Teddy's Garden Day Nursery

A Victorian villa and around an acre of grounds give Teddy's Garden Day Nursery a clear identity: indoor space adapted for young children, with substantial room outside for play and exploration. Its setting in St Edward’s Park, Cheddleton, is a practical part of the nursery experience, rather than simply a countryside backdrop.

At its February 2022 inspection, Ofsted rated the nursery Outstanding overall and found that children made rapid progress as staff built learning around their individual development. That judgement is dated, but the examples behind it are useful: babies practised balance, older children chose stories, and caring for chickens connected learning with real responsibilities.

The nursery has 60 places in total and caters for babies, toddlers and preschool children. Its weekday opening window runs from 7.30am to 6pm. For parents, the combination to weigh is the physical setting, the individual attention described in February 2022 and the practical demands of a weekday childcare routine.

Learning and Activities

The early years foundation stage is the framework for children's learning, development and care. Here, that means considering physical development, communication and growing independence together, rather than treating preparation for school as an isolated task.

In February 2022, babies beginning to move along furniture were encouraged to reach for interesting toys placed on unit tops. The activity gave them a reason to practise standing and balance. Music also entered their play: babies explored a toy electric guitar while their key persons sang nursery rhymes. These were concrete activities linked to the children's stage of development.

For older children in February 2022, choosing a story involved voting, while younger children selected rhymes through a bag game. Choice had a place in the day. Preschool children also made pictures of themselves for a shared group display, connecting an individual contribution with belonging to a group.

Storytelling extended outdoors in February 2022, when preschool children acted out a bear hunt in the forest area. Conversations gave older children opportunities to revisit familiar stories and talk about experiences. For families, the useful detail is the connection between listening, speaking and doing: language practice was woven into play rather than confined to a single activity.

Outdoor and Community Life

Around an acre of grounds provides space for outdoor exploration alongside the adapted Victorian accommodation. This is one of the clearest reasons to consider Teddy's Garden: its physical surroundings give outdoor play a substantial place in the setting.

In February 2022, children helped look after chickens and gathered their eggs. That brought responsibility into an everyday activity, with living animals to care for rather than only pictures to discuss. The forest area supplied a different kind of outdoor experience, giving imaginative play a setting beyond the indoor rooms.

Relationships and Communication

In February 2022, key persons used children's starting points to plan their next learning steps, while staff reviewed settling routines with parents. Movement to the next learning stage took account of emotional and physical readiness. For a young child, this linked familiar relationships with the pace of change.

Weekly learning bags were sent home in February 2022, with contents matched to each child's next developmental steps. These gave parents a concrete way to continue activities at home. Staff also worked with professionals and other settings attended by the children; key persons visited other nurseries to observe how a child behaved in a different environment.

Inclusion and Wellbeing

At the February 2022 inspection, Ofsted found effective safeguarding arrangements and praised the learning partnership with parents, including its contribution to outcomes for children with special educational needs and/or disabilities and those learning English as an additional language. These findings concern the nursery's practice at that time.

In February 2022, leaders tested staff knowledge through safeguarding scenarios, including how to respond to concerns about children or allegations involving staff. Mentoring also supported less experienced practitioners. The useful distinction for families is between a policy existing and staff rehearsing how to act: the latter was part of the practice observed then.

Sessions and Attendance

Teddy's Garden opens Monday to Friday, from 7.30am to 6pm, across the year. It closes on bank holidays and for a week between Christmas and New Year. Those closures matter for families organising work and backup childcare, even with an otherwise year-round routine.

Getting There

The address is Garden Villa, East Drive, Cheddleton, Leek, ST13 7DN. Enquiries can be made by telephone on 01538 361600 during weekday opening hours, or by email to office@teddys-garden.co.uk.

Funding and Paid Extras

In February 2022, the nursery provided funded early education for two-, three- and four-year-old children. That is a dated participation statement, rather than a promise about a family's present entitlement or booking arrangement.

• Individual learning in practice. February 2022 examples included balance activities for babies and individually tailored weekly learning bags. On a visit, look for how those links between observation, play and home learning work for a child at your own child's stage.
• Outdoor space across the ages. Around an acre of grounds is a substantial part of the setting, while the February 2022 account included chickens and a forest area. A visit should explore how babies, toddlers and preschool children use the outdoor areas.
• Booking and funded care. The opening window is 7.30am to 6pm, and funded provision was recorded in February 2022. What attendance patterns and funded arrangements apply now, including the treatment of meals and non-food consumables?

Teddy's Garden suits families seeking weekday childcare in a setting with substantial outdoor space and adapted Victorian accommodation. St Edward’s Park gives it a recognisable character; the February 2022 examples give substance to its approach to individual learning and parent involvement.

The strongest decision value lies in that combination of space and specific practice. Families can use the dated examples of learning bags, baby balance activities and animal care to judge how well the nursery's day would fit their child.