Tag Archive for: Clayton Green

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Why Nature is So Important to Children

Why nature is so important to children

We explore the immense benefits of nature to childrenToday we’ll look at the immense benefits of nature to children. While the long-term benefits of nature are reasonably well-known, it turns out short-term exposure to the natural environment also has1 clear benefits for people of any age. The benefits are even more beneficial, though, for young people during their early years, at school and in higher education.

The greatest benefits come when children and young adults are able to spend time actually in the outdoors, surrounded by natural things like trees, flowers, grass and wildlife. Even a short break spent in such an environment will help to restore attention, cognitive function and mental resilience — and this is backed up by many studies. Incredibly, some3 have demonstrated that there are cognitive and performance benefits even when there is just a view of the natural environment, for example sight of green grass and trees through an open window in the classroom. That’s remarkable when you think about it.

The Benefits of Nature to Children

A girl takes a closer look at growing leaves.One of the wonderful things about nature is that immersing oneself in it need not cost a penny. With so many proven benefits, it just goes to show that the old adage that ‘the best things in life are free’ really is true when it comes to nature. Exposure to the natural environment and green surroundings has been shown to have clear benefits …

Attention Restoration

Nature is a great healer; time spent in the natural environment helps to counteract the depletion of mental resources, particularly after periods of perhaps intense mental work, for example following a series of lessons or tasks. The fascinating quality of nature is also key to this as it requires a kind of ‘softer’ attention, with the brain working on an almost involuntary basis. This is part of what’s known as Attention Restoration Theory (‘ART’). It is thought to work in such a way as to allow cognitive function to recover more easily while fascinating beautiful, natural things are being observed, without the need for a heavy voluntary effort on the part of the onlooker.

Exposure to the natural world helps children to learn about and appreciate other living things.The benefits of restored attention skills in themselves should not, of course, be overlooked. Interestingly, research6 involving cognitive tests on school children found that children who had undergone the tests after walking in a natural wooded environment were quicker to answer – and significantly more accurate in their answers – than those who had instead practised mindfulness in the classroom or who had spent time in the school playground during the break.

Stress Reduction

Exposure to, or immersion in nature is also proven to reduce stress, which may otherwise manifest itself emotionally as anxiety, anger, sadness and also fatigue as our bodies and minds try to fight whatever is threatening our wellbeing. Research into this has led to Stress Reduction Theory (‘SRT’), which has shown that, indeed, nature helps us to recover from stress, even causing a physical reduction in stress hormones and blood pressure. It also helps the body to ‘refuel’ the energy depleted during the period of stress. Research findings even went on to suggest5 that the psychological wellbeing of students increased when their school grounds were simply made ‘greener’, i.e. more natural.

Both theories prove that even short-term exposure to nature will help restore attention and cognitive function if depleted through prior activities. This has profound implications for possible use in education settings. As such, exposure to nature, even for short periods, is a wonderful and natural way for children to “recharge their batteries”.

Nature has a huge impact on the mental wellbeing of children of all ages.Almost Endless Benefits to Children

As well as improving attention, cognitive function and mental resilience, there are many additional benefits of nature to children:

  • Improved wellbeing through reduced anxiety, psychophysiological stress4 and negative emotions;
  • Improved academic performance, including in core subjects like reading, writing and arithmetic;
  • Better engagement during lessons;
  • Improved fitness through outdoor play and movement;
  • Stimulation of imaginations, leading to increased creativity;
  • Deeper, more profound thinking and analysis;
  • Improved self-confidence,
  • Increased freedom leading to greater independence;
  • Nature can give children a greater understanding of healthier, greener lifestyles and values.Greater empathy e.g. taking more care of other living things, plants, etc.;
  • A greater understanding of risk and risk assessment;
  • Exposure to the huge variety of sensory opportunities the natural world provides;
  • An often greater understanding of living a healthy lifestyle — and even a greener one;
  • Deeper understanding around keeping things in perspective (what’s truly important and what’s not);
  • Better sleep;
  • Better social skills and the building of friendships through shared adventures and discovery;
  • A profound appreciation for the Great Outdoors and everything that it has to offer.

Incredibly, one U.S. study2 even found evidence for improved earnings potential in later life, equating to a lifetime gain of nearly $30,000, when children grow up in areas with greater natural surroundings.

Forest School is So Important

Forest School teaches children so much about the world, and about themselves.Just imagine, then, how much children benefit from nature when attending a Forest School setting such as that available at Little Acorns Nursery, Chorley. At Forest School, little ones will spend significant time in local green and wooded spaces, so these findings show just how important Forest School is for youngsters. Why send your child to an ordinary nursery, then, when you can send them to a nursery with a Forest School!

At Forest School, children are able to explore and discover in local natural spaces including woodland and other natural habitats. Not only do they discover and learn about the world and all the wonderful living things in it, but Forest School also teaches them about themselves. Forest School is about so much more than a way to teach children about plants, trees, insects, animals, the seasons and so on. With the freedom to make choices about outdoor activities in a more natural way, children build on their social skills, learn about teamwork, leadership, critical thinking and risk assessment as well as honing physical abilities like coordination and motor skills. And, as the research shows, it helps children to excel in other, seemingly unrelated, areas. Forest School represents the opportunity for enormous discovery in every sense of the word.

