Blue Giraffe Nursery & Preschool

A garden for each room, the Grow Garden allotment and an on-site Forest School give Blue Giraffe a clear outdoor identity. Daily outdoor activity makes this an appealing choice for children who enjoy growing and exploring.

At its 12 June 2026 inspection, Ofsted judged achievement, curriculum and teaching, inclusion, behaviour and routines, welfare and wellbeing, and leadership and governance to be Strong standard, with safeguarding standards met. These are area judgements, rather than a single overall grade. They give families a useful picture of the education and care across the setting.

Blue Giraffe serves children from birth to five at Old Coach Road in Droitwich. Full days and half-day sessions sit alongside flexible booking patterns where possible, giving families more than one way to organise attendance.

Rooms and Ages

Babies have a specialist area, toddlers use open-plan rooms, and preschool children have a large, rearrangeable space. A dedicated sensory room adds another environment. The accommodation gives each age group its own setting for play and care.

Each room has its own garden area, with direct access from the main classrooms. Children can move between indoor and outdoor activities, keeping garden exploration connected with play inside.

Learning and Activities

The Early Years Foundation Stage (EYFS) provides the framework for children's learning and care: play, conversation and exploration help children develop, while assessments track their next steps. Blue Giraffe's approach puts children's choices alongside planned activities, with staff asking questions, offering challenges and helping an interest develop into further learning.

The Blue Giraffe Way centres on purposeful play and growing independence. Children have opportunities to make decisions, try things out and reflect on what happens. The Reggio Emilia approach also informs the nursery's work, with creativity and children taking a lead in learning as its stated emphasis. These influences sit alongside the EYFS; they do not replace it.

Cooking, construction and technology bring practical experiences into the day. Gardening and vegetable growing connect learning with things children can tend and observe over time. Stories, songs and rhymes support communication, while role-play and dressing up give children opportunities to try ideas together. The combination gives a child several ways to participate, rather than making every activity depend on sitting and listening.

In June 2026, staff balanced adult guidance with children's own play choices, adapting spaces to interests and development. Conversations introduced vocabulary and explored ideas, connecting activities with language learning.

Outdoor and Community Life

Forest School adds outdoor learning on the nursery site, supported by a dedicated instructor. Grow Garden is the nursery's allotment, giving vegetable growing a physical home. Together with daily garden use, these features make outdoor activity a recurring part of attendance rather than an occasional addition.

Blue Giraffe holds the Eco-Schools Green Flag, a sustainability award linked to making the setting greener and cleaner. This gives its environmental emphasis a named scheme as well as garden space. Children spend time outside every day, with staff and parents working together over suitable clothing.

Relationships and Communication

Each child has a named key person who learns about routines, preferences and dislikes from the family. That gives parents a consistent relationship through which to explain the small details that shape their child's care. Settling begins with free sessions of an hour or two, and the settling period can be extended when needed. Familiarity can develop gradually.

The parent app brings activities and care information together, including meals, sleep and nappy changes. It also carries observations, news and dates. Termly assessments record progress and next steps against the EYFS, while daily conversations at collection add a direct account of the day. Parents therefore have both an ongoing record and regular opportunities to talk with staff.

Inclusion and Wellbeing

At the June 2026 inspection, Ofsted found that children with special educational needs and/or disabilities made strong progress, supported by early identification, reviewed interventions and partnerships with families and specialist services. The practical mechanisms matter here: tracking development, adapting help and pursuing referrals connect nursery support with services beyond the setting.

In June 2026, staff adapted cookery activities so children with differing needs could participate together. They gathered information from parents about health and care needs when children started and when they moved between rooms. Staff stayed close to babies and children new to the nursery while they needed comfort, allowing independent exploration to develop at the child's pace.

Family support extends beyond the child's session. Early Help offers signposting to agencies that can assist during difficult periods. In June 2026, food banks, swap shops and resources for learning at home formed part of the support for families. These practical initiatives addressed pressures outside nursery as well as children's experiences within it.

Meals and snacks are prepared fresh each day by specialist nursery caterers. The nursery has policies for managing allergies and dietary requirements, and can cater for different dietary needs.

Sessions and Attendance

The address is 47 Old Coach Road, Droitwich, WR9 8BE. Opening hours are 7.30am to 6pm, Monday to Friday, with attendance across the year and closures for bank holidays and Christmas week.

A full-day booking runs from 7.30am to 6pm. Half-day sessions run from 7.30am to 12.30pm or from 1pm to 6pm. Flexible booking patterns are offered where possible, a condition worth retaining when matching attendance to a changing work schedule. The distinction is useful: parents can choose a shorter session as well as the whole opening day.

Contact options include a form, email and telephone on 01905 796849. Current prices come in the nursery's written quotation. Fees are paid in advance each month, and payment methods include BACS, Direct Debit and Tax Free Childcare.

Funding and Paid Extras

Three- and four-year-olds can receive 15 funded hours each week for 38 weeks a year, starting in the term after their third birthday. Funded childcare also includes eligible two-year-old funding and working-parent funding from the term after a child reaches nine months. The working-parent entitlement provides 30 hours each week over 38 weeks, subject to eligibility and obtaining a code. The entitlement and the child's booked attendance need to be considered together; they are different parts of planning childcare.

For three- and four-year-old funding, parents sign a declaration each term and must report changes to their circumstances or their child's details. Eligible working parents and families using two-year-old funding provide their funding code. These administrative steps matter alongside choosing sessions.

Paid sessions carry a non-refundable registration charge; it does not apply when a child attends funded sessions only. The parent app has a separate monthly charge, and late collection and late payment can also attract charges. At least one month's notice is required to change sessions or leave, and sickness and holidays do not qualify for refunds or session swaps. These terms affect flexibility after a booking has begun, so they deserve attention alongside the headline attendance pattern.

School preparation emphasises independence, friendships, choices and managing risks. The nursery works with schools in the area to support school readiness and transition.

• Outdoor routines. Daily outdoor time, direct garden access and Forest School are substantial parts of the offer. On a tour, ask how these experiences differ for babies and preschool children, including during wet weather.
• The full cost of attendance. Paid-only registration terms, the app charge and notice rules sit alongside funded entitlement. Ask for a written quotation separating private hours, funded attendance, meals and non-food consumables.
• Dietary arrangements. Specialist caterers prepare food and the nursery has allergy-management policies. Families managing an allergy should confirm current arrangements for their child's meals and snacks.
• Leadership development. In June 2026, the next step was to develop leadership capacity so effective practice could be maintained over time. Ask how responsibilities and staff development support consistency across the nursery.

Blue Giraffe suits families seeking either full-day attendance or shorter morning and afternoon sessions, especially where outdoor learning is a priority. Direct garden access, Forest School and Grow Garden give that preference concrete substance. A key person, gradual settling and regular parent communication add practical continuity around the child's day.

The June 2026 area judgements support that appeal, with leadership development a point for discussion. Families should weigh the outdoor emphasis and session choices alongside funding and booking terms.