Fingertips Woodland Nursery

Daily woodland learning gives Fingertips Woodland Nursery its character. Based within the woodland area of Manland Primary School in Harpenden, it combines an indoor nursery, a nature garden and a larger woodland space. Children can move between indoor activities and outdoor play, rather than treating the garden as a brief break from learning.

Ofsted rated the nursery Outstanding at its 8 June 2022 inspection and found safeguarding effective. That is a dated judgement, while the current offer centres on creative play, daily Forest School activities and opportunities for children to choose what interests them. Forest School here means practical woodland learning, including working with wood, climbing and exploring the natural world.

The nursery accepts children aged 2-5 and has 30 places in total. Attendance is term-time, with a daytime session and an optional late extension.

Learning and Activities

The Early Years Foundation Stage (EYFS) provides the framework for learning and care: children develop language, physical skills, early mathematical understanding and creativity through play and interaction. It is the shared foundation for early-years provision; this nursery adds daily woodland activities alongside its indoor learning spaces.

Indoors, children can choose creative work in the art and malleable materials area, explore imaginary situations through role play, or use the construction and science tables. Photographs on equipment trays help them identify resources for themselves. That is a practical support for independence, including for children who cannot yet read labels.

Reading, singing and dancing sit alongside games involving numbers and letters. Small teaching groups provide another pattern within the day, so children have both self-directed exploration and activities organised by adults. The indoor provision matters here: families are choosing woodland learning with an indoor base, rather than an exclusively outdoor day.

In June 2022, a water-play activity developed into an investigation of soap and bubbles, before children used the mixture to clean the mud kitchen together. The example captures learning that grew from children's curiosity, with counting, prediction and cooperation emerging within their play. In the same month, a story activity prompted children to construct a bridge using blocks and string, referring back to the book's illustrations as they worked.

Outdoor and Community Life

The nature garden includes opportunities for climbing, sand and water exploration, and imaginative play in the mud kitchen. Children choose between indoors and outdoors throughout the day. For a child who prefers active exploration, this makes outdoor learning part of the daily routine rather than a separate occasional activity.

Daily Forest School activities extend into the larger woodland area. Whittling, sawing and fire lighting are among the experiences, alongside tree climbing and learning about the environment. These are concrete additions to the indoor programme, involving materials and practical tasks that differ from table-based activities.

In June 2022, children paused to consider tree climbing before taking part, with staff close by. They also handled snails carefully and lowered their voices around them. Those observations show how physical exploration and care for living things were brought into the same outdoor experience.

At the June 2022 inspection, Ofsted found that close attention to language, collaboration with outside professionals and detailed assessment supported rapid progress, including for children needing additional help, while children were well settled and had secure relationships with staff. This is the strongest dated evidence about support and wellbeing, rather than a promise about every child's future experience.

In June 2022, practitioners introduced new vocabulary during children's activities and shared knowledge about what individual children could do and what they needed to learn next. The practical point is that support was woven into play and conversation. Children did not have to leave their interests behind for adults to extend their learning.

Independence was visible in everyday tasks at that time. Children changed out of their outdoor clothes, took responsibility for their play and helped put resources away. For parents, these are useful examples of preparation for the next stage: managing belongings and participating in a group matter alongside early letters and numbers.

The nursery employed eight staff in June 2022, all with relevant early-years qualifications. That staffing snapshot belongs to the inspection period; it should be read alongside the dated observations of practice.

Breakfast, snacks and milk are included in the nursery fee, while parents supply a packed lunch. A warm or hot tea is offered to children attending the late extension.

Sessions and Attendance

The address is 50 Sauncey Avenue, Harpenden, AL5 4QL, on the Manland Primary School site. Nursery attendance does not guarantee a Reception place at the school; families still use the local authority admissions process.

The daytime session runs from 8am to 4pm, Monday to Friday. An optional extended-hour session runs from 4pm to 5pm, Monday to Thursday, and carries an additional charge. Friday finishes at 4pm, an important distinction for families arranging the same collection time throughout the week.

Within the daytime arrangement, the start can be between 8am and 8.30am, with collection between 3.30pm and 4pm. These flexible windows offer some room around the beginning and end of the day while keeping the underlying session intact.

The nursery operates during term time and also runs holiday clubs separately. Those clubs are a separate provision, rather than a year-round nursery attendance pattern. The enquiry form allows families to select Woodland Nursery and indicate the weekdays they require.

Funding and Paid Extras

Funded childcare is accepted, including 15 or 30 hours for eligible two-year-olds, universal 15-hour funding for three- and four-year-olds, and 30-hour funding for eligible children subject to availability. Delivery is term-time, and no more than six funded hours can be used in a day. A funded entitlement therefore does not cover the whole 8am-to-4pm session; additional private hours are charged.

The breakfast, snacks and milk inclusion applies to the nursery fee structure, including its funded-day options; lunch comes from home. Current prices come in the nursery's written quotation, and the Woodland Nursery fees page sets out the day and extension arrangements.

An application form is required for registration or the waiting list. Once a place is offered, the deposit must be paid within 14 days to reserve it; it is credited against the final month's invoice and is not refunded if the family withdraws before starting. Fees are not reduced for sickness or holidays.

• Practical woodland activities. Daily Forest School includes sawing, whittling and fire lighting. At a visit, discuss how your child would be introduced to these activities and supported to take part.
• Friday collection. The late extension operates Monday to Thursday, while Friday ends at 4pm. This needs to fit the family's weekly collection arrangements.
• Funding within a longer day. A maximum of six funded hours can be used daily within the 8am-to-4pm session. Compare the written quotation with the attendance pattern you intend to book.
• Settling into an active day. Children can choose between the indoor nursery and woodland garden. Ask how settling would be organised for your child, including who would provide their main point of contact.

Fingertips Woodland Nursery suits families seeking term-time daytime care or a day with a late extension, with daily practical woodland learning alongside an indoor base. Its nature garden, child-accessible resources and hands-on Forest School activities give it a clear educational character. The Outstanding judgement belongs to June 2022; the present decision rests on whether this active day, the funded-hours structure and the earlier Friday finish fit your child and family.