As well as all that, at Forest School, children are having immense fun! They’re playing and learning while developing physically and mentally — all at the same time. And, as the research shows, exposure to nature is incredibly good for them, even helping them to perform better once they return to the indoor environment.

Little Acorns Nursery, Clayton-le-Woods, ChorleyIf you’d like to learn more about Forest School, try our Ultimate Guide to Forest School here. You can also learn more about our own particular Forest School in Clayton-le-Woods, Chorley, here. Our nursery and pre-school is located in Clayton-le-Woods, near Clayton Green, Clayton Brook and Chorley.  If you’re looking for outstanding childcare for your baby or under-five, we look forward to hearing from you …

Arrange a Nursery VisitSend Us a MessageCall: 01772 696 288

Citations — 1: Mason, L., Ronconi, A., Scrimin, S. et al. Short-Term Exposure to Nature and Benefits for Students’ Cognitive Performance: a Review. Educ Psychol Rev (2021). | 2: Browning & Rigolon (2019). | 3: Matsuoka (2010), Benfield et al. (2015), Sajady et al. (2020). | 4: Ulrich et al. (1991). | 5: Kelz et al. (2015). | 6: Cornoldi et al. (1996).

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15-30 Hours of Free Childcare for 2, 3 & 4-Year-Olds (A Rough Guide)
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15-30 Hours of Free Childcare for 2, 3 & 4-Year-Olds

15-30 Hours of Free Childcare for 2, 3 & 4-Year-Olds (A Rough Guide)

Parents are wise to research & choose the best setting for their childChildren living in England are very fortunate to have their early years childcare supported financially by a variety of Government funding schemes. The 3 most important, popular and widely-available schemes are:

  • 15 hours per week of free childcare for eligible 3 & 4-year-olds;
  • 30 hours per week of free childcare for eligible 3 & 4-year-olds;
  • 15 hours per week of free childcare for eligible 2-year-olds.

Little Acorns Nursery School supports all three schemes for families who have been successful with their funding applications.

This free childcare can really help families, especially parents who wish to return to work and those wishing to improve their standard of living. With more people working, it also benefits the economy, of course.

Perhaps most importantly, Government funding of early years childcare greatly helps children. Studies have shown that children who receive a good early years education, for example at nursery or pre-school, really do benefit. That’s in both the short term and the long term. A Department for Education study showed that children attending high quality early years education settings benefit socially, behaviourally, cognitively and, of course, educationally. Indeed it’s abundantly clear that early years education gives children a very healthy head-start so they can really hit the ground running by the time they start school around the age of 5. Many of the benefits of early years education are, as we said before, much longer-lasting, even into adulthood. Perhaps we’ll cover more detail on that in a future post. Either way, though, it’s clear that this financial support from the Government is incredibly important.

A high quality early years education has many short and long-term benefits for childrenLet’s look at each of the schemes …

Please note: in all funding cases discussed here, the Government funding is paid direct to the setting (not the family) and strict rules apply to settings in order to be eligible for the funding. Little Acorns Nursery School qualifies on all counts and welcomes families whose childcare is funded in this way.

Free Childcare for 3 to 4-Year-Olds

15 Funded Hours for Children Aged 3-4

The great news is that all children aged 3 to 4 living in England are eligible to receive a total of 570 free hours of childcare per year. Simple! And there are no tricky hoops to jump through. The 570 hours are usually taken as 15 hours per week spread over 38 weeks, although it’s sometimes possible to spread it out in a different way if the childcare setting agrees. One of the great things about this Government scheme is that it is not means tested. Whether parents are employed, self-employed or unemployed does not matter. Similar schemes are also available in Scotland, Wales and Northern Ireland, by the way.

Children using the scheme can begin at an approved childcare setting in the term that follows their third birthday. Terms usually start in early January, April or September. They can continue benefiting from the free funded hours when they become four years of age. It only ceases once they reach “compulsory school age” and begin full-time education at school in Reception year. Compulsory school age is effectively the first day of the January, April or September term following their 5th birthday (whichever falls soonest after that birthday).

30 Funded Hours for Children Aged 3-4

Eligible children aged 3-4 can benefit from 15 to 30 hours of free childcare funding each weekTaking the above scheme a step further, eligible families are able to top up the standard 15 hours per week with an additional 15 hours of free childcare in specific circumstances. In effect, this can double the child’s free childcare hours from the standard 570 hours to 1140 per annum. These are usually taken as 30 hours per week over 38 weeks although, again, some childcare settings may be able to be flexible and to spread the hours out in a different way.

Eligibility for the extra hours depends on a few factors, although they are not so restrictive that they disallow most families — far from it. The factors include things like whether the child lives with the parent who is claiming (i.e. they must), whether the parent/their partner is working (they should be) and whether they are earning the equivalent of at least 16 hours per week at the National Living (or Minimum) Wage, while at the same time not earning above £100k in the current tax year. These are just a few examples of the eligibility criteria and it’s surprisingly easy, for many, to qualify for the extra funded hours. Check if you’re eligible for 30 hours of free childcare for 3-4-year-olds here.

Free Childcare for 2-Year-Olds

15 Funded Hours for 2-Year-Olds

Eligible children aged 2 can benefit from 15 hours of free childcare funding each weekUnder certain circumstances, children aged just two can have some of their childcare funded by the Government too. However, it’s much more restrictive for this age group. If successful, though, the Government will fund up to 570 hours of childcare for a two-year-old over the course of a year — that’s significant and could really help mothers or stay-at-home fathers get back to work sooner. As with the 3 & 4-year-olds, the 570 hours is usually taken as 15 hours per week over the course of 38 weeks, but some parents may wish to ask their childcare provider if it’s possible to spread it out in a different way.

The funding is available for eligible children to begin their childcare in the term after they reach the age of two. In other words, their birth date governs whether they will start in the January, April or September term.

In order to qualify for the 570 funded childcare hours, the two-year-old must fall into an ‘additional needs’ category, or their parent(s) must be receiving one or more qualifying benefits from the Government. Check your eligibility for free childcare funding for 2-year-olds here.

Apply For Free, Funded Childcare Hours Here

After checking eligibility for any of these childcare funding schemes, you simply need to contact your local authority to apply.

Apply for an Outstanding, Award-Winning Chorley Nursery

An outstanding childcare providerLittle Acorns Nursery, Clayton-le-Woods, ChorleyIf you live or work in the Chorley or Clayton area of Central Lancashire, Little Acorns Nursery School would be a natural first choice for your weekday childcare. Ofsted rate the nursery as outstanding and the setting was the outright winner of a major National nursery award. High quality childcare doesn’t get any better than this, so please do consider us for childcare of if you have a baby and child aged up to five and want to give them the very best start. The nursery and pre-school is in Clayton-le-Woods, close to Clayton Green, Clayton Brook and Chorley. It is also a Forest School setting, so children get to enjoy and learn from everything that nature has to offer. If you are looking for childcare excellence in a warm, inviting and nurturing environment, please get in touch. We look forward to hearing from you …

Arrange a Nursery VisitSend Us a MessageCall: 01772 696 288
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New Pre-School Build Nears Completion
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New Pre-School Build Nears Completion

New Pre-School Build Nears Completion

Our lovely new pre-school build with timber finishThe nursery owners and staff are very excited to show you the new pre-school build, which is making great progress. Take a look at the photographs to see just how good it’s beginning to look, especially now that the high quality timber cladding is almost complete. This is going to be such a lovely new space for the children play and learn in.

A New Home for Our Pre-School & Forest School

The new build is going to be used as our pre-school area and also as our Forest School unit. So, a lovely timber finish is rather apt when you think about it. Our children will also find its attractive design and finish very appealing and much more exciting than a standard, brick-built unit. The building even has its own kitchen area and toilet facilities, so will be very self-contained. However, it has lots of large windows and doors to let the natural light in and will allow easy, free-flowing access for outdoor play when appropriate.

The pre-fabricated, modular building under constructionElevations and CGI view of the new pre-schoolBeing a modular, timber-framed construction means this new pre-school build has been far faster to build than a traditional approach. That, together with the fact that most of it was pre-fabricated in modules off-site, means that there has been minimal disruption, noise or safety concerns during construction. Indeed, we’d like to say a huge ‘thank you’ to the team at Smart Modular who have done such a wonderful job so far. We love it and can’t wait to see how the inside looks when it’s finished.

One of the UK’s Most Outstanding Nurseries & Forest Schools (Clayton-le-Woods, Chorley)

Front view of the new pre-school buildingAt Little Acorns, we cater to children’s abilities. Our high quality staff focus on those rather than what’s expected for their particular age. With a dedicated learning and development plan customised to the abilities and strengths of each individual child, they’re able to become the very best version of themselves during their time with Little Acorns. With the arrival of the new pre-school building, they’ll be even more likely to achieve personal bests in each area. And they’ll be even more ‘school ready’ by the time they complete their time with us, to move It will also be our new Forest School unitsmoothly on to reception year at school.

As the outright winner of a major National nursery award and with a glowing Ofsted report that confirms that our childcare provision is as good as it gets, Little Acorns Nursery is clearly one of the UK’s most outstanding nurseries. The nursery is based in Clayton-le-Woods, near Clayton Green, Clayton Brook and Chorley and the new pre-school building will soon allow room for some additional nursery places for under-fives. Little Acorns Nursery, Clayton-le-Woods, ChorleyThat’s great news for Chorley and Central Lancashire parents who want the very best start for their children and who also like the idea of their child benefiting from a Forest School setting. If our unrivalled quality of childcare sounds appealing, please get in touch as soon as possible to avoid possible disappointment:

Arrange a Nursery VisitSend Us a MessageCall: 01772 696 288

 

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Exercise & Active Play for Under-Fives
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Exercise & Active Play for Under-Fives

Exercise & Active Play for Under-Fives
A healthy lifestyle is crucially important for health and wellbeing at any age, but it’s even more important in the early years. At this age, children are still at a critical time in their physical and mental development. We wrote last month about the need for healthy eating for toddlers and preschoolers and now follow this up by exploring the importance of exercise and active play for under fives.

