Can anyone recommend a good nursery in Kidderminster area

[joorla]

hi

this is a bit of a long shot but can anyone recommend a good nursery for my 8 mo dd, preferably which focuses on natural outdoorsy type activities!!

i'm really wary of leaving my dd and there seems to be so many nurseries in the area that i dont know where to start.

thanks.

Mayfield House kindergarten seems to tick all your boxes. My 2 are there and it is excellent - v outdoorsy (dd1 goes to forest school every wk, rain or shine; they have an allotment which the children are involved in, all food is homecooked, lots of it is organic, they eat what they grow etc).Staff are v caring, mature on the whole. I've been really pleased with it.
However, it is pricey and popular - you may have to wait for a while to get a place.
Feel free to ask me if you need any more info - I'm off to find a website for you.

that sounds fab - is that the one on marlpool lane (think that's what the road's called)?

Yes that's it.

You know I can't think of another one in our area that is as good as Mayfield. Several of them do forest schools (Tots@726 where my Dd goes do spend a lot of time outside when they can and have a forest school on site) but Mayfield is the only one I know of thats whole ethos is outdoorsy and natural.

just read the ofsted report but it's quite old (2003), cant seem to find any other info on it though.

it is the one i'm thinking of - the one with the treehouse, ideal for us as we only live 5 mins walk away.

i like the sound of the forest school - what does that entail? i presume she's a bit young for that one yet though and would progress to that when she's a bit older?? also like the organic food and mature staff (i've been to a couple of nurseries and the staff do seem very young).

do you know what the waiting list is like, i'd be looking to put her in for a couple of half days to get her used to it and then when i go back to work in july hopefully progress to 2 full days (or am flexible as my mom could also look after her if i had to wait for a place).

what are the rates?

Hi Honor!

I'm on my way out now, but will retur to this thread tomorrow and answer your qu's, J.

ok thanks.

i'll give them a call in the morning as well.

honor - 726 was my first choice, it was recommended (and i want to get her into Franche First school too) but when i called them they weren't very helpful and told me they would ring back and never did.

Hmmm, sounds odd, they're normally very good with stuff like that.I will say that if you're afer mature staff then 726 does have the majority as young whippersnappers - but, they are very good whippersnappers!!

Hi Joorla, just been able to get to back to this, sorry for delay.
The owner/manager is actually on holiday at the moment - you'll need to speak to her. Don't know what the waiting list is like at the moment but if you can be flexible about the sessions you want, you have a better chance of getting in sooner. The baby room is generally v full from what I know but you could be lucky! Prices - we pay with a monthly direct debit and dd1 gets nursery vouchers so I'm not 100%sure but I think it is about £36 per session?
Tots at 726might be good for your dd though, with nice continuity if you want Franche 1st.
HTH, feel free to ask any more qu's when you think about them!

hi sassy, yes i called them on monday and was told to call back next week when the manager is there.

after speaking to someone who used to work at franche 1st, they have put me off (not them personally!) i've now changed my mind about sending her there or 726 and have decided that mayfield is the one that i really want.

Hi Joorla
I can recommend Holy Trinity, I have both my daughters in there. My eldest daughter also went to Mayfield for a very short time and I think is a good nursery as well but it is a small nursery and very difficult to find places. In my opinion HTS is wonderful because of the very loving and nurturing environment they provide, they provide very good activities, but most important thing for me is that they get to know the children very well and provide excellent loving care. My daughters do PE, ballet, swimming (they are 2 and 3) Because the nursery is a part of the school they benefit from the facilities of the school. The owner at Mayfield is Heidi Munday. The manager of the HTS nursery is Gaynor Carter, the phone is 01562822929. I think both are definitely worth a visit. Hope this helps...

Just seen you on the kiddi meet-up thread so bumping this to let you know

1. nursery boss is back from hols. her name is Heidi Munday - bit eccentric but v nice!
2. Cost is £38 per day, £19per session. Anything else you need to know?

Sassy, that price sounds ok to me! That's what I pay my childminder to have dd from 8.30 - 5.30. Does that include food at Mayfield House?

Food and nappies, 8-5.30. More exp than any of my friends pay for their nurseries!

Used to pay my (v.g.) childminder £3 p/hour a few years ago.
You ok? Gather you have builders in - hope its not too awful.

I pay c/m £4.30 per hour. She is v, v, v good and only usually has Eleanor plus one other during the day.

Builders start next week - going to be awful for about 6-8 weeks! I think we'll be spending a lot of time out and about!