St Clements Nursery

Quiet reading corners, creative play and outdoor space give St Clements Nursery a clear play-based character. This Boscombe setting has capacity for 36 children aged two to five, with an approach that combines activities organised by adults and play directed by children. Independence matters here, alongside preparation for the next stage of education.

At its September 2022 inspection, Ofsted rated the nursery Good and found safeguarding effective, with positive findings on teaching and support for communication. That judgement is a dated reference point. The practical offer now includes term-time morning, afternoon and full-day funded sessions.

The strongest detail lies in ordinary experiences made useful: choosing an activity, handling materials, learning words and practising everyday tasks. Two improvement priorities from September 2022 also deserve attention: helping children manage hygiene and giving them enough thinking time before expecting an answer.

Learning and Activities

The Early Years Foundation Stage (EYFS) provides the framework for learning through play, covering language, movement, social development and early literacy. At St Clements, organised activities sit alongside opportunities for children to choose their own play. Painting, stories and outdoor exploration give that approach concrete expression rather than leaving it as an educational label.

Indoor provision includes quiet reading corners, role play and creative activities. These offer different ways to participate: a child can spend time with a book or take part in imaginative play. Outdoor play is part of daily life, giving movement and exploration a place alongside activities indoors.

In September 2022, children selected activities and moved between the garden and playrooms. Their choices included picture-making, construction, imaginative games and stories. Adults joined the play and used individual learning targets to shape activities, connecting children's interests with something they were working towards.

Practical experiments supplied some of the most memorable learning that September. Children compared objects using scales, explored magnification with binoculars and tested how balls travelled through tunnels. These were opportunities to investigate weight, size and speed through handling and experimenting. However, adults sometimes moved on before children had enough time to consider a question or challenge.

Outdoor and Community Life

In September 2022, the garden supported energetic play: children used wheeled toys on circuits, devised games with equipment and had space to run. Being able to choose outdoor play gave physical activity a place within the day rather than confining it to one adult-led activity.

Safety learning also had a practical element that month. Children took part in assessing risks and met visitors from the local police force. Those experiences connected safety with actions and people children could understand.

Relationships and Communication

Stay and settle is the joining stage that recognises children adjust at different speeds. Before a child starts, families receive guidance about what to bring and the arrangements for their sessions. Registration gathers information about the child, with funding paperwork completed where relevant. This gives the start a practical structure as well as time for relationships to develop.

In September 2022, key persons helped children settle after the summer break. Staff also involved parents in termly assessments, using information from home to help establish children's learning needs. The book exchange extended this connection beyond the nursery, alongside toilet-training resources and suggestions for active play at home.

Inclusion and Wellbeing

Current inclusion arrangements involve practitioners working with the SENCO to identify additional needs. At registration, the manager assesses what support a child needs; where the core budget cannot meet those needs, the admissions procedure requires an application for SEN inclusion funding immediately following the graduated response. For more complex needs, preparations can include staff training, a healthcare plan and risk assessment, with families and relevant agencies kept informed.

In September 2022, communication support included gestures, visual props and signing for children needing help with speech or learning English. Everyday independence was also practised through preparing snacks, cutting fruit and putting on coats. These tasks connected preparation for school with things children could do for themselves.

Hygiene was a less consistent part of practice that September. Children learnt about handwashing before eating, but adults did not always help them manage coughing and sneezing appropriately. This was one of the improvement priorities, alongside allowing more time for thinking and responding.

Sessions and Attendance

The address is 22 Ashley Close, Boscombe, Bournemouth, BH1 4PE. Opening hours are 8am to 5pm, Monday to Friday, during term time only. Families needing attendance through school holidays should weigh that calendar carefully.

Funded booking options are 8am to 11am, 8am to 2pm, 11am to 5pm, 2pm to 5pm and 8am to 5pm. This provides short morning and afternoon choices as well as longer sessions and a full day. Extra hours must be arranged ahead of time and are subject to availability; payment remains due when a child is absent.

An application to join is required for the waiting list. It is ordered by birth date, with other considerations including funded-entitlement eligibility, time waiting, siblings already attending and the setting's ability to meet individual needs. General enquiries use the contact form.

Funding and Paid Extras

Eligible families can use 15 or 30 funded hours each week in term time. The entitlements include universal funding from the term following a child's third birthday, working-family funding and funding for eligible two-year-olds whose families receive certain benefits. Where an eligibility code is required, families must obtain it within the relevant timescales and reconfirm eligibility when requested.

Funding pays for education and care; food and drinks carry a separate voluntary service charge. For longer sessions, parents supply a healthy cold lunch, with a booked hot lunch as an alternative charged separately.

Parents are expected to send wipes, nappies, sun cream and spare clothes; emergency nappies or sun-cream application can attract separate charges. Private hours can also be purchased, so a funded entitlement and the complete attendance bill are separate matters.

Invoices arrive each half term and are payable ahead of attendance. Weekly payment arrangements require prior agreement, and food charges and booked additional hours remain payable during absence. Current prices come in the nursery's written quotation; the funding and fees page explains the charging categories.

• Term-time attendance. Morning, afternoon and full-day patterns operate within a term-time calendar. This suits families whose childcare needs follow school terms, but requires a separate plan for holidays.
• Thinking time and hygiene. The September 2022 improvement priorities concerned opportunities to answer questions and support with personal hygiene. During a visit, ask how current practice addresses both.
• Food and daily supplies. Longer attendance involves a lunch arrangement, while nappies, wipes and sun cream come from home. Specialist food and drink for medical or lifestyle diets must be paid for separately or supplied by parents.
• Support before starting. Preparations for complex SEND can affect a child's start date. Discuss the adjustments, preparation timetable and communication with relevant professionals as part of joining.

St Clements suits families seeking term-time care with a choice between short morning or afternoon sessions and longer attendance. Its current play-based offer includes reading, role play, creative activities and outdoor exploration, while its September 2022 examples show how practical tasks can become learning opportunities.

The balance is clear: several attendance patterns and structured joining arrangements, alongside separate food costs and supplies from home. Families considering it should give the dated hygiene and thinking-time priorities proper weight, as well as the arrangements needed for their child's start.