The Importance of Exercise for Under-Fives

Active play has many benefits to under-fivesGenerally speaking, under-fives should be encouraged to be active. There are many benefits of this including remaining physically fit, getting to know and enhancing physical abilities, honing motor skills (fine and gross) and improving coordination and balance. In addition, it helps the very young to develop visual and sensory skills. Physical activity is also part and parcel of the development of new neurological pathways in the brain. All these skills and benefits will become increasingly important as children grow, develop and become ever-more active and independent.

Exercise for Babies — Tummy Time

Exercise for babies comes in the form of light, active play. At this early age, even starting as newborns, they can begin via floor activities known commonly as Tummy Time. Here, the supervising adult places them on their stomach on a suitably comfy, safe and soft area of the floor and encourages them to move their head, arms and legs.

Close supervision is essential for your baby’s safety and, of course, the baby must always be awake when they’re in this ‘prone’ position

Allowing babies to move on their tummies will help to strengthen limbs, neck, shoulder and back muscles and also help the infant to develop their motor, coordination and visual skills. It’s also believed to help babies avoid ‘positional conditions’, including the development of skull deformations and neck problems. As we mentioned before, it even helps babies’ brains to form new neural pathways.

Tummy time should last only 3 to 5 minutes when they first start as young babies, with the infants attempting it only 2 to 3 times over the course of each day initially. As they grow towards the age of 12 months, this can be slowly increased to suit the baby’s increasing strength and physical abilities. Eventually, the baby will be able to roll over sideways in both directions, be able to sit and self-direct — and may indeed be crawling by the time they’re around 7 to 9 months of age.

Exercise for Toddlers

By the time they are toddlers (1-2 years old), they will usually have mastered all of the above and be adept at self-directing, grasping, pulling, pushing and moving around unaided. Indeed, toddlers should now be active each day for around 3 hours in total (split across a few sessions). Now they’re this age, toddlers’ active play and exercise can include light activities such as standing up, playing actively, rolling and moving around. It should also include more energetic activities (safely – so supervision and a safe environment are needed) like running, hopping, skipping and jumping. Activities like ball games are also great at this age, as are use of appropriate climbing frames and even riding tricycles if they’re able to do so safely.

Exercise for Preschoolers

Dancing, swimming, scooting, climbing, chasing, cycling and energetic outdoor activities are great activities for preschoolers.Once they reach the age of 3 to 4 (preschoolers), 3 hours of physical activity is an ideal daily minimum. Now that they’re older and more confident in their physical skills, they can continue with the toddler activities but add more complex and moderately vigorous options to their play. Dancing, swimming, scooting, climbing, chasing, cycling and energetic outdoor activities are good examples.

Avoiding Too Much Inactivity (… & TV!)

What’s equally important is to avoid letting children remain inactive for long periods of time. Hours each day spent in front of screens like tablets, mobiles, games consoles and TVs is not good for them. Moreover, doing so for long periods when they’re at such formative ages sets up a dangerous pattern of behaviour that might be hard to break. It could also lead to health and wellbeing issues like becoming overweight or even obese. In fact, a staggering 20% of children are overweight or obese before they even start school, according to NHS data. What’s more, they say that 9 out of 10 children aged between two and four are not doing sufficient levels of physical activity to meet recommendations from the UK’s Chief Medical Officers. Worrying statistics!

Exercise & Active Play at Little Acorns Nursery, Chorley

Babies, toddlers and preschoolers learn through play at Little Acorns Nursery. This means that physical activity comes naturally, forming a key part in keeping children active and adequately exercised as they develop. Indeed, it’s all embedded as part of the nursery’s EYFS curriculum, particularly in the Physical Development module. As such, children use the huge variety of physical activities on offer at the nursery to improve mobility, coordination, balance, physical fitness, hand-eye coordination, agility, physical strength and so on. This is all done through a learning and development plan that’s tailored to the strengths, weaknesses and preferences of each individual child. The Key Person is a member of staff assigned to oversee the progress of each child and goals are set and milestones recorded. In this way, every child will achieve personal bests during their time with Little Acorns, becoming well-rounded, ‘school-ready’ individuals by the time they’re five.

Nursery Places Available in Clayton-le-Woods, Chorley

Little Acorns Nursery, Clayton-le-Woods, ChorleyWe sometimes have a few places available at our nursery in Clayton-le-Woods, near Clayton Green and Clayton Brook, Chorley. Do get in touch if you’d potentially like a place for your son or daughter. As well as being the outright winner of a stunning National award, it’s one of only a few Lancashire nurseries recognised by Ofsted as Outstanding and is also a Forest School. This allows your child to also enjoy and learn from everything that nature and the outdoors have to offer. Register with us if you are interested, or contact us while nursery places are available — we’d love to hear from you. See the following options:

Arrange a Nursery VisitSend Us a MessageCall: 01772 696 288
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Healthy Eating for Toddlers & Preschoolers

Healthy Eating for Toddlers & Preschoolers

Eating a healthy, balanced diet is incredibly important for under-fives as they're still growing & developing.Eating a healthy, balanced diet is important at any age. However, during their formative years when they’re still growing, it’s even more important for under-fives. Their young bodies and brains are still developing, so getting the right balance of food types, vitamins and nutrients is essential in order to maintain optimum health, cognitive function and even sufficient energy levels. (Regular exercise is also essential, of course – however, we’ll cover that separately in a future post).

The Benefits of a Healthy Diet

The benefits of maintaining a healthy eating regime are far-reaching and important, especially for young children. At this age, it’s important for them to get into good eating habits rather than bad ones. So, setting them on the right path at an early age is essential. As well as feeding their bodies and brains with everything they need to properly develop, some of the significant benefits of healthy eating include:

  • Improved cognitive function and attention, with all the leaning benefits that these will bring;
  • Sufficient energy levels to undertake all their daily tasks;
  • A greater chance of avoiding certain diseases in later life, potentially including high blood pressure, diabetes, heart problems and even cancer;
  • Maintaining more even moods;
  • Maintaining a more healthy body weight and, through so doing, avoiding potential obesity. Avoiding becoming obese also leaves them less prone to bullying;
  • A greater sense of self-image and self-esteem, leading to greater self-confidence;
  • Overall, improved mental and physical wellbeing.

Children who stay a healthy weight tend to be fitter, healthier, better able to learn, and more self-confident.That’s a huge and important list of benefits. Advice from Public Health England also suggests that exposing children to a wide variety of different foods from an early age not only gives them access to greater diversity in what they eat, but is also likely to make children more accepting of new foods as they grow older. And, of course, that greater diversity in food types means a more diverse range of nutrients, vitamins and minerals will be consumed.

“Children who stay a healthy weight tend to be fitter, healthier, better able to learn, and more self-confident.” (NHS)

What Should Under-Fives Eat & Drink?

A good rule of thumb for under-fives is to consume three meals, 2-3 healthy snacks and 6-8 drinks every day. It all needs to be part of a balanced diet, though, using high quality and ideally fresh ingredients if possible.

Drinks

Aside from young babies who will, of course, be drinking milk (we’ll write separate posts about milk and weaning in due course), under-fives and preschoolers should be drinking water and sometimes milk, 6-8 times each day. Drinks rich in added sugar should be avoided and even natural fruit juice, if given, is better when significantly diluted. That’s primarily so as to avoid tooth decay that can otherwise be caused by the natural sugars and acids within the fruit juice.

Food

Children should try to eat something from each of the four main food groups every day.As part of a healthy diet, children should try to eat something from each of the four main food groups every day. These are:

  1. Fruit & vegetables, which contain many beneficial nutrients, for example Vitamin C. Aim for 5 portions per day, each about the size of the child’s cupped hand or fist. If your child is still hungry after eating their set meals, giving them additional vegetables is a great way to satiate their hunger without loading them up with unnecessary calories or sugar.
  2. Protein, which contains not only essential protein but also iron, zinc and many other nutrients. Sources of protein include fish (N.B. include oily fish occasionally), meat, eggs, nuts, pulses, tofu and soya. Aim at 2 protein portions per day, with each portion being about the size of the palm of the child’s hand.
  3. Starch, which is available from potatoes, pasta, bread and rice cereals. Where wholegrain versions of some of these are preferred, they should be introduced only gradually. One portion of these starchy foods is about the size of the child’s cupped hand. Starch gives growing children energy along with essential nutrients like calcium and Vitamin B.
  4. At Little Acorns we are serious about playing our part and serve up healthy, balanced meals each day to our children along with suitable drinks and healthy snack options.Dairy products, which give children much-needed calcium, Vitamins A and B, potassium and more. Aim for 3 portions of dairy products per day. Examples include milk, yoghurt and cheese. Use full-fat options for toddlers and then, from the age of 2, switch to semi-skimmed varieties.

The NHS also recommends that children aged 6 months to 5 years should also take suitable vitamin supplements to boost Vitamin A, C and D in particular. Children with vegan diets would also benefit from a Vitamin B12 supplement.

Healthy Eating at Little Acorns Nursery, Clayton-le-Woods, Chorley

With almost a third of UK children aged 2 to 15 now being overweight, eating a healthy, balanced diet is becoming more and more important. Parents, carers, schools, childcare professionals and nurseries all need to play their part in keeping children on track, with healthy eating habits and lifestyles.

