Codsall Community Nursery

A weekly library visit and a place within Codsall's Community Hub give Codsall Community Nursery a clear community character. Learning follows children's interests, with resources within their reach and outdoor play in a garden and courtyard. There is room for children to make choices, rather than simply follow an adult's activity plan.

The nursery has capacity for 36 children aged 2 to 60 months. At its 10 June 2024 inspection, Ofsted rated it Good overall, with improvements needed in consistent behaviour management and hygiene support when children had coughs and colds. Those are practical points for parents to weigh alongside the community outings and child-led learning.

Year-round opening runs from 8am to 6pm, Monday to Friday, with closures for bank holidays and Christmas.

Learning and Activities

The Early Years Foundation Stage (EYFS) provides the framework for children's learning and development, covering language, physical skills, relationships, literacy, mathematics, creative expression and understanding their world. Codsall's enquiry led curriculum works within that framework: practitioners respond to what interests a child and help take that interest further through play. The starting point is the child, rather than a fixed activity imposed on the whole group.

Children can see and reach resources themselves, experiment with materials and develop ideas through shared play. Adults extend that learning. The curriculum description explains how this approach fits alongside the EYFS.

In June 2024, the layout was open-plan and on one level, and children of different ages played together. Children who were more confident speakers provided examples for others to hear and use. Mixed-age play therefore had a practical role in communication, rather than being only a feature of the building's layout.

Language also grew out of ordinary experiences. In June 2024, practitioners supplied short action words while babies played in the sandpit, and conversations about caterpillars the children were looking after introduced new vocabulary. These experiences gave new words a practical context.

Outdoor and Community Life

The garden and courtyard allow children to move between indoor and outdoor play. These two outdoor areas extend children's exploration beyond the indoor materials and activities.

Children visit the library every week, connecting nursery learning with books and village life. The Community Hub also houses a GP surgery, café, wellbeing services and local police.

In June 2024, children had also met police officers and visited the library as part of learning about local services. These experiences brought the surrounding community into their learning. They are a useful counterpart to the nursery's emphasis on following children's own questions and interests.

Relationships and Communication

At the June 2024 inspection, Ofsted found safeguarding effective, described sensitive key-person responses to children with special educational needs and/or disabilities (SEND), and judged partnership with parents positively. For a parent, the important detail is how relationships translated into care: children needing comfort received close, calming attention from their key person.

In June 2024, babies slept in a separate sleep room, apart from the activity in the main space, with staff offering gentle reassurance. That physical separation matters for babies whose need for rest differs from the pace of older children's play.

Communication with families had several routes in June 2024. Parents could discuss development at parents' evenings, contribute their views through questionnaires and surveys, and borrow books from a lending library to share at home. Book borrowing connected nursery experiences with family reading, while conversations gave parents a way to discuss their own child's progress.

Inclusion and Wellbeing

All staff hold paediatric first aid qualifications and have undertaken safeguarding training and enhanced DBS checks. These are concrete arrangements behind the day-to-day care, alongside the nursery's emphasis on secure relationships.

In June 2024, self-care was practised through manageable tasks: babies were encouraged to wipe their faces, while older children chose utensils and helped themselves to food. Children also took on tasks such as clearing up after activities. These examples show independence being built through participation in the day.

The same June 2024 findings identified uneven adult responses to behaviour and insufficiently consistent help with runny noses and covering coughs. Both concerns involved everyday practice. Clear expectations and timely hygiene support are therefore useful subjects for a visit.

School preparation included sharing information about children's development with teachers in June 2024. This gave receiving teachers information about the children moving on, keeping transition work connected to individual development.

Sessions and Attendance

The address is South Staffordshire District Council, Council Offices, Wolverhampton Road, Codsall, Wolverhampton, WV8 1PX. Opening hours are 8am to 6pm on weekdays, across the year, with bank holiday and Christmas closures. The year-round calendar is a material consideration for families arranging care beyond school terms.

Enquiries and visit bookings use the nursery's enquiry form or telephone number, 01902 229008. The form includes space for preferred days and SEND requirements, allowing families to explain their circumstances when making contact.

Getting There

The Community Hub sits within Codsall village, close to shops and other local services. The nursery is a 5 minute walk from the train station, with main public transport routes nearby.

Funding and Paid Extras

In June 2024, funded early education was offered for two-, three- and four-year-old children. Families should obtain current prices in a written quotation, with the arrangements for their intended attendance set out together.

• Behaviour and everyday hygiene. June 2024 findings called for more consistent behaviour strategies and better support with coughs and colds. Ask how those routines now work across the day and how staff communicate expectations to children.
• Mixed-age play and baby rest. In June 2024, children played across age groups and babies had a separate sleep room. A visit can explore how babies' rest and play are organised alongside older children's activities.
• Your attendance and charge structure. Year-round weekday opening provides the practical starting point. Ask for a written attendance proposal covering booking patterns, funded hours, meals and non-food consumables, so the arrangement can be assessed as a whole.

Codsall Community Nursery suits families who value child-led play and regular contact with their local community. Weekly library visits, accessible resources and the garden and courtyard give that approach concrete substance. Year-round weekday opening also makes it relevant to families organising care across school holidays.

The Good judgement from June 2024 sits alongside specific concerns about behaviour consistency and hygiene. The strongest decision will weigh the learning environment and community connections against how those everyday care routines now operate.