The Stables Daycare Nursery

Galleywood Common gives The Stables Daycare Nursery a recognisable outdoor character: children use the nearby common for den-making, walks looking at nature and exploring the weather. There is also a substantial outdoor play space within the nursery grounds. For families who value time outside, the offer extends beyond the nursery's own play area.

The nursery takes children from 3 months to 5 years and operates five rooms in Galleywood, Chelmsford. At its May 2023 inspection, Ofsted rated it Good overall and judged the quality of education Good. That is a dated assessment, alongside a current offer built around outdoor exploration and a key-person approach to individual care.

Attendance can be booked for a whole day, a morning or an afternoon. The detail matters for parents fitting childcare around different working patterns.

Learning and Activities

The Early Years Foundation Stage is the framework for children's learning, development and care here, with play and exploration forming part of the nursery day. It provides the shared early-years foundation; the practical character of this setting comes from how children use their surroundings and the experiences staff organise.

In May 2023, learning combined activities directed by adults with play initiated by children. Babies explored sand through touch, while younger children practised filling buckets with spades. These were simple materials with different purposes: sensory exploration for babies and opportunities to practise movement and coordination for younger children.

Other examples from May 2023 brought language into hands-on play. Children sent cars down an elevated tube and explored differences in speed. An ice activity involved breaking frozen material to uncover toy fish. Such examples give parents a concrete picture of the inspection-era day: children handling objects, testing what happens and talking with adults about the result.

Stories, songs and pretend play also featured in May 2023. Babies responded physically to rhymes, younger children pointed out pictures and copied animal noises, and adults joined older children's imaginative games to introduce vocabulary. Number work appeared in play too, through hopscotch and counting successful throws into a basketball hoop. Learning was spread across activities rather than confined to one formal exercise.

Outdoor and Community Life

Galleywood Common is used regularly, with weather exploration, den-making and nature walks giving children reasons to look closely at the natural world. Alongside the nursery's own outdoor play area, this offers two settings for outdoor activity. The common brings exploration beyond the nursery grounds into the day.

In May 2023, older children examined insects through magnifiers and fetched water from an outside tap for imaginative mixtures. Adults encouraged them to remember earlier experiences and consider what adding more water might change. This was outdoor play with conversation and prediction woven into it.

The Stables Nursery Holiday Club also caters for children up to 10 during school holidays. That is a separate offer from the nursery's early-years age range and may be useful to families considering childcare for an older sibling.

Relationships and Communication

A key person gathers information from parents during settling visits, including what the child is like at home and any family changes that might affect them. This gives settling a practical purpose beyond becoming familiar with the building: the adults caring for a child can start with knowledge supplied by the people who know them best.

Observation, assessment and planning sit with the key person. Developmental concerns are discussed with parents and the Special Educational Needs Co-ordinator (SENCO), rather than treated as a separate conversation that families must initiate elsewhere. Parents are encouraged to raise concerns early and share changes such as a new baby or bereavement.

Inclusion and Wellbeing

Support follows an assess, plan, do and review cycle, with agreed aims, planned help and a review date. The SENCO supports practitioners through that process and can consult professionals including speech therapists, health visitors and physiotherapists. Parental permission is obtained before outside agencies are consulted. For families seeking additional help, these are concrete routes for organising support.

At the May 2023 inspection, Ofsted found safeguarding effective and described staff and managers working with families and professionals, including obtaining funding, to support children with SEND. These findings belong to that visit; the current support arrangements give parents specific mechanisms to discuss for their own child.

Individual risk assessments address additional needs, disabilities and long-term medical conditions. Medication requires parental consent and follows an administration procedure. Access is also considered physically: the main setting is on one level, while the on-site demountable has both steps and a ramp.

Sessions and Attendance

The address is Margaretting Road, Galleywood, Chelmsford, CM2 8TS. Opening hours run from 8am to 6pm on weekdays. Whole-day bookings cover 8am to 6pm; morning bookings run from 8am to 1pm, and afternoon bookings from 1pm to 6pm. Parents may collect or bring children at a convenient point within their booking.

A 7.30am start can be arranged with room leaders for an additional charge. The nursery operates across the year, closing on public and bank holidays and on weekdays between Christmas Eve and New Year. Those closures are not charged. Families planning work cover need to account for the Christmas break as well as individual holiday dates.

Funding and Paid Extras

Funded sessions are offered to eligible families for children aged 9 months to 4 years, including the Working Parent Entitlement. The nursery also offers 30 hour funded places for eligible families. Extra hours beyond a child's funded allocation are paid hours, keeping the entitlement and additional childcare separate.

Contact the nursery office for current prices and terms. The office can be contacted on 01245 348159 for admissions, fees and entitlement enquiries.

Getting There

A large car park sits beside the nursery. The main setting's single-level layout and the demountable's ramp are useful practical details for families considering access with their child.

• Teaching consistency. In May 2023, some staff were unclear about the intended learning behind activities, and staff coaching needed further development. Ask how teaching aims and coaching now shape the day across the five rooms.
• The funded booking. Funded childcare and additional paid hours are separate parts of the offer. What would your proposed booking include for funded-hour delivery, meals, consumables and other charges?
• Settling and individual support. During settling visits, the key person gathers information from parents to inform individual care, and SEND support uses agreed plans and review dates. Use a visit to discuss how those arrangements would work for your child, including any access or medical needs.

The Stables suits families seeking either morning or afternoon sessions as well as whole-day childcare, with regular use of Galleywood Common giving outdoor exploration a clear place in its offer. Its key-person and SENCO arrangements also provide practical starting points for families needing individual support. The Good judgement from May 2023 is balanced by the same visit's recommendations on teaching intentions and staff coaching. Those are worthwhile subjects for a visit, alongside settling and the full terms of a proposed booking.