Willows Montessori Nursery

About this day nursery

Willows Montessori Nursery, located in the picturesque Old Ryton Village, offers 54 full-day care spots for children from birth to five years old. The nursery operates 51 weeks a year, Monday to Friday, from 7:45 am to 6:00 pm, closing only for bank holidays and the period between Christmas and New Year.

Recognised as "outstanding" by Ofsted, the nursery is praised for fostering children's curiosity and independence. It is organised into three distinct classrooms: the Squirrel Room for infants up to two years old, maintaining a 1:3 staff-to-child ratio; the Foxes Den for two-to-three-year-olds with a 1:4 ratio, featuring a light-filled building with direct access to an outdoor area; and the Badger Room for three-to-five-year-olds with a 1:8 ratio, serving as a pre-school environment that encourages independence in daily tasks.

The nursery prides itself on its extensive and secure outdoor garden, which provides a rich learning environment and includes an allotment where children participate in growing plants, vegetables, and fruits. Additionally, the nursery runs Forest School Adventure sessions for pre-school children, both in their garden and local woods, aiming to enhance physical, language, social, and cognitive skills, as well as confidence and motivation through activities like storytelling, digging, climbing, and fire building.

Our ethos

Willows Montessori Nursery follows the Montessori pedagogy, fostering children's curiosity and independence. They offer Forest School Adventure sessions to enhance children's skills and confidence through various outdoor activities.

What it's like

Children thrive at this exciting and welcoming setting. They demonstrate exceptional levels of independence from a very young age and show high levels of self-care skills. Children's learning is superbly sequenced throughout the setting, with staff consistently building on what children know and can already do.

Pricing & funding