Little Acorns has received a Recipe 4 Health Award in recognition of the healthy food options offered at the settingAt Little Acorns we are serious about playing our part and serve up healthy, balanced meals each day to our children along with suitable drinks and healthy snack options. Breakfast, lunch, afternoon and teatime snacks are all provided and included in our standard nursery fees. Food is prepared each day by Judy, our wonderful in-house chef, using the highest quality, fresh ingredients, sourced from local suppliers. Food allergens are extremely carefully monitored and managed. Any special diets, e.g. vegan or vegetarian, are also catered for as needed — simply forewarn us about any specific requirements and we’ll be happy to accommodate them.

Our nursery has a 5 Star food hygiene ratingLittle Acorns Nursery has a 5 Star Food Hygiene rating and also recently received a Recipe 4 Health Award in recognition of the healthy food options that we offer at the setting. That’s in addition to our amazing NMT Individual Nursery Award.

A Nursery Place in Clayton-le-Woods, Chorley, Lancashire

Little Acorns Nursery, Clayton-le-Woods, ChorleyIf you’d like a nursery place for your child in a multi award-winning nursery in Clayton-le-Woods, near Clayton Green and Clayton Brook, Chorley, do get in touch. Little Acorns is an Outstanding Nursery and is also a wonderful Forest School. So, if you’d like your little one to attend the very best nursery in Central Lancashire, register your interest while nursery places are available. Select an option below:

Arrange a Nursery VisitSend Us a MessageCall: 01772 696 288
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Days out near Clayton-le-Woods, Chorley
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Days Out Near Clayton-le-Woods, Chorley

Days out near Clayton-le-Woods, Chorley

Little Acorns Nursery School is located in Clayton-le-Woods, Chorley. This is a wonderful location with great amenities, attractions, outdoor spaces and leisure facilities all within a short distance. In today’s guide, we explore some of the more interesting places that local families can visit nearby, perhaps for a day out. There are some great ideas below and every one of them receives top reviews from previous visitors:

Cuerden Valley Park

Cuerden Valley ParkRight alongside Clayton is the lovely Cuerden Valley Park, an award-winning natural open space. Just over a mile away from the nursery, it covers 650 acres. Its wonderful beauty includes parkland, farmland, natural open spaces, flower meadows, lakes, woodlands, the River Lostock, a huge variety of wildlife and even orienteering trails. The park also boasts its own modern visitor centre with a lovely café offering indoor and outdoor seating with hot and cold food and refreshments. Cuerden Valley Park is well worth a visit!

Kem Mill Ruins

Kem Mill RuinsJust 1.4 miles to the South of Clayton and our nursery, also along the edge of River Lostock, are the ruins of Kem Mill. These are just North of Whittle-le-Woods. These are well worth a visit if you like walking in the natural world, enjoy local history or are a dog-walker. The old mill’s footprints are still clearly visible and the history of it can be learned via information signs.

The British Commercial Vehicle Museum

The British Commercial Vehicle MuseumThe British Commercial Vehicle Museum is another high quality place to visit if you live near Clayton-le-Woods or the Chorley area. It’s located just 2.3 miles from Little Acorns Nursery over at Leyland. As one recent visitor explained in a review, it’s a “fascinating museum with lots of informative display material and immaculately maintained vehicles.” These include early fire engines and vintage commercial vehicles, buses, lorries and suchlike. There are interactive displays and games, including an area for younger children and helpful, knowledgeable staff. The museum has a nice little gift shop and also a café. It gets great reviews, so is well worth a visit.

Worden Park

Worden Park is 3.4 miles west of our nursery in Clayton-le-Woods, in the southern outskirts of LeylandWorden Park is 3.4 miles west of our nursery in Clayton-le-Woods, in the southern outskirts of Leyland. It’s an attractive, natural, parkland space and includes bluebell woods, huge grassy areas and a wonderful children’s play area that features its own sensory area, zip lines, swings, climbing frames, slides and more. It’s a great park where children can enjoy the outdoors, ride bikes, play football and burn off energy. There’s a maze, a miniature railway, a walled garden and a crazy golf area. With lovely woods and streams too, it’s perfect for family outings, picnics and dog walks.

South Ribble Museum & Exhibition Centre

South Ribble Museum & Exhibition CentreThe South Ribble Museum & Exhibition Centre is another popular destination that also scores well in reviews. Located 2.8 miles from the nursery in Leyland, near Worden Park, and just a stone’s throw from Clayton-le-Woods, it’s housed in a restored, timber-framed, Tudor school house. It’s home to all manner of local historical information including photographs, graphics and and even Viking coins. Hopefully this will soon be open again, with monthly exhibitions reinstated, following temporary closure during the lock-down. Entry is free or by voluntary donation.

Turbary Woods Owl & Bird of Prey Sanctuary

Turbary Woods Owl & Bird of Prey Sanctuary Turbary Woods Owl & Bird of Prey Sanctuary is 5 miles from the nursery, just north west of Clayton at Whitestake, Lostock Hall, near Prestonis 5 miles from the nursery, just north west of Clayton at Whitestake, Lostock Hall, near Preston. It is another excellent local attraction as well as being a great cause. Sheltered in a woodland setting, nearly 100 birds of prey live at this sanctuary and rehabilitation centre at any one time. Species include owls, falcons, hawks, eagles and even vultures, amongst others. The centre is a non-profit enterprise and is run by volunteers. It is open all year to the public, with flying displays (weather permitting) on most days at 12:30pm. As with all of the hand-picked places featured in this article, the sanctuary scores ‘excellent’ in visitor reviews.

