Seedling Nursery

Jephson Gardens, the Royal Pump Rooms library and a large soft play room give Seedling Nursery a character that reaches beyond its town-centre address. Children have opportunities to explore Leamington Spa as well as play indoors, while families receive daily updates through eyLog. The combination is practical: activity for children, detail for parents.

At its 5 May 2022 inspection, Ofsted rated Seedling Outstanding and found that children made excellent progress through an ambitious curriculum and strong relationships with staff. That judgement is dated. The current offer includes care for children aged 9 months to 5 years, a key person for each child and learning planned around children's interests.

Full days, preschool hours and part-time sessions form the attendance offer, with a minimum booking of two full days per week. That minimum is an important part of the decision, rather than a detail to discover after choosing the nursery.

Rooms and Ages

Heuristic Play gives babies and toddlers everyday objects and containers to investigate through their own experiments. Adults prepare the materials, observe what children do and step in when needed. The emphasis is on choosing and discovering, rather than completing an adult's demonstration.

Treasure Baskets are collections of everyday objects that babies can examine through touch and movement. An adult stays nearby while the child explores. For families of younger children, these are concrete examples of how play is organised around investigation rather than a succession of directed tasks.

Physical activity has a substantial indoor space of its own. Daily access to the large soft play room brings climbing frames, large blocks and balls into the day. This gives children opportunities for energetic movement alongside quieter learning, rather than relying entirely on outdoor conditions.

Learning and Activities

The Early Years Foundation Stage provides the framework for children's learning, development and care, including learning through play and building relationships with familiar adults. Seedling's curriculum adds planning around individual interests, with staff observing play before choosing topics, materials and experiences. Child-led exploration and activities guided by adults both have a place, indoors and outside.

The planning cycle follows the nursery's 3 i's: Intent identifies the learning aim, Implement addresses how to teach it, and Impact considers what happened and the next step. For a parent, the useful distinction is between an activity simply filling time and one chosen to extend something their child is learning. The curriculum overview explains this sequence.

In May 2022, communication work included enthusiastic singing, shared stories and opportunities for children to invent and tell their own stories. Staff also used signs alongside speech. Babies and toddlers took part in small-group activities using chatter bags, which contained resources and ideas linked to their next steps. In those May 2022 activities, stories, signs and small-group resources gave children several ways to practise communication.

Everyday independence also featured in May 2022. Babies practised finding their footwear, while older children took responsibility for clearing their eating utensils. The value lies in repeated, manageable responsibilities: children have opportunities to do things for themselves as part of ordinary nursery life.

Outdoor and Community Life

Small-group outings to Jephson Gardens and visits to the Royal Pump Rooms library bring familiar local places into children's experiences. Choosing books connected with an interest gives a library visit a purpose beyond simply leaving the building. Community events also feature, and older children make outings to Foundry Woods towards the end of their time at Seedling.

Behaviour is discussed through In our class we, a set of shared promises revisited at daily circle time. Kindness, listening and putting toys away are among the expectations. This gives children specific actions to practise, rather than an abstract instruction to behave well.

Relationships and Communication

Each child has a key person who works with their family to understand preferences, needs and development. The arrangement gives parents a familiar contact and gives the child an adult who knows their individual routines. In May 2022, settling was tailored to individual children, with conversations about home interests helping staff plan subsequent learning.

Daily eyLog updates cover eating, sleep, activities and toileting or nappy changes. Photo and video observations contribute to each child's Learning Journal, and parents can share information from home. That makes the exchange useful in both directions: families can understand the nursery day, while staff can connect it with what matters to the child elsewhere.

A weekly newsletter adds news about trips, projects and initiatives. Spotlight meetings provide time to discuss development with the child's key person, beyond the shorter exchanges at the beginning or end of a session. Family participation includes an annual Christmas party, alongside other family events. These provide different routes into nursery life for parents who want more than a daily care summary.

Inclusion and Wellbeing

The SENCO role includes identifying learning needs, arranging relevant support and making referrals. At the May 2022 inspection, Ofsted found effective safeguarding and proactive SEND support, including adjustments to preschool grouping that helped children respond positively. These are inspection-time findings, while the current SENCO arrangements describe a mechanism families can use to discuss their child's needs.

Staff undertake training in child protection, paediatric first aid and food hygiene. Additional training includes speech and language, children's emotions and autism. Practitioners also receive Baby Room Project training, which concerns babies' brain development and their experiences in care. The practical interest for parents is how that training informs the care of their own baby.

Sleep arrangements vary by stage: babies and younger children have sleeping areas within their rooms, while older children use the toddlers' quiet room for rest. This gives rest a place within the day alongside active play. Information about sleep also reaches parents through the daily updates.

A full-time chef prepares meals on site, using a two-week menu cycle, with a vegetarian choice and provision for weaning and other dietary requirements. Mealtimes also involve practising cutlery use, drinking from an open cup, handwashing and helping with food preparation, so care routines contribute to independence.

Sessions and Attendance

Seedling is at 14 Kenilworth Street, Leamington Spa, Warwickshire CV32 4QS. It opens Monday to Friday from 8am to 6pm across 51 weeks, with Early Bird drop-off at 7.45am. The Christmas-to-New-Year week, public holidays and weekends are closure periods.

The attendance offer includes full days, part-time sessions and preschool hours. Bookings require at least two full days each week, and a two-day booking must include either Monday or Friday. Fees are collected monthly in advance. These conditions matter for families whose working week is concentrated in the middle of the week, as well as those seeking fewer nursery hours.

General enquiries can be made through the contact form or by telephone on 01926 312 820. A visit-request route is also provided.

Funding and Paid Extras

Funded places are offered for eligible children aged 9 months, 2, 3 and 4 years. Funding is stretched across 51 weeks: the 30 hours entitlement becomes up to 21 hours weekly, while the 15 hours entitlement is approximately 11 hours weekly. This spreads funded childcare through more of the year, with fewer funded hours in an individual week.

Private childcare hours are also offered. Meals, snacks and classes are included in ordinary fees; for funded hours, meals and consumables are charged separately through a monthly consumables/service fee, which also covers outings and activities. Additional services are optional, and childcare beyond funded hours is charged separately. Families get current prices in the nursery's written quotation.

• Attendance pattern. The minimum is two full days weekly, with Monday or Friday required in a two-day booking. The attendance descriptions also differ: full days, preschool hours and part-time sessions are offered, while the FAQ rules out half days. At a visit, ask which shorter pattern can be booked alongside the minimum.
• Funded-hours extras. Funding pays for childcare hours, while the monthly service fee covers meals, consumables, outings and activities. Request a written breakdown showing the optional services and additional private hours for your chosen pattern.
• Your child's care routines. Babies rest within their rooms, daily information is shared through eyLog, and a SENCO can arrange support or referrals. Use a visit to discuss how settling, sleep and any additional needs would be handled for your child; allergy-affected families should also confirm current meal arrangements.

Seedling suits families seeking either full days or preschool-hour and part-time arrangements who can accommodate its two-full-day minimum. Its strongest practical features are the connection with town-centre places, daily indoor physical play and detailed communication with families. The Outstanding judgement from May 2022 gives a strong inspection reference, while the present decision turns on the attendance agreement and the balance of funded hours, private childcare and optional services. For parents who value a recognisable local nursery day and regular information about their child, it merits close consideration.