Ridgemount Cottage Nursery School

Woodland dens, garden chickens and a mud kitchen give Ridgemount Cottage Nursery School a clear outdoor character. At this Brockworth setting, children can climb, grow things and get messy, with a cottage garden and veg patch bringing nature into their play. These are useful spaces for children who learn by handling, trying and exploring, rather than spending their day on seated activities.

The nursery has capacity for 120 children and accepts ages from 9 to 59 months. At its 24 January 2024 inspection, Ofsted rated it Good overall and found safeguarding effective. That judgement sits alongside a practical caution: some group activities did not involve quieter children fully enough, and the organisation of older children's adult-led learning needed attention.

Full-day and afternoon attendance are offered, with a minimum booking of two sessions each week. The detail matters here, because morning-only and term-time-only attendance have been withdrawn.

Rooms and Ages

Babies emphasises sensory exploration, with an outdoor space intended for the youngest children to investigate natural materials. Toddlers combines language-building through books and songs with creative work such as drawing and cutting, while garden activities include tending flowers and feeding chickens. Preschool continues interest-led play and adds opportunities to develop early literacy, mathematical understanding and creative expression, alongside work in the cottage veg patch.

These differences give the groups their own emphasis. For younger children, handling materials and exploring their surroundings are central; older children have more opportunities to connect practical experiences with the skills they will use at primary school. The garden threads through the groups rather than sitting apart from their learning.

Learning and Activities

The EYFS framework organises learning across areas such as communication, physical development and social development: in parent terms, play helps children practise talking, moving, forming relationships and understanding their surroundings. Ridgemount's interest-led approach sits within that framework. Children make choices in their routines, and open-ended activities leave room for them to try their own ideas while playing with friends.

Gardening, composting and bug hunts add concrete tasks to that approach. A child can investigate living things, help care for a growing space or build a den, rather than simply hear about the natural world. The practical emphasis is clear; there is no need to dress ordinary outdoor exploration up as a separate branded programme.

In January 2024, stories were used as starting points for activities across the nursery. Younger children experimented with cereal and water to explore making porridge, while older children discussed ingredients and their sensory qualities. Staff also used yoga linked to stories to help children practise calming themselves and recognising feelings.

Participation was less consistent in some adult-led activities at that time. More confident children sometimes received greater attention, and some others disengaged when they could not take an active part. In January 2024, activities were also not always adapted sufficiently to children's different ages and stages of development. The improvement priorities were to involve older children more effectively during group learning and to plan the sequence of learning more carefully around what children already understood.

Outdoor and Community Life

A woodland area supports climbing and den-making; elsewhere, the cottage garden, veg patch and mud kitchen offer different ways to explore. This gives outdoor play several forms, from energetic movement to quieter observation and hands-on gardening. Weather-appropriate clothes and sturdy footwear belong in the everyday kit.

Community life extends beyond the grounds. Children make regular visits to the library and retirement home, while termly coffee mornings and craft days give families opportunities to join in. Support for Gloucestershire Wildlife trust connects the nursery's interest in nature with a named organisation. The value for families is the combination: children encounter people and places beyond their own group, and parents have occasions to take part in nursery life.

Relationships and Communication

A key person is introduced before the child's first day and becomes the family's main nursery contact. Settling arrangements are chosen with parents and can be adjusted by agreement as staff observe how the child responds. Three free settling-in sessions are offered. That provides a defined starting point, alongside a process that can respond to the individual child.

A favourite toy or book can come from home during the early stages. Parents also supply a labelled drinks bottle and spare clothes. These practical preparations complement the relationship with the key person: familiar objects can accompany the child while a familiar adult relationship develops.

Famly provides daily notices and a channel for communication with staff. It also carries the menu for existing families. Having routine information and messages in one app gives parents a way to keep up with nursery life between conversations with the team.

Inclusion and Wellbeing

At the January 2024 inspection, Ofsted found that staff identified additional support needs promptly, worked with families and other professionals, and supported good progress for children with SEND. The useful detail is the mechanism: concerns led to discussions and arrangements for help, rather than remaining observations within the nursery.

In January 2024, staff used words from children's home languages alongside gestures and signs to support communication. Babies had a quiet sleep room with staff monitoring, and children had taster sessions in new rooms before moving groups. For the move to school, staff arranged visits and welcomed teachers into the nursery; detailed learning records are also passed on at transition.

An in-house catering team prepares seasonal food on a three-week menu rotation, with mashed or puréed versions guided by parents when children begin eating solids. The team works with families on dietary needs, so meals can be discussed in the context of the child's stage and requirements.

Sessions and Attendance

The address is 73 Ermin Street, Gloucester, GL3 4EH, in Brockworth. Opening hours are 7.30am to 6pm on weekdays, and the nursery operates across the year, closing on bank holidays.

Full Day runs from 8am to 6pm; Afternoon Session runs from 1pm to 6pm. Breakfast Club covers 7.30am to 8am, and a separately charged Late Finish runs from 6pm to 6.30pm. The late option therefore extends beyond the normal opening window.

A minimum of two sessions per week applies. Morning-only attendance and term-time-only attendance are no longer offered. Extra ad hoc days can be requested through management, but these additional sessions cannot use funding. This distinction matters when planning occasional extra care alongside a regular funded booking.

Enquiries can be made by telephone on 01452 864 107 or by email to office@ridgemountnursery.com. Leaving requires one calendar month's notice, which parents can give through the leaving form. Optional uniform is available through MyClothing.com; families can also use their own clothes suitable for messy activities.

Funding and Paid Extras

Funded childcare is offered, with funding options described as 15 to 30 Hours Funding. Eligibility depends on family circumstances, and management checks the funding code and helps complete a form that must then be renewed termly. Privately paid sessions are also offered. Current prices come in the nursery's written quotation, with the charge structure set out on its fees page.

Morning and afternoon meals carry separate optional charges. Non-food consumables also carry a separate optional charge covering items including sun cream and nappy cream, while parents are asked to bring nappies, wipes, labelled cream and suncream. Consumables therefore combine nursery charges with supplies brought from home; families should budget and pack for both parts of that arrangement.

The funding calendar and attendance rules need to be read together before choosing a pattern. The specific point to resolve is set out below.

• Funding and attendance. The funded calendar includes 15- and 30-hour term-time patterns, but the application rules withdraw term-time-only attendance. Ask how funded hours fit an across-year booking before agreeing the attendance pattern.
• Participation in group learning. In January 2024, some quieter children missed opportunities to extend their learning during adult-led activities. At a viewing, ask how staff now involve less confident children and adapt group tasks to different stages of development.
• Consumables and dietary needs. Optional consumable charges sit alongside a request for supplies from home. Agree which items you will bring and, if your child has an allergy or dietary requirement, how the catering arrangements will work for them.

Ridgemount suits families looking for full-day or afternoon care across the year, with outdoor exploration woven into children's routines. The woodland, garden and chickens give that offer substance, while key-person introductions, adjustable settling and daily app communication provide useful links between home and nursery.

The January 2024 Good judgement supports the overall picture, but participation in adult-led learning deserves attention, especially for a quieter child. The other decision is practical: the funded calendar needs reconciling with the withdrawal of term-time-only attendance. Families comfortable with the regular booking requirement have a nursery with a clear emphasis on hands-on play and community involvement.