Hester Way Children Centre Nursery

A bike track, a sensory garden and outdoor access from both rooms give Hester Way Children Centre Nursery a clear physical identity. Based on Dill Avenue in Cheltenham, it combines space for active play with an Explorers Room that emphasises settling and a Preschool Room that works towards starting school. The outdoor provision is a substantial part of the offer.

Ofsted rated the nursery Good at its 27 April 2022 inspection. Its current capacity is 64 children, with an age range of two to five in the provider record; the nursery's sessions serve children aged two to four. Families considering a start near the upper end of that range should distinguish the overall age range from the session offer.

Morning, afternoon and School Day sessions run during school terms. This gives families different attendance patterns within a day that ends at 3.30pm.

Rooms and Ages

Explorers Room puts settling, early communication, playing alongside other children and learning simple routines together, with messy activities giving children practical ways to explore. Its emphasis makes sense for a child beginning to spend time away from their parents: becoming comfortable with the room and its routines is part of the learning.

Preschool Room follows children's interests and pace while working with parents on skills for starting school. Both rooms have direct access to outdoor areas, allowing indoor activities and outdoor play to connect rather than making the garden a separate destination.

Learning and Activities

The early years foundation stage provides the framework for children's learning, development and care. In everyday terms, play becomes a way to practise communication, explore quantities and develop relationships, alongside the routines of being cared for.

In April 2022, staff brought mathematics into play by discussing boats, counting and comparing size, and exploring the weight of sand. These were concrete experiences with things children were already using. They gave mathematical language a purpose rather than leaving it solely to a separate group activity.

Time to Talk and Chatty Mondays were language activities in April 2022, introduced to give children additional opportunities to communicate. During the same period, staff talked alongside children's play to help explain what was happening. The emphasis was on extending conversation through activity.

This is Me, a creative activity used in April 2022, encouraged children to discuss differences in hair and eye colour. Staff also encouraged words from children's home languages and those of their friends. That linked learning about other people to children's own identities and experiences.

Outdoor and Community Life

The enclosed bike-riding and ball-game space sits alongside a sensory garden and a small trim-trail area. Different spaces support different kinds of movement and exploration, from riding and throwing to balancing and investigating the garden.

Forest School, an approach to learning outdoors through nature and exploration, features in the nursery's outdoor offer through its own space and access to facilities at Hesters Way Primary School. Children also have access to the school's playing field. These are additional places for outdoor learning, rather than a claim about a fixed timetable of sessions.

A Soft Play area adjoins the preschool room and can be used by children from both rooms during the week. It adds another physical play option alongside the outdoor spaces, with opportunities for movement and sensory exploration.

Relationships and Communication

Settling is an explicit part of Explorers Room's work, including support for parents and carers as well as children. This recognises that beginning nursery changes the family's routine, not just the child's.

In April 2022, a key-person system supported children's relationships with staff. Parents had daily conversations with practitioners, while an electronic application carried information about their children. The combination gave families both direct conversation and a separate channel for updates.

Inclusion and Wellbeing

At the April 2022 inspection, Ofsted found safeguarding effective and highlighted support for children with special educational needs and/or disabilities (SEND), including plans developed with families and outside professionals. In that month, pictures and objects helped children understand routines and expectations, making the nursery day easier to follow for children who needed those aids.

The current Early Years Lead also holds the SENCO and Designated Safeguarding Lead roles, with a deputy safeguarding lead in the team. These are identifiable responsibilities for coordinating additional support and handling safeguarding matters.

In April 2022, children could use climbing equipment and had drinking water throughout the day. Staff offered fruit and healthy snacks, and worked with families on tooth care through activities at nursery and at home. The link between home and nursery extended those health routines beyond the session.

Sessions and Attendance

The nursery is at Dill Avenue, Cheltenham, GL51 0ES. It operates on weekdays during school terms, with Morning sessions from 8.30am to 11.30am, Afternoon sessions from 12.30pm to 3.30pm, and a School Day from 8.30am to 2.30pm. The three patterns let families choose a shorter morning or afternoon attendance, or a longer school-day arrangement.

The branch telephone is 01242 222490 and its email is hestersway@aspirefoundation.org.uk.

Getting There

Families visiting the centre can use the school car park. This provides a parking option at the site.

Funding and Paid Extras

In April 2022, the nursery received funding for free early education for children aged two, three and four. That is a dated funding position, separate from the current session timetable.

The nursery describes strong links with Hesters Way Primary School and other local schools as part of its transition work. Attendance does not guarantee a school place; families still need to use the local authority admissions process for a state-school place.

• Group activities. In April 2022, some children, including younger ones, lost interest during whole-group stories and songs, reducing participation. At a visit, ask how group activities are now adjusted for different ages and attention spans.
• Consistency of teaching. In April 2022, monitoring had missed minor weaknesses in staff practice. Ask how staff receive feedback and how teaching is reviewed across the two rooms.
• Funding and the total cost. The session offer includes separate morning, afternoon and School Day patterns. Request a current written quotation covering the chosen pattern, funded hours, meals and non-food consumables before agreeing attendance.

Hester Way suits families seeking term-time morning or afternoon sessions as well as a School Day pattern, with outdoor play forming a substantial part of the experience. Explorers Room's settling emphasis and Preschool Room's work with parents give the two rooms different purposes.

The Good judgement dates to April 2022, and the concerns about group activities and staff monitoring deserve specific discussion at a visit. The most compelling current features are tangible: connected indoor and outdoor spaces, the sensory garden, bike-riding space and shared Soft Play area.