St Gregory's Child Care Trust

A little round reading room, a garden divided into play zones and key workers who stay with children across their nursery and preschool years give St Gregory's Child Care Trust a recognisable character. Set on a primary-school site in Cheltenham, it combines early education with a school-based setting. The connection matters for transition, but nursery attendance does not guarantee a Reception place.

At its 24 February 2026 inspection, Ofsted judged achievement, behaviour and routines, welfare and wellbeing, curriculum and teaching, inclusion, and leadership and governance to be at a strong standard, with safeguarding standards met. These are separate judgements rather than an overall grade. The practical detail beneath them is useful: language learning runs through snack routines and stories, while outdoor play gives children opportunities to build, balance and cooperate.

There are 50 places in total, with a current age range of 33 to 59 months. Morning, afternoon and full-day attendance sit alongside breakfast, after-school and holiday provision. This is a setting to consider for its continuity of relationships and preparation for school, as well as its choice of attendance patterns.

Rooms and Ages

Nursery emphasises sharing, taking turns and managing everyday tasks for its two- and three-year-old stage; Pre-School extends learning through stories, number work, investigation, art and movement for its three- and four-year-old stage. Children move into Pre-School in September before their school-starting year.

Large playrooms provide space for activity, while the little round reading room gives books a separate physical home. Outside, an enclosed landscaped garden has different zones and play equipment.

Learning and Activities

The Early Years Foundation Stage (EYFS) provides the framework for learning and care: here, that means children develop language, physical skills and social understanding through play and planned activities. It is the common foundation for early-years provision, rather than a programme unique to this nursery.

In February 2026, everyday routines supplied concrete learning opportunities. Children used their name cards at snack time, broke names into syllables and compared how many children were sitting at different tables. Number learning therefore had an immediate purpose. Play dough activities also involved comparing quantities, while songs gave children practice counting in both directions.

Weekly music sessions in February 2026 included exploring a harp and connecting its sound with a guitar encountered earlier. Children discussed vibrating strings and used vocabulary associated with playing the instruments. This was more than background music: the activity linked listening, language and remembering earlier experiences.

Music Lessons, Mandarin Language Lessons, Spanish Language Lessons and Physical Education are additional sessions covered by the voluntary funded-session contribution. Families opting out pay separately for these extras if they choose to use them.

Outdoor and Community Life

In February 2026, large blocks were used to make obstacle courses and enclosures outdoors. Bikes and a climbing frame added opportunities for movement and turn-taking. Children could therefore practise cooperation during active play, as well as during quieter group activities.

Relationships and Communication

Ladybirds, Butterflies, Dragonflies and Bumblebees are key groups, each supported by two key workers whose schedules alternate. Groups are assigned at the end of September, and the workers remain with children across their two-year nursery and preschool journey. The important feature is continuity: families have familiar adults to build relationships with as children move through the setting.

Communication has several routes. The FAMLY APP supports messages and booking requests, written reports share children's progress, and parent meetings take place each term. Daily conversations sit alongside those more structured updates.

Inclusion and Wellbeing

At the February 2026 inspection, Ofsted found that children with special educational needs and/or disabilities made good progress through adapted support, and that close key-person relationships helped children seek comfort and resume play. The mechanisms were specific: a special educational needs coordinator led review meetings, and staff worked with speech and language specialists and early-years inclusion advisers.

In February 2026, visual cues, signing and sand timers helped with changes between activities and sharing turns. Quiet spaces gave children somewhere to pause before returning to group play.

Safeguarding arrangements include a Designated Safeguarding Lead, a deputy lead and procedures following Gloucestershire Safeguarding Children Partnership guidance. Policies are reviewed annually, with copies accessible through the Famly App or email. Families can therefore read the procedures governing care, as well as discuss concerns with staff.

Transition work reaches beyond the school on site. Staff contact the school each child will attend and work with it on the skills needed for Reception. This makes the support relevant to children moving elsewhere too. Attending the nursery does not guarantee a Reception place.

Sessions and Attendance

The setting occupies part of the school site at St. James Square, Cheltenham, GL50 3QG. Nursery and preschool operate Monday to Friday during 38 weeks of the year, excluding Bank Holidays. Morning sessions run from 9am to 11.30am, afternoons from 12.30pm to 3pm, and full days from 9am to 3pm.

Breakfast Club runs from 8am to 9am and After-School Club from 3pm to 6pm. These clubs are intended for working parents of the school. Kids Holiday Club covers school holidays and inset days across a 51-week operating year and welcomes children from the wider community as well as St. Gregory's.

Holiday bookings include an 8am to 6pm full day, a 9am to 3pm day, and half days from 8am to 1pm or 1pm to 6pm. Additional hours require confirmation and are not intended to become regular bookings. Cancellation requires four weeks' notice, and missed sessions remain chargeable. Enquiries and registration forms are handled by email; booking requests can also go through the parent app.

Getting There

Waitrose car park may be used for collection and drop-off with the setting's permission arrangement, and the nursery gives the distance as a 2-minute walk. That provides a specific parking option for families using a car.

Funding and Paid Extras

Funded childcare is offered for eligible two-year-olds through Early Education or Achieving 2-Year-Old Funding, and for three- and four-year-olds through the universal and eligible working-family entitlements. Funding is delivered over 38 term-time weeks, with 15 or 30 hours according to entitlement; additional hours and Holiday Club weeks outside the funded allocation are charged privately. Current prices come in the nursery's written quotation, with the charge structure set out on its fees page.

Funded hours themselves are free, while meals, non-food consumables and ancillary services carry separate charges. A voluntary session contribution covers snacks and additional activities; families who opt out provide fruit and a healthy savoury carbohydrate snack, with separate payment for any extras they choose.

Hot lunches are charged separately and must be ordered by 9.30am, or families can provide a packed lunch; light tea is freshly prepared on site. The nursery has a nut-free policy and accommodates dietary requirements by prior arrangement.

Because the nursery is on a school site, the Reception distinction deserves emphasis: attending does not guarantee a place at the school.

• Entry stage and continuity. Nursery entry is tied to the academic year in which children turn three, followed by the September move into Pre-School. At a visit, discuss how your child's start would fit that sequence and the allocation of their key workers.
• Term-time education and holiday care. The nursery day runs from 9am to 3pm during 38 weeks, with separate club patterns for earlier, later and holiday care. Families needing those combinations should discuss how the bookings fit together.
• