Staff at the college voted for Wise Owls Nursery, which is based at NWSLC’s Wigston and Nuneaton campuses, to receive the Sustainability Champion Team award in the college’s recent internal awards programme.
Sustainability and environmental issues are embedded in all areas of learning at the nursery to spark children’s passion for the environment and help them understand how important it is that they look after the world around them.
The nursery’s green activities include growing produce, exploring where food comes from, using natural, recycled and repurposed resources for play and learning wherever possible, reducing the use of single-use plastics, prioritising local and seasonal produce and using real cutlery to reduce waste.
The Nuneaton campus, which is open all year round, can currently accommodate 50 babies, toddlers and pre-school children, but due to its popularity and ever-increasing waiting list, it will increase its offer to 62 places.
The nursery incorporates sustainability into every area of the early years foundation stage framework, using each theme in innovative ways to teach children about caring for the environment. This includes:
- Communication and Language – environmental puppet play acting out simple scenarios around recycling or conserving water, and sound scavenger hunts to identify and mimic sounds from birds, insects and wildlife
- Physical Development – Yoga in nature that incorporates animal and nature inspired poses
- Personal, Social and Emotional Development – Team eco clean-ups and developing friendship with wildlife through bird feeders or insect hotels
- Literacy – Outdoor reading nooks complete with nature-themed books
- Mathematics – Counting using leaves, pebbles or seeds
The nursery was nominated for the college’s internal award for its “outstanding commitment to environmentally responsible practices” and for “promoting environmentally conscious thinking from an early age.”
Senior Nursery Manager Claire Hudson said: “Sustainability at Wise Owls nursery is an integral part of our ethos and approach to early years education. We recognise that our greatest opportunity for environmental preservation lies in the core messages we teach so we aim to introduce young children to the importance of caring for the environment by using age-appropriate, practical experiences that encourage curiosity, responsibility and respect for the natural world around them – something that can be carried forward throughout their lives.”
Students studying childcare at NWSLC have the opportunity to gain work experience at Wise Owls, with several being offered employment opportunities following their time at the nursery.
Marion Plant OBE FCGI, Principal and Chief Executive of NWSLC, said: “The nursery team is thoroughly deserving of the Sustainability Champion Team award. They represent the gold standard when it comes to ensuring sustainability is not just a tick box exercise – it’s an intrinsic part of the curriculum and something the children in their care are exposed to every day. Their efforts are shaping the future generation to ensure that looking after the planet becomes second nature.”
The nursery was rated ‘Good’ by Ofsted in May 2025, with inspectors noting that “children build close relationships with staff who know them well. They seek them out for play, comfort and reassurance. This helps children to feel safe and secure in their care.”
Due to the nursery’s expansion, there are a number of job vacancies – find out more here and read more about the nursery here.
NWSLC has recently been shortlisted for two prestigious national awards for its success at helping students to expand their green knowledge and skills. It has been named a finalist in the UK and Ireland Green Gown Awards and is also through to the final of the National Sustainability Awards.
For more information about NWSLC visit https://www.nwslc.ac.uk.
