St Bernards Nursery

China teapots, open-ended materials and a dedicated Curiosity Room give St Bernards Nursery a recognisable approach to play. Based at Oakridge Methodist Church in Basingstoke, it takes children aged two to five and has 36 places in total.

Ofsted rated the nursery Good on 3 June 2025, while identifying two priorities: more consistent interactions between staff and children, and better organisation of daily routines. Both matter because a thoughtfully planned activity needs an adult who can develop it, and enough uninterrupted time for children to take part.

Attendance choices include full days, shorter days and morning or afternoon sessions.

Rooms and Ages

The Curiosity Room is dedicated to exploring loose parts and authentic objects, giving children materials they can rearrange and use in their own ways. The Hygge Room also features in the daily routine.

The Loose Parts Initiative supplies the clearest explanation of the nursery's approach. Materials include wood, fabric, packaging and objects made from metal or plastic. Children can join them together, separate them and change their purpose as an idea develops. A finished toy usually comes with an intended use; these materials leave more decisions to the child.

Real china mugs, plates and teapots are also part of play, alongside real food in the home corner. Handling these objects brings responsibility into pretend play: children are encouraged to take care of resources and put them back afterwards.

Learning and Activities

The Early Years Foundation Stage shapes the day through play, conversation, movement and experiences that develop children's understanding of themselves and the world. Child-chosen activities sit alongside adult-led work, indoors and outside. The curriculum page connects this with language, early reading and writing, mathematics, physical development and creative expression.

Counting and comparing objects belong alongside stories, role-play, music and art.

The daily routine gives this approach a clear rhythm. A morning gathering includes news, weather, a prayer and a story, followed by activities in small groups or play chosen by children. Singing and rhymes recur later in the day, with children choosing what the group sings. Afternoon activities include movement, bikes and a climbing frame, followed by another opportunity for adult-led or child-chosen play.

In June 2025, kitchen role-play prompted children to discuss breakfast and allocate roles as they pretended to make food for one another. Books also led into conversation about confidence and what made each child individual.

The limitation was consistency. In June 2025, the planned sequence of learning was not always carried through in adult-led exchanges. Before lunch, some children were taken away from a story for toileting and handwashing, losing part of the activity. The improvement priorities therefore concern how the day is delivered, as well as what is planned.

Outdoor and Community Life

Outside time, bikes and a climbing frame give children opportunities for physical play alongside exploration of smaller objects indoors.

Community experiences also featured in June 2025. Children receiving additional funding took train trips to places of interest, and the nursery helped prepare packages for families needing support. Parents contributed dishes associated with their cultures for children to try. These were concrete ways of exploring life beyond a child's own household, through journeys, food and helping others.

Relationships and Communication

Each child has a key person who links individual care and learning with family life. The role includes supporting parents with development at home and helping them access specialist assistance where appropriate.

Learning Journey files capture children's development and inform the next steps staff plan. Parents can contribute observations, discuss their child's needs and join activities through the nursery's open-door policy.

In June 2025, staff gathered detailed information from families to support settling and gave sensitive help to children who needed extra support. Personalised packs also supported learning at home. Settling was treated as an individual process, rather than an expectation that every child would respond in the same way.

Inclusion and Wellbeing

At its June 2025 inspection, Ofsted found safeguarding effective and praised support for children with SEND, including work with parents and external professionals to agree targets and adapt activities.

The assistant manager holds both the SENDco and Lead Safeguarding Practitioner roles. SEND coordination includes assessment, planning and monitoring progress, while the deputy manager also supports inclusion. These responsibilities give families a clear structure for discussing additional needs.

In June 2025, targeted help addressed speech delay, and an emotional development programme supported children in recognising feelings and managing behaviour. Younger children began in a quieter space before moving into the larger hall. Physical activity and practice with everyday tasks, including handwashing, were also part of the day.

A nursery cook prepares the midday meal, with a lighter tea later; snacks include fruit, toast and milk or water. Vegetarian choices and dietary requirements are catered for, and the sample menu can change with the food available that week.

Preparation for school includes a readiness checklist covering communication, self-care, play and managing feelings. It is presented as guidance that children work towards at different rates. For families, this keeps the emphasis on gradual independence rather than treating school readiness as a test to pass.

Sessions and Attendance

The address is Oakridge Methodist Church, Vivian Road, Basingstoke, RG21 5QB. Opening hours are 8.30am to 5.30pm, Monday to Friday, with attendance across the year apart from bank holidays and the Christmas closure.

Full days run from 8.30am to 5.30pm, while the shorter Day Session finishes at 4.30pm after the same start. Three-hour choices are 8.30am to 11.30am or 1.30pm to 4.30pm. Longer sessions run from 8.30am to 1.30pm or 11.30am to 4.30pm. Children may be brought in at any point within their booked session.

Christmas closure begins on Christmas Eve, with reopening on the first working day after New Year. Fees are paid in advance each month; family holidays and sickness absences remain chargeable, while the stated closure periods are not charged. Withdrawal requires a month's notice, with the month charged if that notice is not given. Late collection attracts a charge and is not an extension of the childcare service.

Enquiries can be made by telephone on 01256 465274 or through the contact form. Current prices come in the nursery's written quotation.

Funding and Paid Extras

Funded childcare includes 15 hours and 30 hours, subject to the relevant eligibility rules, including funding for eligible two-year-olds. Additional sessions can be bought privately. Funded attendance can be arranged over term time or spread across the year, so the number of hours used in an ordinary week depends on the arrangement.

Food and non-food consumables are covered by a separate enhancement charge during funded hours, except for children receiving low-income two-year-old funding or pupil premium, to whom the charge does not apply. During non-funded hours, food and consumables carry no additional charge and are included in the fee.

The fees and terms page covers attendance patterns, funding charges, absence terms and notice.

• Interruptions to learning. In June 2025, pre-lunch routines meant some children missed parts of stories. On a visit, ask how toileting and handwashing now fit around group activities.
• Consistency between adults. The June 2025 improvement priorities included staff coaching and mentoring. Ask how practitioners develop conversations and adapt adult-led activities for children at different stages.
• Real objects in play. The Loose Parts Initiative includes china and other authentic materials. Ask how staff introduce these resources and supervise their use with younger children.
• The funded-hours bill. Food and consumables attract an enhancement charge during funded time, with specified exemptions. Compare the quotation for the attendance pattern you want, including paid hours, absence terms and notice.

St Bernards suits families seeking morning or afternoon sessions as well as those needing a shorter day or a full day. Its clearest character comes from the Loose Parts Initiative, everyday objects and the Curiosity Room, supported by a named key person and Learning Journey files that record development and help staff plan next steps.

The June 2025 assessment provides a positive basis for considering it, but the two improvement priorities deserve attention. The choice turns on how consistently adults extend children's play and protect time for learning, alongside whether the session pattern and charge structure fit family life.