Pike Stones

For those who are looking for the most ancient local history, Pike Stones is a Neolithic burial cairn located on Anglezarke Moor, Chorley, just 7 miles south east of Clayton-le-Woods. It’s the oldest man-made structure in the area and one of only two chambered burial tombs in the whole of Lancashire. Visitors can still see the five upright gritstone slabs which originally formed the burial chamber.

Excellent Transport Links

Transport links are fantastic for getting to and from the Clayton area. The A6 an M61 run North/South just a stone’s throw to the East, the M6 runs similarly to the West and the M65 runs East/West just to the North of Clayton-le-Woods. So, Clayton sits right in the middle of these major routes, making it incredibly easy to get to, from and around. Several train stations are also within just a couple of miles or so (Bamber Bridge, Leyland, Lostock Hall and Buckshaw Parkway stations).

An Outstanding, Award-Winning Clayton Nursery

Little Acorns Nursery, Clayton-le-Woods, ChorleyLittle Acorns is an award-winning daycare nursery for babies and under-fives in Clayton-le-Woods, very close to Clayton Green and Clayton Brook, Chorley. It’s also graded as An Outstanding Nursery by Ofsted and even has its own Forest School. Nurseries and pre-schools simply don’t get any better than Little Acorns Nursery so, if you’d like your baby, toddler or under-five child to attend the best nursery and pre-school in Clayton-le-Woods, Chorley and Central Lancashire, please get in touch to register your interest — while nursery places are still available. Please choose an option below:

Arrange a Nursery VisitSend Us a MessageCall: 01772 696 288
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Ofsted Report: “Outstanding Childcare Provision” from Little Acorns Nursery
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Ofsted Report: “Outstanding Childcare Provision” from Little Acorns Nursery

Ofsted Report: “Outstanding Childcare Provision” from Little Acorns Nursery

An outstanding childcare provider in Clayton-le-Woods, Chorley, Central Lancashire

Last month we reported on Little Acorns Nursery winning best ‘Individual Nursery’ award at the National NMT Nursery Awards. When you consider that the nursery was selected from all the other possible nurseries from across the entire UK, that’s an incredible feat! It should now come as no surprise, then, to learn that Ofsted’s most recent report also scored the nursery as ‘Outstanding‘ — in every category.

In this post, we’ll go through Ofsted’s report to see what they said about the nursery and why they were so impressed during their inspection.

Ofsted Report for Little Acorns Nursery, ChorleyThe Ofsted Report Concludes that Little Acorns Nursery Provides …

So, “Outstanding” — right across the board! Click the report image to download/view it in full (Acrobat PDF format) or read the highlights below.

We’ll cover each of those areas in more detail below. First, though, we’ll highlight some general comments received in the Ofsted Report. Every one of them is extremely positive; indeed Ofsted had literally nothing negative to say about this outstanding Chorley nursery anywhere in their report …

Continuous Improvement “to the Highest Possible Levels”

In the Ofsted Report, the inspector recognised the culture of continuous improvement at the nursery, saying:

“Managers are highly reflective and extremely passionate about continually raising the quality of service to the highest possible levels. Together with their dedicated staff team, they conscientiously evaluate all aspects of the provision to identify and consistently make sharply targeted improvements.”

Exceptionally effective observation & assessment of children“Exceptionally Effective Observation & Assessment” of Children

The Ofsted Report also highlighted how exceptional the staff are in their approach to children’s learning, saying:

“Staff complete exceptionally effective observation and assessment methods that focus on children’s individual needs and all aspects of their learning. They know precisely the progress and attainment of every child, meaning any small gap or delay in children’s learning is swiftly recognised and addressed.”

On Preparing Children for School …

In regard for the nursery’s expertise in preparing children well for school, the Inspector’s report said:

“Staff have high expectations of what children can achieve and teach with passion, energy and purpose. They help them to make excellent progress in their learning, including being well prepared for school.”

At Little Acorns, literally everything we do has a purpose behind it, so it’s great to see this recognised by Ofsted.

“Rich & Well-Resourced Learning Environments”

We have rich and well-resourced learning environments, both indoors and outside

Ofsted also recognised the outstanding learning environment at Little Acorns, commenting:

“Staff are extremely successful in creating rich and well-resourced learning environments, both indoors and outside. Children confidently choose from the highly stimulating resources set out in a very relaxed and homely atmosphere. They have plenty of opportunities to explore and investigate indoors and outside, and their creativity is supported exceptionally well.”

Learn more about our learning environment, resources and activities here.

“Superb” Behaviour

The Ofsted Inspection also highlighted the incredible behaviour, care and consideration demonstrated by the children. They reported:

“Children’s behaviour is superb. They show exceptional care and concern to their friends, the resources and the environment. For example, they alert their friends of their presence when using wheeled toys, so they do not crash into each other.”

