Broadstone Christian Nursery

Wednesday visits to The Links Care Home, prayers during circle time and a shared room for younger and older nursery children give Broadstone Christian Nursery a clear character. This is a small Christian setting with capacity for 14 children aged two to five, where the outdoor area is part of everyday play rather than a separate destination.

At its January 2022 inspection, Ofsted rated the nursery Good overall, with Outstanding behaviour and attitudes, and found safeguarding effective. Teaching consistency needed attention: some interactions missed chances to develop vocabulary and extend children's thinking.

A purpose-built nursery with an adjoining outdoor area provides the physical setting. Morning and afternoon core sessions sit alongside full-time and term-time attendance, allowing families to consider different weekly arrangements.

Rooms and Ages

Younger children and those approaching school share one room. The capacity of 14 describes the whole setting, rather than attendance at each session.

Outside, an all-weather shelter and rustic kitchen give children places to continue playing beyond the indoor room. Free flow means they can choose between indoor and outdoor activities. For a child who prefers movement and outdoor exploration, that choice is a meaningful part of the day.

Learning and Activities

The Early Years Foundation Stage (EYFS) provides the shared standards for children's learning, development and care: here, conversations, stories, physical play and practical independence turn those areas of learning into everyday activity. It is the foundation that every nursery follows. Broadstone's own daily pattern adds clear routines, Christian prayer and named activities.

Circle time includes Jolly phonics through a sound-of-the-week activity. Children also count the group, find numerals and connect numbers with clapping or jumping. These are short, practical ways to connect early language and mathematics with things children can hear, see and do.

Percussion, movement songs and ring games feature in the routine. Children serve their own snacks and have role play and a quiet area for child-led time. Afternoons follow the same structure, with flexible timing so activities can be completed.

In January 2022, children searched for letters on displays and game boxes and were beginning to combine sounds. Storytelling involved props, discussion and opportunities to recount a story. The same visit identified uneven language teaching: explanations sometimes developed a conversation, but some staff missed opportunities to introduce more vocabulary. Families should weigh the concrete learning activities alongside that limitation.

Outdoor and Community Life

Every Wednesday, a group visits The Links Care Home for activities with residents, giving children regular contact with people beyond the nursery.

The allotment links growing with eating: children help look after a place where some of their food is produced. Woodwork activities use real tools with a local carpenter, adding a practical experience that differs from table-top craft. Special visits include Zoolab and an RSPB Early Years Habitat Explorer session; their value here is the opportunity to encounter visiting organisations alongside familiar nursery activities.

Annual Sports Day takes place at Broadstone Rec, with family races and activities. The Christmas Parade involves joining the Broadstone Parade in handmade costumes. Family Fun Days bring families together for craft and entertainment.

Relationships and Communication

Each child's key person is the family's main contact, providing emotional reassurance and help with dressing and toilet training. Parents have a clear contact for changes, worries and achievements.

Settling is adjusted to the child. Parents can remain for an introductory visit or leave, and further visits can be discussed before the child starts properly. Information about interests, preferences and concerns helps the key person begin with familiar play. In January 2022, staff gathered this information before children started and used reassurance and physical comfort to help them settle.

Communication is unusually concrete. A whiteboard summarises activities, snacks and the current letter sound and colour, while diary sheets support families whose parents are not seen at nursery. All about me reports go home every six weeks with achievements, next steps and ideas for home; parents have space to respond. Twice-yearly parents' evenings give a further opportunity for a longer discussion.

Inclusion and Wellbeing

Wellcomm Speech and Language toolkit screening is used for all children. It identifies possible language delay and includes play activities for staff and families, with referral to a speech and language therapist considered where necessary.

For additional needs, the SENCO works with the key person and family on an individual action plan with agreed targets. Reviews take place each half term, and liaison can involve health visitors, the local authority and speech and language therapists. A wall timeline and individual photo books help children understand routines; these make the sequence of the day visible as well as explaining it verbally.

Staff have first-aid training and attend safeguarding and behaviour training updates. Medication requires a parental form, administration involves a witness, and parents sign the record afterwards. These are practical arrangements, distinct from the dated safeguarding judgement.

CaterFirst supplies freshly prepared snacks and hot lunches using local ingredients, with menus changing monthly. The nursery's food policy provides for allergies and dietary needs, and staff eat alongside children to support table manners and cutlery use.

Preparation for school includes inviting the child's Reception teacher to meet them, sharing relevant information and adding school uniforms to dressing-up play in the summer term. Through the Broadstone Cluster group, work with local schools and early years settings has also produced story, rhyme and pre-writing resources for parents. These are transition activities, rather than an admissions advantage.

Sessions and Attendance

The nursery is at 161 Lower Blandford Road, Broadstone, Dorset BH18 8NU. Opening hours are 8am to 6pm, Monday to Friday. Telephone, email and a contact form provide enquiry routes.

Morning core hours run from 8.30am to noon, and afternoon core hours from 12.30pm to 4pm. Full-time and term-time places are also offered. The registration form requires a minimum of two sessions each week and includes half-day and whole-day booking options. This makes the choice broader than a single fixed working day.

Families with older children can also consider After School Club, for ages four to eight, from 3pm to 6pm. Children are collected on foot from Broadstone First School; children from other schools can attend if brought to the nursery. Holiday Club serves the same age group and offers half days, whole days and hours booked to suit within its 8am to 6pm opening window.

Funding and Paid Extras

The nursery offers 15 and 30 hours funding, including funded provision for eligible two-year-olds. The 30-hour funding arrangement is stretched across 48 weeks to a maximum of 1140 hours, and funded hours can be used between 8.30am and 4pm, up to 7.5 hours a day. Eligibility remains a condition of accessing the relevant entitlement.

Hot lunches are requested separately and carry an additional charge. Parents supply nappies, wipes, nappy bags and creams where used, as well as sun cream, a water bottle and suitable spare clothing. Those supplies therefore sit with the family rather than being included in the nursery fee. Current prices come in the nursery's written quotation.

Illness arrangements matter for working parents: if a child becomes unwell during the day, parents are asked to collect promptly. Following sickness and diarrhoea, the policy requires at least 48 hours clear before returning. That needs a practical backup arrangement at home.

• Christian daily life. Prayer forms part of the routine, and the nursery's philosophy draws on the Bible and Christian values. Consider how that fits your family's preferences.
• Teaching interactions. January 2022 brought a specific recommendation to improve the consistency of staff interactions and the challenge offered to children. During a visit, ask how staff now build vocabulary and extend a child's ideas during play.
• Annual calendar. The opening descriptions give both 48 and 49 weeks, while the 30-hour funding arrangement uses 48 weeks. Ask for the attendance calendar for your chosen pattern before committing, especially if holiday cover matters.
• Food and family supplies. Hot lunches carry a separate charge, while families bring personal care supplies. Request a written quotation for your intended attendance and, if allergies affect your child, confirm current meal handling and dietary arrangements.

Broadstone Christian Nursery suits families seeking morning or afternoon sessions, term-time attendance or full-time care in a small Christian setting. The Links Care Home visits, allotment activity and woodwork give children experiences beyond indoor play.

The January 2022 Good judgement carries a teaching-consistency qualification. Close parent communication and prayer in daily life are central considerations for families choosing it.