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Appledore Montessori

Ofsted: Good
(Nov 2024)
·
5.0(5 parent reviews)
·Lancaster Steiner School, Lune Road, Lancaster, LA1 5QU · Lancashire
Number of places
23 places
Age range
1–4 yrs
Last inspected
Nov 2024
Local authority
Lancashire

About this day nursery

Appledore Nursery & Forest School offers a nurturing, home-like rural environment away from the hustle and bustle, boasting expansive views of the countryside. This family-operated nursery prides itself on delivering individualised care through its highly qualified and dedicated staff.

The primary goal is to provide a joyful, secure, and stimulating atmosphere, enhanced by a homely feel and professional, attentive staff. Children are provided with home-cooked meals, enriching the "home from home" experience.

The nursery has achieved an "Outstanding" rating from Ofsted across all assessment areas and holds an Eco School Award, reflecting its commitment to both educational excellence and environmental responsibility. Additionally, the nursery operates a beautifully situated forest school, offering children unique outdoor learning and play opportunities.

There is also an Appledore Nursery located in Oldham Town Centre.

Our ethos

Appledore Nursery & Forest School offers a nurturing, home-like rural environment and prides itself on delivering individualised care through its highly qualified and dedicated staff. It aims to provide a joyful, secure, and stimulating atmosphere, enhanced by a homely feel. The nursery operates a forest school, offering unique outdoor learning and play opportunities.

What it's like

Staff are caring and exceptionally dedicated to the well-being of the children, who happily come into a well-organised, nurturing environment and form strong bonds with staff, showing they are safe and secure. Staff use their knowledge of children to create a well-planned, sequenced curriculum that embeds individual interests, helping to enthuse and enable children to become motivated and independent learners.

Ofsted OutstandingForest SchoolFamily RunHome Cooked MealsEco School Award

Pricing & funding

Pricing on request

This nursery doesn't publish its fees online. Contact them directly for an up-to-date price list and availability.

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Key facts

Term time / All Year

All Year

Food

Home cooked meals provided

Ofsted Inspection

Ofsted rating for Appledore Montessori

Last inspected 4 November 2024 · Kelly Little

Safeguarding effective
Overall effectiveness
Good
Quality of education
Good
Behaviour and attitudes
Good
Personal development
Good
Leadership and management
Good

What it's like to attend

Staff are caring and exceptionally dedicated to the well-being of the children, who happily come into a well-organised, nurturing environment and form strong bonds with staff, showing they are safe and secure. Staff use their knowledge of children to create a well-planned, sequenced curriculum that embeds individual interests, helping to enthuse and enable children to become motivated and independent learners.

Inspector highlights

  • The curriculum for personal, social and emotional development is a strength.
  • Staff provide plenty of opportunities for children to develop their physical skills.
  • Children show an eagerness to learn new facts and increase their knowledge.
  • Children with SEND are supported by staff who are knowledgeable about their needs and ensure additional funding is used effectively.
  • The setting has a clear focus on staff's well-being, with high morale and a team approach to improvements.

Areas to develop

  • 1support staff to develop their teaching skills even further to consistently enhance and extend children's learning.
Inspection #10360105 · Source: OfstedView full Ofsted report

Inclusion & environment

How they support every child

SEND provision

Staff have clear expectations for all children, including those with special educational needs and/or disabilities (SEND). Children with SEND are supported by staff who are knowledgeable about their needs. Staff are vigilant and alert to any signs of delay. In addition, staff ensure that any additional funding is used to enhance children's progress and outcomes effectively. Leaders and staff work with outside professionals to ensure every child has support tailored towards their individual needs. This supports all children to make good progress from their starting points.

Outdoor space

Staff provide plenty of opportunities for children to develop their physical skills. Older children learn to understand how to manage safe risks and develop their core strength as they climb a tree.

Parent Reviews of Appledore Montessori

5.0
(5)
Aurora Trujillo
2 years ago

I couldn’t be happier with my child’s experience and education at Appledore Montessori. The setting is beautiful and has a great outdoor space for the children to explore and play. The staff are wonderful. They're very attentive and communicative. I get regular information about the progress of my child and any questions I have get discussed promptly. My child loves the staff and the setting and enjoys the gentle, child-centred Montessori approach. I wholeheartedly recommend this nursery. A small setting with caring, dedicated staff and an educational approach that nurtures the curiosity and interests of each child. Simply amazing!

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Katherine Radburn
a year ago

Appledore is such a caring, nurturing environment that really fosters children's independence. Our children have loved their self-directed Montessori work and enjoyed plenty of time outside and crafts as well. Would highly recommend to anyone looking for nursery or pre-school! We can't rate it highly enough!

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Josie Pearce
a year ago

Appledore is amazing. Both my children went there and it is such a calming, educational and nurturing environment. Maia and Aruna are both highly trained and skilled, but also warm and kind and my kids love them. There is also a lovely community of current and past Appledore children and families. I feel really lucky that we found Appledore… I highly recommend!

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Clare Bowman
a year ago

My son went to Appledore for 3 and a half years. I cannot rate this setting high enough. The staff are kind, patient, creative, fun and the Montessori method worked really well for my child. There is a great sense of community too!

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Rosalie Short
a year ago

I cannot overstate how special and outstanding this nursery is! We have experience of 2 other nurseries from when we lived in other cities, both very good, but Appledore is far better, a totally different experience. The children play outside nearly all day (not just during 'outdoor time'), in a lovely outdoor area which has a natural dirt ground rather than concrete, with lots of trees to climb (great for development) and play in. My child often comes home muddy which is a great sign! The indoor space is visually attractive and calming with lots of interesting and engaging activities. I am really liking the Montessori approach which is new to me, such as how they learn to be independent and always carry their own bag etc. There is a real sense of happy calm. The staff are exceptionally lovely and they take the time to get to know each child - I feel he's appreciated for who he is rather than just being a 'good lad' (as other nurseries often said). I was also impressed that they gave me a very detailed report and 30 min one to one discussion (routine review) for my 3 y.o, more in depth than I've ever had even from my older child's schools. It is a small nursery and has a real community feel. They have a number of celebrations throughout the year that the families are invited to join in - we recently attended a sweet end of year event where we all sang as a group as the children walked through a mini labyrinth of flowers and each family brought food to share.

Read on Google

Reviews from Google for Appledore Montessori. See all on Google Maps

Inspection history

Most recent inspection

4 November 2024

Good

Only one graded inspection on record — a trend chart will appear here once a second graded report is published.

View full Ofsted report

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