Muddy Boots Nursery, Acomb

Mud, imaginative play and gardens reached directly from the rooms give Muddy Boots Nursery, Acomb its character. Based within the grounds of Westfield Primary School on Askham Lane in York, it combines baby and toddler care with preschool provision and the school-hours Innovators option. Outdoor exploration runs through the offer rather than sitting apart as an occasional activity.

At its 17 March 2026 inspection, Ofsted judged inclusion to be at the Strong standard, the other assessed areas at the Expected standard, and safeguarding standards met. That is a useful distinction: the report card gives individual judgements rather than an overall grade. The practical improvements concerned richer conversations with children, shorter transitions for younger children and making more of the learning opportunities at mealtimes.

The nursery accepts children from three months through the preschool years and has 131 places in total. Discoverers, Investigators and Trailblazers (Preschool) serve different stages of development; Innovators provides a separate school-hours, term-time pattern. Nursery packages cover two to five days per week.

Rooms and Ages

Discoverers is for the youngest babies, with sensory exploration through touch, sounds and observation as its emphasis.

Investigators supports toddlers becoming more independent, with play and exploration used to introduce fresh experiences and challenges.

Innovators combines indoor and outdoor play with group interaction, communication and independence, using resources that invite children to investigate their interests. Its school-hours, term-time arrangement suits attendance around the school calendar.

Trailblazers (Preschool) brings together imaginative play, early maths, reading, mark-making and ICT through purposeful play, with activities adjusted to individual children.

Each nursery room has direct garden access. This keeps outdoor play close to each room's daily activities.

Learning and Activities

The early years foundation stage is the framework for children's learning, development and care, bringing these together through play and everyday experiences. Alongside it, Acomb uses a curiosity approach to childcare, with exploration and trying things indoors and outside central to its room arrangements.

Bookstart adds a concrete link between nursery and reading at home. Acomb has joined this scheme, which encourages shared stories by giving children books and accompanying activities; its story packs contain two books with games and activities.

In March 2026, babies explored water and sand, toddlers listened to familiar stories, and older children invented domestic scenes with dolls and toy pushchairs. These examples show the different demands of each stage: sensory investigation for babies, shared listening for toddlers and collaborative imagination for older children.

Early mathematical language also appeared in everyday play in March 2026. Younger children encountered comparisons of size, while older children used songs involving numbers. Staff assessed what children could already do and adjusted activities around the next things they needed to learn. The teaching improvement was equally specific: some staff needed more effective ways to extend vocabulary and develop speaking and listening.

Outdoor and Community Life

In March 2026, the forest-school area offered play houses and mud for imaginative creations, while other outdoor experiences included wheeled toys and learning about nature. Children also practised climbing and balancing using tyres and rope-swings under staff supervision. The outdoor space supplied both physical challenges and material for pretend play.

Stories happened outside too, with children sometimes pausing alongside staff to read. That makes the outdoor emphasis broader than energetic play alone. At the same date, children shared celebrations and festivals meaningful to their families, giving conversations about different experiences a personal starting point.

Relationships and Communication

In March 2026, babies and toddlers sought comfort from familiar staff, and key persons supported their settling into nursery life. Staff talked or sang during nappy changes, keeping an ordinary care routine connected to interaction.

Parents received updates about children's learning and routines in March 2026. Staff also offered supportive home visits where attendance presented difficulties, and leaders followed up unexplained absences.

Older children's routines were more settled in March 2026: children helped put things away and gathered for headcounts after outdoor play. Younger children sometimes spent too long waiting while changing outdoor clothing or preparing for meals. These delays affected engagement and concentration.

Inclusion and Wellbeing

At the March 2026 inspection, Ofsted found that staff identified developmental and language needs early, adapted activities and broke learning targets into smaller steps, with specialist support and external-agency collaboration helping children with SEND make progress.

In March 2026, targeted support included individual work with children, and staff responsible for SEND reviewed learning plans with colleagues and outside services. Funding paid for equipment supporting physical activity indoors and outside.

Health routines in March 2026 included handwashing opportunities and attention to children's hygiene. Mealtimes allowed children to practise using cutlery, although staff needed to develop the opportunities for personal and social learning within these routines further.

Staff development in March 2026 included outdoor-learning training, further childcare study and mentoring for people new to the sector. Leaders also worked with colleagues from other settings to examine practice. Further work remained on staff interactions and the flow of the day, so professional development should be read alongside those specific priorities.

Sessions and Attendance

The address is Westfield Primary School, Askham Lane, York, YO24 3HP. Opening hours are 7.30am to 6pm, Monday to Friday, with closures for bank holidays and Christmas. Nursery packages cover two, three, four or five days per week.

Innovators is a free school-hours option operating during term time only. This provides a term-time attendance pattern for families organising care around the school calendar.

Pioneers is the branch's before-school, after-school and holiday club for children aged four to eleven. Before-school care runs from 8am to 9am, with an earlier 7.30am drop-off option; after-school care runs from 3pm to 6pm, and holiday-club hours are 8am to 6pm. Its play room has creative, games and role-play areas, with a dining room and access to the garden.

Funding and Paid Extras

Funded childcare is offered through a 30-hour funded package, alongside private nursery packages and the free Innovators option. Food, consumables and other activities have separate opt-in surcharges. These categories matter when comparing the attendance package with the total cost of care; current prices come in the nursery's written quotation.

Pioneers holiday care includes lunch and tea. That meal arrangement belongs to the holiday club and should be kept separate from the nursery's opt-in food surcharge.

The nursery stands within Westfield Primary School's grounds, but attending it does not guarantee a Reception place. Families still apply through the local authority admissions process. Preschool preparation and being on a school site are different considerations from obtaining a school place.

• Younger children's transitions. In March 2026, changing outdoor clothes and preparing for meals sometimes took too long for younger children. During a visit, ask how these parts of the day are now organised to keep toddlers engaged.
• Conversation and everyday learning. The March 2026 priorities included extending children's speaking and listening and developing personal and social learning at mealtimes. Ask for examples of how staff now use these ordinary moments to build children's skills.
• Innovators and funded extras. Innovators operates during school hours and term time, while food, consumables and activities have opt-in surcharges. A written quotation should distinguish the chosen attendance pattern and the extras selected.
• Baby-room organisation. Discoverers centres on sensory exploration for the youngest babies. Ask how the room's usual group size, sleep arrangements and key-person contact would work for your child.

Muddy Boots Acomb suits families looking for garden access, exploratory play and an offer spanning babies through preschool. The school-hours, term-time Innovators option and Pioneers before-school, after-school and holiday care serve different attendance needs alongside the nursery packages.

In March 2026, inclusion received the Strong standard, with assessment, smaller learning steps and adapted activities supporting children. The balance is clear: outdoor opportunities and individual support sit alongside specific work still needed on conversations and younger children's transitions. Those everyday details should carry weight in a family's decision.