Lindale Muddy Boots Nursery

In September 2024, woodland walks, a mud kitchen and trips to the dentist gave Lindale Muddy Boots Nursery a practical, everyday character. Its September 2024 account centres on children learning through shared jobs, conversation and play, rather than activities detached from daily life. There is capacity for 16 children in total.

Ofsted rated the nursery Good at its September 2024 inspection, while asking it to strengthen teaching about online safety and healthy screen use. Children attending then were aged two to three. The attendance model at that time combined term-time preschool mornings with breakfast and optional lunch clubs.

In September 2024, children tackled uneven woodland ground on regular community walks and used larger play equipment at the park. These experiences gave movement a practical purpose: balancing, building strength and keeping going over different surfaces.

Play also invited cooperation. Children squirted water at a painted fire while staff joined in and introduced language; washing the mud kitchen pots became a shared task, with older children helping younger ones put resources away. Responsibility was something children practised.

The early years foundation stage provides the framework for children's learning, development and care, bringing these together through experiences such as play and conversation. In September 2024, mealtimes included questions about container shapes and quantities of raisins. Children also voted on songs, giving them a small but meaningful part in shared decisions.

Following staff training, large vertical and horizontal marks became part of play, supporting early writing movements. The curriculum's identified weakness was technology: children needed teaching about sensible screen use and staying safe online.

At the September 2024 inspection, Ofsted found safeguarding effective and described prompt recognition of SEND, support for parents accessing screening, and the involvement of outside agencies and additional funding where needed.

In September 2024, settling began with children's interests, helping them connect with their key person. Staff responded to a child who felt tired by discussing what might help and bringing forward a warm drink of milk. This was care adapted to the child in that moment.

Quieter children were encouraged to take their turn, and staff helped children share and include one another. Parents received information about the skills and knowledge their children were developing. Health learning extended beyond conversation: trips to the dentist and choosing snacks at the greengrocers connected food choices with dental care.

School House, School Hill, Lindale, Grange-over-Sands, LA11 6LE is the nursery's address.

In September 2024, it operated Monday to Friday during term time. Breakfast club ran from 7.45am to 8.45am, followed by pre-school from 8.45am to 11.45am; an optional lunch club extended attendance until 12.45pm. That arrangement offered a preschool morning with additions at either end, rather than a single attendance block.

At that time, the nursery provided funded early education for two-, three- and four-year-old children.

• Screen safety. September 2024's improvement point concerned online safety and healthy screen habits. Ask how these now feature in children's learning.
• Morning attendance. The September 2024 pattern was term-time mornings with breakfast and lunch extensions. How does today's booking pattern fit your family's working hours?
• Learning beyond the nursery. September 2024's walks and dental-health trips linked learning to community experiences. This will appeal to families who value practical exploration.

Lindale Muddy Boots Nursery suits families drawn to practical play, community walks and children learning to help one another. Its September 2024 model combined pre-school mornings with breakfast club and optional lunch club sessions. The Good judgement gives that dated picture a clear quality benchmark, with screen-safety teaching the specific area requiring attention.