Field House Day Nursery & Pre-school

A separate sleep room for babies, a climbing frame for early walkers and garden doors opening straight from preschool give Field House a clear progression through the early years. This small Kenilworth nursery has capacity for 30 children, accepting children from 2 months up to age 5. Its appeal lies in the practical detail: places to explore, space to rest and an emphasis on helping children do more for themselves.

At its July 2024 inspection, Ofsted rated Field House Good, judged safeguarding effective and found that relationships with staff helped children develop confidence and independence. There were also teaching improvements to make, especially around involving quieter children and taking learning further during play. Those points matter alongside the positive judgement.

Attendance combines full-day bookings across the year with a term-time option for specified funded entitlements. For parents, the fit depends as much on the booking conditions as on the rooms: shorter weekly attendance still means full days, and the choice of weekdays is constrained.

Rooms and Ages

The Baby Room, for children up to 12 months, combines sensory play tables and natural materials with water play and early drawing, while a separate sleep room keeps rest apart from the main activity space. That separation is a useful detail for parents weighing how a baby’s naps will fit around a busy nursery day.

In the First Steps Room, for children aged 1 to 2 years, small-world and pretend play sit alongside a climbing frame and space to practise movement. The emphasis changes as children become mobile. Exploration is supported by equipment that gives early walkers something physical to attempt, rather than simply moving them into an older room.

Sharing and playing alongside other children shape the Toddler Room for ages 2 to 3, with imaginative play supporting growing independence. Here, the social side of nursery becomes more prominent: children have opportunities to practise kindness and taking turns as they test new skills.

For ages 3 to 5, the Pre-School Room links activities built around children’s interests with preparation for school, and its bi-fold doors allow movement between the room and garden. Outdoor access is part of the room’s design. Children can carry their exploration between the two spaces rather than treating outdoor play as an entirely separate experience.

Learning and Activities

The early years foundation stage sets the requirements for children’s learning, development and care; in daily life, this brings learning into play, conversation, movement and practical routines. It is the common framework, rather than an extra offered by Field House.

Alongside it, Field House uses Tommies Childcare’s group-wide In the Moment approach, with activities shaped around children’s interests to support language and early number skills. The useful distinction is the starting point: what engages the child helps determine the activity. The approach’s name alone does not establish how well teaching works, so the detail of staff interaction remains important.

In July 2024, rebuilding a block tower became an opportunity to count, while making potions introduced vocabulary through herbs and spices. Babies explored wet sand and used broad brushes; older children practised forming letters from their names. These examples connect early maths, language and hand control to activities children were already enjoying.

Teaching was not equally effective in every moment. During July 2024, quieter children could be overlooked at the edges of activities, and staff sometimes missed opportunities to develop learning further. For a child who watches before joining in, adult attention is therefore a useful point to explore during a visit.

Outdoor and Community Life

Daily garden play includes riding trikes, looking for insects and running around, with outdoor time continuing in different weather. This gives physical activity and investigation a regular place in the day. Families choosing Field House should be comfortable with outdoor play being an everyday expectation.

In July 2024, children tackled a garden obstacle course and used a tyre swing, practising balance and coordinating their movements. Babies also explored outdoors through ride-on toys and the slide. The examples show outdoor activity reaching the youngest children as well as those already able to run and climb confidently.

Relationships and Communication

Settling at Field House involves time, patience and close contact with families during the first weeks. Both the child and parent are included in that process. For a family facing separation for the first time, the important feature is the continued communication while familiar routines and relationships develop.

Famly, the group-wide parent communication app used here, keeps families connected with their child’s nursery experiences. It gives the nursery’s communication a named channel, alongside conversations with staff. The app supports contact; the quality of the relationship still depends on the exchanges behind it.

In July 2024, everyday independence included children choosing and serving breakfast cereal, toddlers dressing after sleep and preschool children managing personal care. These were small, practical tasks with a clear purpose: children had opportunities to attempt things for themselves. They also negotiated sharing during pretend play, putting cooperation into practice through their own conversations.

