Star Nursery

A gated play space for non-mobile babies, a toddler garden with grass to explore, and preschool children serving their own snacks give Star Nursery a clear progression from early care to growing independence. This charity-run setting occupies purpose-built premises in the grounds of Chiltern Primary School, Basingstoke. It has capacity for 69 children aged 3 months to 5 years, with outdoor access from each of its three rooms.

Ofsted rated the nursery Good at its 14 June 2022 inspection. That is a dated judgement, and the detail matters: the strengths included children's relationships with adults and support for individual needs, while the improvement priorities concerned consistency of teaching and the monitoring of staff practice.

Flexible sessions sit within weekday opening hours of 8am to 6pm. The strongest practical distinction is the combination of separate spaces for different stages and an attendance model that allows different start and finish times.

Rooms and Ages

Twinkle Stars caters for babies from 3 months to 2 years, with activities planned through the EYFS framework: learning through play and experiences that support children's development. Its physical layout separates a gated, carpeted space for non-mobile babies from a large carpeted area for mobile children; there is also a messy-play and snack space, plus a grassed garden. That separation gives babies at different stages suitable places to explore. The baby-room ratio is one adult to three children.

Shooting Stars is the toddler room, where observations of children's emerging abilities shape play involving stories, small-world toys, songs, pretend play and messy materials. Children have access to an outdoor area and a separate patch of grass, extending sensory exploration beyond the room.

Bright Stars takes preschool children aged 3 to 5, depending on birth date, with activities shaped around their developing interests, concentration and previous learning. Daily key time supports language and confidence, while self-registration, handwashing, toileting and serving snacks make independence part of the routine. These are practical steps towards managing more of the day for themselves.

Learning and Activities

In June 2022, children explored dough and spaghetti by making objects, including trees and lollipops. Outdoors, doll-washing gave children opportunities to share equipment and take turns, with adult guidance when that proved difficult. Preschool discussions about wild animals helped children expand their vocabulary. These examples show learning taking place through materials, conversation and cooperation rather than only through adult-led group activities.

There was a limitation to that picture. In June 2022, some practitioners did not take conversations with younger children far enough to develop their communication, and some were still building their understanding of the curriculum's intentions. More effective monitoring of staff practice was also needed. For families, the relevant question is how consistently adults now extend children's play and conversation across the rooms.

Outdoor and Community Life

Outdoor space is part of the nursery's layout, with access from every room. In June 2022, preschool children used climbing equipment and practised landing safely; handling water containers, dough and tongs also gave children opportunities to develop coordination and hand strength. The physical experiences ranged from larger movements outside to smaller, controlled movements during play.

Summer Fete and Pamper Evenings are annual fundraising events that help pay for resources and equipment. Parents can help organise them through staff or the committee. These offer a practical way to contribute to a charity-run setting, alongside involvement in children's learning.

Relationships and Communication

A key person provides continuity in Twinkle Stars and Shooting Stars. For babies, that adult works with parents to understand routines and care needs; for toddlers, the relationship gives the child a familiar practitioner to turn to while settling. Moves between rooms include visits tailored to the individual child, with the number of visits depending on how they settle.

Baby-room families receive both spoken and written updates after sessions, including information about sleep and nappy changes. Toddler-room feedback is verbal. An annual parents' evening adds a longer discussion about development, with parents able to contribute observations and significant moments to the child's learning journal.

In June 2022, babies received cuddles from staff and children settled readily into their play. Older children practised pouring drinks and cutting fruit at snack time, alongside managing handwashing and toileting. These observations belong to that visit, but illustrate the balance between adult comfort and opportunities to do things independently.

Inclusion and Wellbeing

At the June 2022 inspection, Ofsted found safeguarding effective and described secure SEND support through prompt referrals, individual education plans and cooperation with parents and other professionals. The support was tailored: additional funding had paid for climbing equipment for physical development and curiosity cubes to help communication.

The staff structure includes a designated safeguarding lead, a deputy safeguarding lead and a SENCO. Those roles give safeguarding and additional needs identifiable responsibilities within the team. Shooting Stars children can sleep during their session when needed, and the baby-room key person works with parents on each child's routine.

Sessions and Attendance

The address is Chiltern Primary School, Chiltern Way, Basingstoke, RG22 5BB. Opening hours are 8am to 6pm, Monday to Friday, with flexible sessions and different start and finish times. Families can choose different start and finish times within the nursery day.

The nursery operates across the year, closing for bank holidays, Christmas and New Year, and five annual training days. Session changes and requests for extra attendance must be made in writing; sessions cannot be swapped. Fees remain payable for booked hours missed through sickness or family holidays, while the fees terms exclude charges during group closure.

The nursery is on Chiltern Primary School's grounds. Attendance does not guarantee a Reception place, and families still apply through the local authority admissions process. The shared site should therefore be understood as a location fact, rather than an admissions advantage.

Funding and Paid Extras

Star Nursery accepts government funding for eligible children aged 2, 3 and 4, including 15 and 30 hours. The 15-hour grant terms describe provision over 38 school-year weeks. Those terms also allow charges for attendance beyond the sessions covered by the grant, so funded hours and additional paid attendance need to be kept separate when planning a booking.

A healthy snack is provided in the morning and again in the afternoon.

Private childcare is charged by the hour, with payment due in advance. A deposit is held during attendance; it is returned when the child leaves, after deducting any unpaid fees. Current prices come in the nursery's written quotation, and the fees and payment terms explain the charging structure.

Leaving requires four weeks' written notice. Late collection incurs a charge, and children must be collected by 6pm.

• Consistency of teaching. The June 2022 improvement priorities concerned practitioners' understanding of curriculum intentions and the monitoring of their work, including missed opportunities to extend younger children's communication. At a visit, ask how these priorities are addressed in everyday interactions.
• Toddler-room placement. Shooting Stars is described both as serving ages 2 to 3 and as serving children from 2 years 6 months to 3 years 10 months; Twinkle Stars also has differing starting-age descriptions. Discuss the intended room and transition plan for your child's age and development.
• Deposit and funded booking. The nursery specifies a week's deposit, while the general terms allow a week or a month. Request one written booking quotation that settles the deposit period, funded attendance, extra paid hours, meals and consumables before committing.

Star Nursery suits families seeking age-specific rooms, outdoor access and a key-person relationship that carries through settling and room changes. Its flexible hours can serve families wanting shorter sessions as well as those arranging attendance across more of the opening day. The baby-room layout and preschool independence routines give that progression substance.

The June 2022 Good judgement supports the overall picture, with clear teaching and monitoring priorities alongside it. The choice comes down to how the proposed room, current teaching practice and written booking terms fit the individual child and family's week.