Orchard Early Years
GoodBirth to 8+Long established
A day nursery in Shrewsbury for children from birth to 8+, open 07:30 to 18:00, 5 days a week. They do not publish prices, so that is the first thing to ask. Rated Good by Ofsted in August 2024. Open since 2014, with 56 places.
What you might pay
This setting does not publish its fees, and no national dataset holds them. This is what childcare costs across the council, as a starting point for the call.
What childcare usually costs in Shropshire
This is not this setting's price. It is the median hourly fee across all providers in Shropshire from the Department for Education's 2025 provider survey. No national data holds what an individual nursery charges, so ring and ask.
Places, hours and the day
Who they take, when they are open, and what a day there includes.
Where it is
SY2 5STWhat the inspector found
One grade is one visit. A run of them tells you whether it has been good for years or has only just got there.
- 23 September 2026 — Concern: actions taken what Ofsted published
Ofsted inspector, 8 August 2024 · read the full report
What it is like to attend
Staff at this unique and nurturing nursery help children to settle quickly by providing them with personalised settling-in sessions. Children develop strong attachments to their key person and other staff in the nursery. This supports children's emotional well-being and a sense of belonging.
The management and staff work together to create a unique and ambitious curriculum that focuses on the individual starting points of children. The curriculum promotes key skills for children to develop as they progress through their nursery journey. For instance, by the time children leave the nursery, they are able to follow a recipe when baking. Babies start by exploring textures with their hands and mixing ingredients. Older children take part in regular cooking activities where staff teach them how to follow a recipe. Children recognise and name numbers as staff point to the list of ingredients.
Staff are positive role models. They communicate with each other with care, kindness and compassion. Children behave well and learn to share with their friends with the guidance of the caring staff. Staff and children role play together.
What Ofsted told them to improve
To further improve the quality of the early years provision, the provider should:
- support staff to consider how to extend learning opportunities to fully challenge the most able children
- strengthen supervision systems to monitor staff teaching practice, and support staff to identify areas for professional development that enable them to raise the quality of their practice even further.
- 8 August 2024Good
- 25 October 2018Good
- 16 February 2015Good
Rated Good or Outstanding at 3 of the last 3 graded inspections.
Still missing for Orchard Early Years
- What it costs
- Funded hours
- Youngest age taken
- Meals
- Nappies
- Waiting list
No dataset holds any of this. Two parents telling us the same thing puts it on the page for whoever looks next.
What to ask them
None of this is in any national dataset and this setting has not published it, which is exactly why it is worth asking.
- What does it cost, all in? What is on top: meals, nappies, late pick-up, and what happens if you are late.
- Can I use my funded hours here? Whether they stretch them over the year, and the minimum days you have to book.
- Is there a place for my child's age? Baby rooms fill first and waiting lists are common.
- Who would my child's key person be? And how long have the staff been there. No dataset holds this and it matters more than anything above.
- Can I visit at a busy time? Mid-morning on a weekday tells you far more than an empty room after hours.
Day nurseries within a couple of miles
This one is first. Tick it and one or two others to see them side by side.