Charlie Caterpillars Day Nursery

A familiar key person, play shaped around children's interests and waterproof suits for outdoor time give Charlie Caterpillars Day Nursery its character. Based at Dorchester Park in Walsall, it cares for children from birth to five, with 57 places in total. Its practical appeal lies in the connection between home routines and nursery care: parents share sleep preferences, comforting strategies and health information before their child starts.

At its November 2023 inspection, Ofsted rated the nursery Good, while identifying inconsistent explanations about safe behaviour and uneven support for early conversation as areas to improve. Those findings deserve attention alongside the positive account of children's independence and relationships. The useful question is how consistently the approach reaches each child.

Private childcare and funded places sit alongside occasional morning and afternoon play sessions, with different booking conditions.

Rooms and Ages

Caterpillars Room serves children aged zero to two, while Chrysalis is another named room. For the youngest children, the preparation starts with information from home rather than a generic routine: the registration form asks about bottle times, sleep preferences, comforters and what helps a child settle. That gives staff a practical starting point for individual care.

In November 2023, the preschool space had been rearranged to give children more room to explore. Outdoor activities included hand painting at a table and drawing in sand with tools. These are concrete examples of how physical play and making marks can support the movements children later use for writing.

Learning and Activities

The early years foundation stage provides the framework for children's learning, development and care. In everyday terms, learning through play sits alongside developing communication, movement and relationships. Charlie Caterpillars adds an emphasis on children's interests, using schematic play to identify what they enjoy and choosing activities and resources around those interests. The key person monitors progress and keeps parents informed.

Parent Baseline forms bring observations from home into the starting picture. The baby form asks about responses to voices, familiar adults and sounds; the toddler forms cover such things as sharing stories, making marks and doing tasks independently. These are prompts for parents to describe their own child, rather than a promise that every child follows the same timetable.

Outdoor and Community Life

Waterproof all-in-one suits are supplied for outdoor play, while families bring wellington boots and take them home after each session. The arrangement makes outdoor clothing part of the routine, with a clear job for parents when packing the nursery bag.

In November 2023, children helped friends find their boots before heading to the forest-school area, an outdoor space used during the nursery day. Staff also demonstrated ways to get dressed and fasten outdoor clothing, giving children time to tackle awkward tasks themselves. Independence was practised through ordinary routines as well as planned activities.

Relationships and Communication

Settling is organised around the key person. A parents-only meeting comes first, followed by a visit for the child to explore the room and get to know their key person; a later visit involves an hour apart from the parent. Further settling sessions can be arranged according to the child's needs. This makes separation a staged process rather than a single first-day hurdle.

Parents are enrolled in Parent Zone, and news reaches families by email through the app. Health care plans for children on long-term medication are revisited at six-monthly parent consultations and sooner when circumstances change. The registration form also gathers the words a child uses, their likes and dislikes, and how they are comforted. Small details can matter when a child cannot yet explain what they need.

Inclusion and Wellbeing

At the November 2023 inspection, Ofsted found effective safeguarding and strong support for children with SEND, including calming sensory areas and early, continuing help coordinated through the SENCo. These are dated judgements. Current arrangements include a SENCO role and a Health Care Plan completed with the key person for a child with an allergy, medical condition, special educational need or disability.

Allergy planning covers symptoms, exposure risks and treatment, so it is an individual care discussion rather than a general assurance. Sleep information is equally personal: parents record preferred times, duration and what helps their child fall asleep.

Meals are freshly prepared and home cooked. Toothbrushing after meals is supported, with families supplying a labelled toothbrush and the nursery providing toothpaste; parents also supply barrier cream when their child needs it.

Sessions and Attendance

Opening hours are 8am to 6pm, Monday to Friday. Regular bookings require at least two days each week, and full-time children receive priority when places are offered. Set sessions cannot be swapped, which matters for parents whose working days change frequently.

Morning play sessions run from 9am to noon, and afternoon play sessions from 1pm to 4pm. These are occasional bookings made week by week, subject to availability, and cannot form a continuing booking arrangement. They serve a different purpose from a regular childcare commitment.

Bookings are billed across 52 weeks, including charged closure days. Closures cover bank holidays and the Christmas period; the holiday allowance excludes the Christmas closure. Cancellation requires one calendar month's notice, and a deposit equivalent to one month's fees is held against final invoices. A non-refundable registration charge is payable before a place is booked.

Getting There

The address is Unit 1, Dorchester Park, Commercial Road, Walsall, WS2 7NQ. Enquiries can be made through the childcare enquiry form, by email at info@charliecaterpillars.co.uk or by telephone on 01922 497 136.

Funding and Paid Extras

Funded childcare includes 15 hours for two-year-olds, the universal 15 hours for three- and four-year-olds, and the extended 30-hour entitlement for three- and four-year-olds. Funding is offered over 38 term-time weeks, with a stretched option also offered. Eligibility still matters; participation does not itself establish a family's entitlement.

Snacks and meals are included in the full-day care price but charged separately for funding-only sessions. Parents provide toothbrushes and any required barrier cream. Current prices come in the nursery's written quotation; the funding and fees page sets out the funding options.

• Consistency in everyday teaching. November 2023 brought two improvement points: explaining safe behaviour consistently and giving children more sustained conversation. During a showaround, ask how staff now put these into practice with younger children.
• Regular care or occasional play. Continuing bookings require two days a week, while the morning and afternoon play sessions are occasional arrangements. Match the contract to the pattern you actually need.
• The cost of the whole booking. Funding-only sessions carry separate food charges, and regular bookings are billed across 52 weeks with charged closures. Read the written quotation alongside the deposit, registration and notice terms.
• Individual health needs. A Health Care Plan is completed with the key person for allergies and other specified needs. Use the parent meeting to confirm current allergy practice and how your child's plan will work during the day.

Charlie Caterpillars suits families seeking regular full-time care or occasional morning and afternoon play sessions, provided the different booking rules fit their needs. Its strongest practical features are the staged settling process, detailed information gathered from home and an interest-led approach to play. The November 2023 teaching concerns make consistency a useful point to explore. For parents, the decision combines the child's relationship with their key person and a clear understanding of the attendance contract.