Willow Tree Nursery School

A room for cooking and yoga, gardens reached directly from the age-group rooms, and a sensory room give Willow Tree Nursery School a clear practical character. Children have spaces for energetic exploration, hands-on food activities and quieter moments. The outdoor mud kitchen and reading nook add two different ways to spend time outside: making and experimenting, or pausing with a book.

On Chingford Avenue in Clacton-on-sea, Willow Tree caters for children aged two months to five years and has capacity for 190 children. At its October 2024 inspection, Ofsted rated the nursery Good and judged safeguarding effective. The strengths came with specific improvements to make, especially greater consistency in teaching and better use of the nursery environment and surrounding community.

Full days, mornings and afternoons give families different attendance options. The combination of these sessions, direct garden access and an onsite chef makes the practical offer as relevant as the learning spaces.

Learning and Activities

The early years foundation stage sets the framework for children's learning, development and care. Here, that means learning through play as well as activities led by adults, with everyday opportunities to practise communication, movement, early mathematics and independence.

In October 2024, children explored colour, shape and number through their own play and planned activities. Cutting paper shapes gave them a practical task; recognising shapes around them connected the idea to their surroundings. Staff used conversations and questions to encourage children to explain their thinking. Learning was therefore woven into what children were doing, rather than confined to a separate lesson.

The cookery and yoga room gives these activities a dedicated setting. During cookery, children handle ingredients and practise practical skills, with opportunities to learn about growing food and where it comes from. Yoga provides a different use for the same space, alongside the nursery's outdoor Forest School adventures. Forest School here adds opportunities for outdoor exploration; its name should sit alongside the everyday garden offer rather than replace it.

Outdoor and Community Life

Each age-group room connects straight to the garden. That arrangement makes outdoor play part of the room's daily possibilities, while the mud kitchen and reading nook accommodate different interests. The sensory room supplies another option for relaxation indoors.

In October 2024, children moved between their rooms and gardens, used natural materials and carried play resources between areas to develop their games. Staff helped them pursue their ideas. The gardens supported both physical activity and imaginative play, so outdoor time had a purpose beyond taking a break from the room.

There was also an important limitation at that date: the surrounding neighbourhood was used less fully for learning, and walks beyond the nursery were not routine. Room presentation needed more thought too, including family photographs positioned beyond babies' view. These are useful points for families to explore alongside the attractive physical spaces.

Tendring Specialist Stroke Services is the nursery's charity for the current year. It supports people recovering from strokes and their families. Willow Tree's fundraising plans include bake sales, sponsored challenges, family events and days involving dressing up, giving families a way to participate in a local cause.

Relationships and Communication

At the October 2024 inspection, Ofsted found that key persons understood their children well and worked with families and other professionals to address developmental gaps, with staff training supporting their work with children with special educational needs and/or disabilities. This makes the relationship with the child's key person a substantial part of the care offer, rather than simply an allocated contact.

In October 2024, babies received physical comfort when they needed it, while everyday tasks helped children practise doing things for themselves. Babies tried cups and cutlery; older children served food, poured drinks and managed their coats. These small tasks gave independence a practical meaning, with adults supporting children as they learnt.

A Parent App helps families keep connected with nursery life. Communication also mattered to parents who contributed in October 2024: they identified exchanges with staff as a strength. For families, that combination puts the daily conversation alongside the convenience of digital contact.

Inclusion and Wellbeing

The sensory room offers a place to relax, complementing the busier gardens and activity spaces. Different settings within the nursery give children alternatives across the day, rather than expecting every activity to happen in their base room.

An onsite chef prepares meals, using local ingredients where possible, and menus accommodate different dietary requirements. Cookery activities connect food at the table with ingredients children can explore themselves.

Changes within the staff team had affected teaching consistency in October 2024. Work to strengthen practice was under way but had not yet become established across the team. That dated concern belongs alongside the positive findings about relationships: familiar adults and good intentions need consistent teaching behind them.

Sessions and Attendance

The address is Chingford Avenue, Great Clacton, Clacton on Sea, Essex, CO15 4US. Full Days run from 8am to 6pm, Mornings from 8am to 1pm, and Afternoons from 1pm to 6pm. A morning booking therefore covers the earlier part of the day, while an afternoon booking provides a separate later option.

Willow Tree operates throughout the year, with Easter week, Christmas week and two staff-training days among its planned closures. Its funding offer is stretched across 50 weeks. Families can enquire using the nursery's own enquiry form, and a large car park supports collections and drop-offs.

Funding and Paid Extras

Eligible children aged nine months and above can access the Government's 15 Hours or 30 Hours funding offer, beginning the term after they reach the relevant qualifying age. Willow Tree stretches these entitlements across the year, offering up to 11.40 or 22.80 funded hours a week respectively. Funding can be used during the usual sessions, with a maximum of 10 funded hours in a day; additional unfunded hours are charged at the applicable session rate.

Food carries a separate charge during funded sessions. Health & Hygiene consumables and the additional activities are currently supplied without an extra charge. Charges are adjusted for half-day or partly funded sessions, which matters when comparing different attendance patterns. A first funding claim in the Summer term has a different arrangement for that initial term.

Current prices come in the nursery's written quotation. A non-refundable registration charge applies to reserving a place, and a deposit is put towards the first invoice. Monthly bills remain payable during a child's absence, including illness, so occasional missed days do not reduce the cost of the booking.

• Consistency across the team. Teaching varied following staff changes in October 2024, and further staff development was required. On a visit, ask how learning is now planned and supported consistently across the age groups.
• Gardens and the wider neighbourhood. Direct garden access is a strength of the layout, but neighbourhood walks were not routine in October 2024 and some room displays were poorly positioned for babies. Ask to see how babies can reach and use their resources, and how learning now extends beyond the nursery grounds.
• Your funded booking. Entitlements are stretched across 50 weeks, with food charged separately and a different first-term arrangement for Summer starters. Request a written quotation for your chosen morning, afternoon or full-day pattern, including any unfunded hours.
• Dietary needs. Menus cater for different requirements and food is prepared onsite. Families managing allergies should discuss current food preparation and meal arrangements before joining.

Willow Tree suits families choosing between morning, afternoon and full-day attendance who value easy garden access, practical cookery and spaces for quieter activity. The sensory room, cookery and yoga room, and outdoor play features give substance to that offer.

The Good judgement from October 2024 provides a positive inspection position, while the teaching-consistency and environment improvements deserve attention. For parents, the strongest decision rests on how those everyday spaces are used and how consistently their child's learning is supported, alongside a quotation that matches the actual booking they need.