This is wonderful feedback and shows that we teach children good manners, encourage exceptional behaviour along with respect and consideration for others  – and for the world around them.

“Exceptionally Strong” Parent-Teacher Relationships

Another critically important element of successful learning and development is the relationship between parents and the setting. In regard to this, Ofsted were incredibly impressed, saying:

“Relationships with parents and other professionals are exceptionally strong. Parents feel valued by the staff in supporting their children’s learning. The highly effective communication systems ensure that parents are fully aware of their children’s experiences and how to continue this support while at home.”


In due course we will cover more detail about why parent support for children’s learning and development is so crucial — and impactful — whilst children are at home. That is a huge topic, which will merit its own, separate, post in due course, so watch this space.

We’ll now take a closer look at the more specific areas of the Ofsted report for Little Acorns Nursery.

The Little Acorns Nursery team celebrate their award winOutstanding Effectiveness of Leadership & Management

The Ofsted Inspector was evidently extremely impressed with quality of leadership and management at the nursery:

“The managers are highly experienced and qualified leaders. They offer staff targeted support and training to expand further their knowledge of high-quality early years practice.”

They continued: “For example, following training, staff redesigned the environment to successfully enable children to develop their own ideas, inspire their curiosity and imagination and explore the world. Safeguarding is effective. Staff are extremely well trained in child protection issues and are highly confident about what to do should they have any concerns about any child in their care. Managers follow rigorous procedures to ensure staff’s suitability. They thoroughly evaluate every aspect of the provision to continuously improve outcomes for children. Action plans show targeted improvements, such as continuing to nurture children’s love of outdoor adventure, sensory play and unique experiences in the natural environment.”

Outstanding Quality of Teaching, Learning & Assessment

The quality of teaching, learning and assessment at the nursery was also strongly praised by Ofsted. As part of this, their report recognised how well the approach to continual assessment works at the nursery and how the planning of tasks and learning activities is tailored to each individual child. They highlighted the following:

“Well-qualified and experienced staff carry out regular assessments of children’s learning and development. This provides them with an exceptionally clear understanding of children’s interests and their next steps in learning.”

They went on to explain this in more detail: “Children’s interests and areas of development are consistently used to plan the environment and activities. For example, in the baby room, there is a strong focus on enhancing speaking skills and in the toddler room staff focus on mathematical learning. Staff nurture children’s imagination, creativity and curiosity while handling and exploring natural and real-life objects. Staff nurture children’s enjoyment of books while reading stories aloud with them and they sing nursery songs using props. Staff enable children to take the lead in their play, to ‘have a go’, interact and build on their strong desire to learn. For example, children confidently name colours, enjoy counting objects and recognise numerals they find submerged in water.”

A child enjoying the outdoor nursery facilities with a staff memberOutstanding Personal Development, Behaviour & Welfare

The Ofsted Inspector also praised how well staff approach the personal development, behaviour and welfare of babies and children at the nursery. Importantly, they also recognised how this approach positively benefits those children:

“Staff constantly praise children’s achievements. This contributes to the high level of confidence and independence children display.”

The Ofsted Inspector further explained: “They learn to listen to others and join in routine activities, such as sweeping the floor and setting the table” also adding: “Children’s physical development is well supported. For example, young children develop good control of their movements as they clamber up steps and ramps. Children access well-organised outdoor play areas and use a wide range of resources.”

In regard to healthy, hygiene, welfare and well-being, the report says:

“Staff place the utmost priority on children’s health, hygiene, welfare and well-being. Babies are relaxed, settled and secure in the care of nurturing staff. ”

They went on to say: “Children enjoy regular walks and outings outside of the nursery, and staff use these opportunities to further broaden children’s experiences of people and communities.”

Outstanding Outcomes for Children

Awards and glowing Ofsted reports would mean nothing if they didn’t improve outcomes and life choices for children. Here again, though, Ofsted recognised the huge positive impact that Little Acorns Nursery has on children and babies under its care, commenting:

“All children make excellent progress given their starting points. They develop many important skills that help prepare them for their future learning, and they are exceptionally well motivated and eager to learn. Children are extremely successful at learning to do things for themselves …”

An Outstanding Nursery for Your Child in Clayton-le-Woods, Chorley, Central Lancashire

Children enjoying a Forest School session with Little Acorns Nursery, Chorley, PR6Are you looking for the best nurseries or pre-schools for your baby or child? Then consider Little Acorns Nursery in Clayton-le-Woods, Chorley, in Central Lancashire. Officially rated as “Outstanding” by Ofsted and picking up the best Individual Nursery Award in the National NMT Nursery Awards, nurseries and pre-schools simply don’t get any better than Little Acorns. We have a few spaces available at time of writing so, if this is of interest, please get in touch very soon to avoid disappointment:

Arrange a Nursery Visit Send Us a Message Call: 01772 696 288

Please note: the above relates to the then current Ofsted Report from early 2019 and was correct at the time of posting. For the latest Ofsted Report, please click the Ofsted logo in the footer of this website.

 

 

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