Tortoise Nursery

Play dough, mint leaves and obstacle courses built from wooden reels give Tortoise Nursery a recognisable character in March 2023: children experimenting with materials, solving practical problems and testing their balance. Everyday objects became tools for learning.

Ofsted rated the nursery Outstanding at its inspection on 17 March 2023. In Wellington, Telford, it has capacity for 42 children and accepts ages from 3 to 60 months. The inspection examples offer a useful picture of its approach at that time, rather than a description of today's activities.

The early years foundation stage sets the requirements for children's learning, development and care, bringing play and learning together with everyday care. In March 2023, activities followed children's interests: an exploration of texture developed into making play dough, with children estimating water and handling ingredients. Children also rubbed and smelled mint leaves. Making play dough brought measurement and practical problem-solving together.

Outdoors that March, toddlers balanced on a simple arrangement of crates and a wooden plank. Older children extended their course with tyres and wooden cable reels, then added jumping to the challenge. Materials could be rearranged as children developed their ideas, rather than used for just one fixed purpose.

Language also ran through daily experiences in March 2023. Stories, songs and rhymes provided opportunities to hear and practise words; staff modelled vocabulary and encouraged longer replies. For children ready for further mathematical challenge, activities introduced addition and the meaning of equals.

At the March 2023 inspection, Ofsted found safeguarding effective and judged that timely support, including work with other professionals, helped children with special educational needs and/or disabilities make progress. These are dated judgements about practice at that visit.

Relationships had practical substance in March 2023: staff knew children's interests and personalities, and parents had frequent opportunities to speak with their child's key person. Advice about child development extended those conversations beyond the nursery day. Staff and parents also had access to speech and language training and workshops.

Independence was practised through ordinary tasks that March. Older children laid lunch tables and served themselves, while younger children filled small jugs at a small sink and carried water to their play. These examples make the approach tangible: children took an active part in everyday routines.

The address is 7 Wrekin Professional Centre, Holyhead Road, Wellington, Telford, TF1 2EH. Opening hours are 7.30am to 6pm, Monday to Friday, across the year, with bank holidays and one week at Christmas closed.

In March 2023, the nursery provided funded early education for two-, three- and four-year-olds. That is a dated funding position.

• Learning through adaptable materials. The March 2023 examples centre on mixing ingredients and building outdoor challenges. At a visit, ask how this approach works for your child's age and interests today.
• Language support. Speech and communication were priorities in March 2023, with workshops and targeted activities. Discuss how a key person would support your child's current communication needs.

Tortoise Nursery suits families drawn to practical exploration, child-led activities and opportunities for independence. Its Outstanding March 2023 judgement is backed by concrete examples of children learning through materials and everyday routines. The weekday opening window also gives families a useful starting point when considering how nursery care fits their working day.