The first included a headcount system, gates and door alarms; the second included revised risk assessments and food procedures. Ask how these measures operate together during a normal nursery day.
• Participation in group learning. January 2025 improvement priorities covered learning intentions, engagement in larger activities and emotional regulation. At a viewing, ask how staff give each child an active role and support children who find group activities difficult.
• The funded-hours bill. Non-funded fees include food and everyday care supplies, while funding is stretched across 51 weeks. Ask for one written breakdown covering your funded hours, paid hours, meals and consumables before comparing attendance patterns.
• Choosing between the older groups. Big Bears covers three to four years and Pre-School covers three to five. Regular viewing evenings, with weekday visits possible by arrangement, offer an opportunity to discuss which group fits your child's development and how moves between them are handled.

The Old Forge suits families seeking either full-day attendance or morning and afternoon sessions, especially those who value outdoor learning and practical independence. The baby cabin, daily Forest School for Big Bears and home-linked routines give that recommendation specific foundations.

The January 2025 Good judgement sits alongside clear improvement priorities and two later compliance outcomes involving premises safety. A decision should weigh both. Families should leave a viewing understanding how children participate in learning, how safety procedures work and what their chosen funded or private attendance pattern costs.