Fun Start Childcare

One shared room and three outdoor spaces give Fun Start Childcare its character: children of different ages learn together, with older children helping younger ones and gardens extending the day beyond indoor play. This charity nursery occupies a converted church in Cannock. Its appeal lies in that mixed-age model, practical independence and a substantial set of language and early maths activities.

Children aged 18 months to 5 years attend. At its June 2023 inspection, Ofsted judged the provision Good and found safeguarding effective. That judgement is a dated assessment; the present programme also includes regular music visits and daily number activities.

Morning, afternoon and full-day sessions run during term time. The relatively early finish makes this a practical option for families whose childcare needs fit around the school day, while the shared environment merits consideration for parents choosing their toddler’s first group setting.

Rooms and Ages

The indoor arrangement is deliberately communal. Children aged 18 months to 5 years use an open-plan room rather than separate age-band rooms, with resources positioned for children to select themselves. Written labels and photographs help them recognise where things belong. That gives independence a physical foundation: choosing an activity and returning its materials are part of learning, rather than jobs reserved for adults.

Older children help younger ones in the shared space. This mixed-age arrangement deserves consideration alongside the activity list when choosing a toddler’s first setting.

Learning and Activities

The EYFS provides the statutory foundation for learning and care, with children developing communication, physical skills and early literacy and maths through play and everyday experiences. Fun Start adds named schemes to that foundation. Speech Club uses stories, games and songs to practise talking and listening; Concept Cat explores ideas including position, size and feelings. These give language work a more concrete shape than simply encouraging children to talk.

Daily Number Sense uses songs and sentence patterns to explore numbers and shapes. The NDNA Maths Championship Accreditation supports practitioners’ use of maths during play and routines, including snack time and outdoor activities. Maths therefore reaches beyond a separate number session.

Story Rangers combines stories, movement and simple activities, letting children participate actively in books. Regular Rhythm Time visits bring singing, dancing and instruments; Sports4Kids provides sports and games. MiniMe Mindfulness gives older three- and four-year-olds time to consider their feelings.

After lunch, children approaching three and those aged four take part in phonics through games and songs. Younger children may rest or have quiet time, while calmer options include puzzles, drawing and stories. This matters when comparing attendance patterns: the afternoon contains its own learning and quieter routines, rather than simply repeating the morning.

At the June 2023 inspection, Ofsted identified two areas for further work: allowing children longer to investigate problems for themselves and making more use of conversations, stories and songs to broaden vocabulary. In June 2023, a boat-making activity included testing which models floated, but children sometimes lacked enough time to think through the information and find solutions themselves. That distinction is useful: providing an interesting task and giving a child room to work it out are separate parts of teaching.

Outdoor and Community Life

Three outdoor spaces provide different settings for play. The front garden has a writing and physical development shed, alongside bikes, a swing, a trampoline and a sandpit. The back gardens include a mud kitchen, a story corner, musical instruments and a maths shed, as well as a slide and climbing dome. There is room here for mark-making and imaginative play as well as movement.

Outdoor play happens whenever possible, with running, climbing and group games alongside storytelling and pretend cooking.

In June 2023, visits from a mobile farm and local dentists, plus a supermarket outing where children tried the tills, introduced animals, health and everyday work.

Relationships and Communication

Every child has a key person who takes the lead on care. Key workers also monitor development and meet parents each term, with a Parents’ Evening in July providing another opportunity to discuss interests, achievements and next steps. This gives families a regular conversation with someone responsible for their child, alongside day-to-day exchanges.

Class Dojo shares photographs, updates and messages, with parents able to comment and contribute experiences from home. Ideas for songs, rhymes and play help families continue nursery activities together.

The team includes a SENDCo and a designated safeguarding lead, and staff hold childcare qualifications across several levels. All staff have paediatric first aid training.

Inclusion and Wellbeing

Language support has several routes. Through its partnership with Stoke Speaks Out, Fun Start uses communication screenings to identify needs involving speech, understanding, listening or attention, followed by individual next steps. Time2Talk provides targeted communication support, and Early Talk Boost is intended for three- and four-year-olds who need help with talking and understanding words. Families considering support can therefore discuss named interventions rather than a general promise of extra help.

Makaton is used during nursery routines to support communication. Staff also work with families and outside professionals when children have SEND or complex needs. These mechanisms matter more than a broad assurance: there is an identified staff role, a route for recognising communication needs and a way to involve other professionals.

Preparation for school includes practising coats and shoes, handwashing, tidying materials and pouring drinks. These everyday tasks sit alongside stories, counting and mark-making. The emphasis extends beyond letters and numbers to managing routines and participating with other children.

In June 2023, children used a sand timer to organise turns with a shared toy and helped peers manage handwashing. In June 2023, families supplied packed lunches, while the setting supplied fruit or cereal snacks and milk or water. Children served their snacks and poured drinks themselves, making eating time another opportunity to practise independence.

Sessions and Attendance

Fun Start Childcare is based at St Barnabas Church Hall, Hampton Street, Cannock, WS11 0AW. Attendance is during term time, from Monday to Friday, with school holidays closed.

Mornings run from 9.15am to 12.15pm; afternoons from 12.30pm to 2.30pm. Full days run from 9.15am to 2.30pm, covering lunchtime between the shorter sessions.

Enquiries can be made through the contact form or by telephone on 07896 064 446. For paid childcare, fees remain payable during sickness and other absences. Holiday absences attract half fees when the nursery receives at least two weeks’ notice. Families should account for those conditions when comparing the cost of attendance across a term.

Funding and Paid Extras

Funded childcare is offered under the names Think Two, NEG funding and 30 hours FREE childcare, subject to eligibility. Attendance follows the term-time model. Private morning, afternoon and full-day bookings are also offered, and a one-off registration charge applies to children who are not funded.

Visiting activities form part of the all-inclusive service. The sessions and fees information sets out the booking and payment structure; current prices come in the nursery’s written quotation. Funding entitlement, paid hours and any other charges should be considered separately when choosing a pattern.

• Mixed ages in one room. Toddlers and older children share the indoor space. During a tour, ask how activities and quieter moments are organised for an 18-month-old alongside children preparing for school.
• A term-time, early-finish pattern. The full day ends at 2.30pm, and the nursery closes during school holidays. These hours need to fit the family’s working day and holiday arrangements.
• Thinking time and vocabulary. The June 2023 priorities concerned giving children longer to solve problems and extending their language. Ask to see how adults now allow children to test ideas and introduce new words during play.
• The complete childcare quotation. Visiting activities are included, and non-funded children pay a registration charge. Ask for a written breakdown covering funded attendance, paid hours, food and non-food consumables before agreeing a booking.

Fun Start suits families seeking term-time morning or afternoon sessions, as well as those needing the longer booking through lunchtime. Its shared room offers a mixed-age experience, and the three gardens give that arrangement useful space beyond the indoor environment.

Daily maths, regular music visits, language interventions and termly key-worker conversations give families concrete reasons to consider Fun Start. Its appeal is strongest for those who value communal play, communication support and practical independence.