Crazy 4 Kids Nicholas Hawksmoor Pre-school & Out of School Club

Woodland learning, insect life cycles and a school-site setting give this Towcester nursery its character. Crazy 4 Kids Nicholas Hawksmoor combines a playroom with outdoor space for climbing, riding and running, while community visits take learning beyond the nursery. The practical appeal is the combination of early-years care and clubs for school-age children on the same site.

At its September 2024 inspection, Ofsted rated the provision Good and judged safeguarding effective. The findings also identified two clear priorities: making group activities more responsive to individual children and using books more actively. Those points matter alongside the positive judgement.

The setting has 36 places in total, with a current early-years age range of 24 to 60 months. Nursery opening hours extend from 8am to 6pm, with separate breakfast and after-school club arrangements for older children.

Learning and Activities

The Early Years Foundation Stage provides the framework for children's learning and care: here, play is planned around their interests and stage of development. That means activities can begin with what engages a child, rather than expecting every child to follow an identical task. Parents contribute to that planning.

Forest School adds an outdoor and woodland approach alongside this framework. Caring for living things is another concrete strand: children watch the development of caterpillars, ladybugs, ants, stick insects and chicks, and animal encounters extend that experience. These are opportunities to notice change, ask questions and return to something over time.

In September 2024, children explored their reflections using mirrors, traced shapes and practised cutting with scissors. Construction play introduced language about size, while pouring water gave staff opportunities to discuss quantity. Counting bricks connected number words to objects children were already using. The learning was embedded in activity.

Books and group activities deserve closer attention. In September 2024, staff did not consistently draw children into books or read stories with them; some group activities also kept children sitting long enough to lose interest. The practical question is how reading and shared activities now accommodate different attention spans.

Outdoor and Community Life

The playroom is bright and stocked with play resources, but outdoor space is an important part of the offer. Children have room to ride, climb and run. In September 2024, outdoor experiences included rope climbing and stepping between balancing stones, giving children concrete opportunities to practise coordination.

Community visits include parks, a residential home and a farm trip. These extend children's experience beyond their usual play space, bringing people, animals and different surroundings into their learning. For school-age children, holiday provision combines creative activities, outdoor play and visitors such as Tropical Minibeasts. That visitor belongs to the holiday club offer, rather than the nursery curriculum.

Relationships and Communication

In September 2024, staff responded to children new to the setting with reassurance and physical comfort. They remained nearby when children needed help, while encouraging independence with toileting, handwashing and dressing-up clothes. This gives a useful picture of care that supported both emotional security and everyday self-help.

Communication at that time combined daily conversations with families and updates through an online application. Parents' evenings and recurring stay-and-play opportunities added ways to discuss development and build a relationship with the child's key person. The combination matters: a brief daily exchange serves a different purpose from a longer conversation about progress.

Inclusion and Wellbeing

At the September 2024 inspection, Ofsted found that staff identified gaps in learning, involved families and other professionals, and used individual support plans to help children with SEND make good progress. The important mechanism was targeted planning for the child's next steps, rather than a general promise of support.

Breakfast and snacks are prepared at the setting, while hot meals come through the school kitchen. That separates the everyday snack provision from the preparation of a cooked meal.

Sessions and Attendance

The nursery operates at Nicholas Hawksmoor Primary School, Balmoral Close, Towcester, NN12 6JA. It opens from 8am to 6pm and operates for 51 weeks of the year. Families planning care around work therefore need to match their arrangements to the nursery calendar, as well as its daily opening window.

For school-age children, breakfast club runs from 7.45am to 8.30am, and after-school club from 3.15pm to 6pm. Holiday club is a separate part of the offer. These serve different needs: care before lessons, care after lessons and activities during school holidays.

Booking enquiries can be made through the branch's enquiry form or by emailing nicholashawksmoor@crazy4kids.co.uk. Keep the nursery arrangement and school-age club booking distinct when considering care for siblings.

Funding and Paid Extras

In September 2024, the nursery provided funded early education for children aged two, three and four. Families should obtain current prices through a written quotation from the nursery, with the attendance arrangement and any additional charges set out together.

Moving on to School

The nursery describes itself as having strong links with Nicholas Hawksmoor Primary School, where it is based. Sharing a site can make the setting relevant to families considering that school, but nursery attendance does not guarantee a Reception place. Families still apply through the local authority admissions process.

• Reading and group activities. September 2024 brought improvement priorities around book use and children losing interest during lengthy group activities. On a visit, ask how stories and shared learning now work for children with different attention spans.
• The complete childcare quotation. Breakfast and snacks are prepared on site, and hot meals use the school kitchen. Ask for one written quotation explaining the funded attendance arrangement, additional private hours, food charges and responsibility for nappies, wipes and other consumables.
• Outdoor learning in practice. Forest School, animal life cycles and community visits form part of the nursery offer. Ask how these experiences fit into the week your child would attend and how the outdoor space is used through the seasons.

This setting suits families seeking play-based early-years care on a primary-school site, especially those also considering breakfast club or after-school club for an older child. Woodland learning, living creatures and community visits give the nursery day concrete subject matter beyond the playroom.

The September 2024 Good judgement provides a positive inspection position, with specific reservations about reading and group activities. Those are useful points to explore during a visit. The strongest fit is for families who value outdoor experiences and school-site continuity while keeping the Reception application separate from the nursery decision.