Inclusion and Wellbeing

At the July 2024 inspection, Ofsted found that the special educational needs coordinator worked with outside professionals on targeted support plans, helping children with SEND develop skills for their next stage. This is a concrete support mechanism: an identified role, professional involvement and plans directed at individual needs. It is more useful to families than a broad promise of inclusion.

CCTV forms part of Field House’s security arrangements, alongside recruitment checks and staff training. These are arrangements in place, rather than a separate assurance about their effectiveness. The dated safeguarding judgement belongs alongside them when parents assess care.

Meals are cooked by Tommies Childcare nursery chefs and brought to Field House freshly each day. Preparation therefore happens before delivery to this branch, rather than in an on-site kitchen.

Sessions and Attendance

Field House operates at 57 Fishponds Road, Kenilworth, CV8 1EY. Enquiries can be made by telephone on 01926 857 280 or through its message route.

Full-day sessions run from 7.30am to 6pm, Monday to Friday, with a minimum booking of two days each week. When a child attends three days or fewer, the pattern must include Monday or Friday. A part-time booking here consequently means fewer full days across the week. It does not mean a shorter daily session.

The all-year arrangement runs over 51 weeks, with closures on bank holidays and for a week at Christmas. Childcare bills also include a staff development day. These details affect both the calendar a family needs to cover and the costs attached to its chosen attendance pattern.

Term-time childcare is offered for families using the entitlement for 2-year-olds receiving additional support or the universal entitlement for 3- and 4-year-olds. That arrangement follows school terms over 38 weeks and excludes holiday childcare. Allocation follows a first-come, first-served rule, and places remain subject to the nursery’s Admissions Policy.

Funding and Paid Extras

Field House accepts 15 hours for children aged 2 years receiving additional support, 15 hours for all 3 & 4-year-olds, and 30 hours childcare for eligible working families. The working-family entitlement covers eligible children from 9 months. Funding can be stretched over 51 weeks; the term-time arrangement applies to the two specified 15-hour entitlements.

Additional paid sessions can supplement funded hours. Each full day uses 7.5 funded hours, up to the child’s entitlement, so funded entitlement and the total booked day are different measures. Families need a costed attendance pattern, rather than assuming that an entitlement covers every hour they book.

Food and snacks are included in standard paid sessions. For funded days, meals and snacks carry a separate charge, including when families choose nursery food for term-time provision. Current prices come in the nursery’s written quotation.

An initial Registration Fee applies when requesting a place; an Acceptance Fee follows if a place is offered and is credited against the first month’s bill. If the exact attendance pattern cannot be offered and the family withdraws its registration, the Registration Fee is refunded; accepting a place makes that fee non-refundable.

Payments fall due in advance each month on the 1st, using Direct Debit, Tax-Free Childcare or a combination of the two. Annual fees are divided into equal monthly bills, and late payment or collection can attract further charges. The fees and booking terms explain the structure.

• Weekday conditions. The minimum is two full days weekly, with Monday or Friday required when booking three days or fewer. Bring your intended work pattern to a visit so the attendance discussion starts with the days you actually need.
• Quieter children. In July 2024, some children watching from the sidelines were missed, and teaching did not consistently take learning further. Ask how staff now draw hesitant children into activities and build on their play.
• Baby routines. The Baby Room has a separate sleep room, and settling involves close family contact. During a visit, discuss how your child’s sleep and feeding routines would work through a full nursery day.
• Funding and the bill. Funded days have separate food charges, while standard paid sessions include food and snacks. Request a written quotation for your precise pattern, including meals and the registration and acceptance terms, before accepting a place.

Field House suits families seeking either fewer full days across the week or a full-week pattern, as well as those using its specified term-time funded option. The separate baby sleep space, First Steps Room and preschool garden access give its age progression practical substance. Settling contact and Famly provide useful ways to maintain a relationship with the nursery.

The balance is clear: a positive July 2024 judgement and concrete examples of children practising independence, alongside teaching improvements concerning quieter children and the next steps in their learning. The strongest match is a family that values everyday outdoor play and can accommodate the minimum days and weekday conditions. Those booking rules deserve as much attention as the rooms.