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Mere Nature Kindergarten

Ofsted: Good
(Sept 2021)
·
5.0(4 parent reviews) ·Chester Road, Knutsford, WA16 0PU · Cheshire East
Number of places
70 places
Age range
0–4 yrs
Last inspected
Sept 2021
Local authority
Cheshire East

About this day nursery

Mere Nature Kindergarten, part of the larger Thrive Childcare group, is dedicated to fostering early childhood development within a nurturing and engaging environment in Knutsford. The nursery embraces a holistic approach, integrating the Early Years Foundation Stage curriculum with hands-on, play-based learning experiences.

A key feature is its emphasis on outdoor exploration and connecting with nature through initiatives like Forest School sessions, where children develop self-confidence and discover through woodland gardens and outdoor classrooms. The nursery provides nutritious meals and snacks, and supports parents with resources like e-learning journals via the ParentZone app, allowing them to track their child's daily activities and developmental progress.

Furthermore, Mere Nature Kindergarten understands the importance of physical activity, aiming for children to be active for at least three hours daily, incorporating movement-based activities that boost confidence and social skills. They also offer a range of creative activities, including music, dance, and arts, alongside dedicated language and story times to aid speech development.

The nursery is committed to creating a supportive community for families, evident through its regular newsletters and parent evenings, and even celebrates milestones like the transition to primary school with graduation ceremonies. They also engage children in fundraising activities to promote empathy and understanding of diverse circumstances.

Our ethos

Our curriculum includes and adheres to the Statutory Framework for the Early Years Foundation Stage, while offering a hands-on approaches to encourage the skills your child will need in the nursery and beyond. Our nurseries provide an extensive range of resources to encourage children to learn through play. We favour naturalistic learning resources and make fantastic use of our outdoor equipment, promoting free-flow and Child-led learning. Forest School is an inspirational process that offers our children opportunities to develop their self-confidence through hands on learning experiences in our woodland gardens and outdoor classrooms.

What it's like

Children thoroughly enjoy their time at this nursery and build warm and trusting relationships with staff. Older children are eager to begin their day, and babies and toddlers are relaxed and smile when they see familiar staff, which helps them feel immediately safe and secure. Partnerships with parents are well developed, and parents speak very highly of the staff team.

Forest SchoolPlay-based learningOutdoor focusNutritious mealsParentZone app

Pricing & funding

Funding accepted

15 hours — eligible 2-year-olds15 hours — universal (3–4 yrs)30 hours — working parents (3–4 yrs)Tax-Free Childcare
Pricing on request

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

Key facts

Opening hours

Monday to Friday all year round. Sessions are from 7.30am until 6pm.

Food

Nappies, wipes, formula milk, meals and snacks are provided within the fees.

Term time / All Year

All Year

Ofsted Inspection

Ofsted rating for Mere Nature Kindergarten

Last inspected 16 September 2021 · Sharon Hennam-Dale

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

What it's like to attend

Children thoroughly enjoy their time at this nursery and build warm and trusting relationships with staff. Older children are eager to begin their day, and babies and toddlers are relaxed and smile when they see familiar staff, which helps them feel immediately safe and secure. Partnerships with parents are well developed, and parents speak very highly of the staff team.

Inspector highlights

  • Children thoroughly enjoy their time at this nursery and build warm and trusting relationships with staff.
  • An exceptionally high priority is given to promoting children's personal, social and emotional development.
  • Staff know children's characters and interests exceptionally well and use this knowledge skilfully to engage children in play.
  • Staff provide a rich range of opportunities for children to be active and develop their physical skills.
  • The new manager is highly ambitious and dedicated to making this nursery the best it can be.

Areas to develop

  • 1build on the good teaching already in place to help staff to recognise when to seize opportunities to extend children's vocabulary to offer them even greater challenge
  • 2review the range of learning opportunities offered to the babies, to provide them with richer, more varied experiences to explore and investigate.
Inspection #10197686 · Source: OfstedView full Ofsted report

What parents say

Verbatim quotes recorded in the Ofsted inspection

parents say praise how professional, caring and nurturing the staff are, commenting on the 'genuine delight' staff greet the children with on their arrival at the nursery.

Inclusion & environment

How they support every child

SEND provision

Following time off during the COVID-19 (coronavirus) pandemic, staff were quick to shape the curriculum to cater for children's individual needs. They prioritised learning for children's emotional well-being. Staff have introduced visual aids to help children to manage their feelings and emotions and self-regulate in response to this.

Outdoor space

Some activities for babies are not as well organised in the outdoor area to entice babies to explore and investigate further. Older children display a great sense of adventure and fun in forest school as they learn about trees and plants in their environment and explore these with magnifying glasses.

Parent Reviews of Mere Nature Kindergarten

5.0
(4)
Chloe Rose
a year ago

My son has been going to the Mere for the past 6 months. The nursery are flexible and do their best to accommodate our wishes. Management are very responsive, in spring/summer they are outside lots in their own space which was important to us. But for us the standout is Rachel in the baby room - she is absolutely brilliant, friendly and professional. My son is always visibly excited to see her. I hope she’ll be leading her own room soon!

Read on Google
A Gregson
7 years ago

This nursery is amazing. My daughter has been going here full time for 5 months now and in all that time she has never once cried when I've dropped her off or picked her up. The nursery staff are wonderful. They look after my daughter so so well and it really feels like they genuinely care for all of the kids. Lynn the chef is amazing too. My daughter is on a bit of a difficult diet and they accommodate her without ever grumbling about inconvenience. I have so much love for all of the staff at the mere and particularly my daughter's key worker, who is a total superstar!

Read on Google
B R
5 years ago

Our little girl has been going here since she was 12 months old, right in the middle of Covid times. The staff settled her in gently and she quickly adapted to going here. She absolutely loves nursery, the staff are friendly and you can tell they care about each individual child. The management are efficient and knowledgable, and the whole place runs smoothly with a focus on the latest Early Years practice. You are updated daily with information about how your child’s day has gone and staff will update you when you pick up too. The children always have access to a variety of fun, messy and imaginative play activities. The food is homemade and the menu alone makes me feel ashamed of my own cooking! My little girl always eats a range of delicious food, and they’re very on top allergies and dietary needs. The outdoor area is in use all year round and they have access to a lovely garden, where the children get their wellies on and get stuck in. Their Covid safety practises are also well established and the leadership ensure parents are well-informed. From what I’ve seen, they also take care of their staff with regular CPD training and rewards, which is something I like to look out for - after all, happy staff means a happy educational environment for our children. As a teacher & senior leader in primary school, I spent a lot of time researching local nurseries for my daughter, and this one is definitely of the highest quality. I would absolutely recommend it if you are looking for a nurturing, forward-thinking and stimulating environment for your little one.

Read on Google

Reviews from Google for Mere Nature Kindergarten. See all on Google Maps

Inspection history

Date: February 2017

  • September 2021Good
  • February 2017Outstanding

Frequently asked about Mere Nature Kindergarten

About the setting

The Mere Nursery registered in 2015. The nursery employs 23 members of childcare staff, with 13 holding appropriate early years qualifications at level 3 and two with early years professional status or qualified teacher status. The nursery opens from Monday to Friday all year round, with sessions from 7.30am until 6pm, and provides funded early education for three-year-old children.

URN
EY495622
Registered person
The Village Nursery Group Limited
Day care type
Full day care
Register
Early Years Register
Establishment type
Childcare on non-domestic premises
Previous rating
Outstanding

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