# A Nature Nursery in Shropshire

Outdoor learning at Bojangles, on the Walford Campus.

Bojangles Day Nursery is a nature-led day nursery in Shropshire, on the Walford Campus in Baschurch (SY4 2HL), about 15 minutes north of Shrewsbury. Outdoor play and exploration aren't a once-a-week treat — they're how we run the day, with children outdoors for two to three hours most days in almost all weathers. We're registered with Ofsted under URN **EY370743** and rated **Good** at our most recent inspection in January 2022. We're an outdoor-rich, EYFS-rooted nursery rather than a certified Forest School setting; this page sets out what that actually means in practice, where the line is between "nature nursery" and "Forest School," and what families coming from town settings often notice on their first visit.

## What "nature-led" means in practice

At Bojangles, nature-led isn't a marketing label. It's a structural choice about how the day runs:

- **Outdoor time is daily, not weekly.** Children spend two to three hours outdoors most days, across morning and afternoon sessions.
- **Children play outdoors in almost all weathers.** Rain, cold, wind — we go out unless it's genuinely unsafe. Children come dressed for it.
- **The grounds matter.** Walford Campus has fields, grass hills, gardens, and access to the wider college estate. The setting is rural rather than urban-paved.
- **Learning is through play, not lessons.** The seven EYFS areas (literacy, mathematics, communication, physical development, etc.) are delivered through nature-based exploration rather than seated activity.

## Nature-led, not Forest School

You'll see plenty of UK nurseries marketing themselves as "forest school" settings. The term has a specific meaning under the Forest School Association: it's a structured pedagogical approach delivered by a qualified Forest School Leader, in regular long-term sessions in a woodland environment. Genuine certified Forest Schools are excellent — and rare.

We don't claim Forest School certification, because we don't hold it. What we offer is everyday nature-led care — substantial daily outdoor time, child-led exploration, learning through nature — on grounds well-suited to it. The principles overlap considerably with Forest School. The certification doesn't.

If certified Forest School is specifically what you want, the Forest School Association directory lists accredited providers. If "a nursery where my child is outdoors most of every day, learning through nature" is what you want, we fit that description honestly.

## A typical outdoor day, by age group

### Baby Room (0–2)

Babies are outdoors in pushchairs and on blankets in good weather. Soft-play equipment goes onto the grass. Older babies use walkers on the patio area to develop balance. Sensory exploration of natural materials — leaves, pine cones, feathers — is part of the daily rhythm.

### Toddler Room (2–3)

Toddlers spend large stretches in the garden — running up and over the grass hills, pushing ride-on toys, sand and water play, climbing on movable equipment. Walks around the wider grounds happen most days. Mealtimes move outdoors in good weather.

### Pre-School Room (3–5)

Mud kitchen, mark-making outdoors, measuring and pouring for early maths, storytelling under trees, child-led investigation of insects and plants, growing things from seed. EYFS literacy, numeracy and communication delivered through outdoor play. Pre-school sessions still have indoor focus time, but outdoors is the centre of gravity.

## What town families notice on their first visit

Families coming from town nurseries often comment on three things:

- **How much space there is.** Most urban settings have a paved play area; we have grass and gardens, with the wider campus beyond.
- **How calm the children are.** Outdoor space and physical movement throughout the day reduces the buzzy, slightly frantic atmosphere that some indoor-heavy settings develop by mid-afternoon.
- **How much kit children come home in.** Yes, you do more washing. Children also sleep better, eat better, and are physically more developed than peers who've been mostly indoors.

## Where families come from for outdoor-led care

Outdoor-led care is a deliberate choice rather than a convenience one, and our families reflect that. They come from across north Shropshire and the Shrewsbury commuter belt — Baschurch, Ruyton-XI-Towns, Bomere Heath, Nesscliffe, West Felton, and the north and west of Shrewsbury. Some travel from further afield in Wem, Shawbury, and the villages along the A5 corridor.

Drive times range from a few minutes from the closest villages to around 20 from the further edges of our catchment. Most families say the rural setting is exactly the point: no town traffic at drop-off, and a child who arrives at fields rather than tarmac. For each catchment area we have dedicated pages with drive times and journey notes — see [Baschurch](https://www.bojanglesnursery.co.uk/locations/baschurch), [near Shrewsbury](https://www.bojanglesnursery.co.uk/locations/near-shrewsbury), or any of our [village pages](https://www.bojanglesnursery.co.uk/locations/ruyton-xi-towns) for the journey from where you live.

## Fees and funded hours

Our standard daily fee is **£60.00 per day** for a full 8am to 6pm session, with breakfast, lunch, tea and snacks all included. Half-day sessions aren't currently offered. We accept every government-funded childcare entitlement currently available in England, including the 30 hours for working parents from 9 months, the universal 15 hours for 3 and 4-year-olds, the 15-hour benefits-based entitlement for 2-year-olds, and Tax-Free Childcare.

On funded-only days we apply a separate **£10.00 meals and consumables charge** per day to cover food, sun cream and consumables — government funding doesn't cover those. There are no registration fees or hidden extras. For a full breakdown, see [our Fees page](https://www.bojanglesnursery.co.uk/fees). For a deeper look at the 30-hour entitlement and how to apply, see our [30 hours free childcare page](https://www.bojanglesnursery.co.uk/services/30-hours-funded-childcare-baschurch).

## Current availability

Availability changes week by week across our Baby, Toddler, and Pre-School Rooms. Please call 01939 260006 or message through the website to confirm what's currently open in the room you need before booking a visit. For our latest place-by-place position, see the [main Baschurch page](https://www.bojanglesnursery.co.uk/locations/baschurch#availability).

## Frequently asked questions

**Are you a Forest School nursery?**
No — we're a nature-led nursery rather than a certified Forest School setting. We share many principles but don't hold formal Forest School certification.

**How much time do children spend outdoors at Bojangles?**
Two to three hours most days, across morning and afternoon sessions, in almost all weathers.

**What does outdoor learning actually look like for under-5s?**
Babies use walkers and soft-play on grass; toddlers run and climb; pre-schoolers do mud kitchen, mark-making outside, measuring and pouring, and child-led nature exploration.

**What about the rain and cold?**
Children come in waterproofs and warm layers and most love it. Cold isn't a barrier; outdoor activity keeps them warmer than huddling indoors.

**Where exactly is your outdoor space?**
On the Walford Campus, with a dedicated nursery garden plus access to the wider college grounds.

## Related pages

- [Our Approach](https://www.bojanglesnursery.co.uk/our-approach)
- [Bojangles in Baschurch](https://www.bojanglesnursery.co.uk/locations/baschurch)
- [Nursery Near Shrewsbury](https://www.bojanglesnursery.co.uk/locations/near-shrewsbury)
- [Book a Visit](https://www.bojanglesnursery.co.uk/book-a-visit)

## Page metadata

- **Title:** Nature Nursery in Shropshire — Outdoor Learning at Bojangles
- **Description:** A nature-led nursery in Shropshire with extensive outdoor grounds on the Walford Campus. Daily outdoor play in all weathers, EYFS-rooted, ages 0–5.
- **URL:** https://www.bojanglesnursery.co.uk/services/nature-nursery-shropshire
- **Nursery:** Bojangles Day Nursery
- **Location:** Baschurch, Shrewsbury, Shropshire, SY4 2HL
- **Ofsted URN:** EY370743
- **Ofsted rating:** Good (most recent inspection January 2022)
- **Last updated:** 25 April 2026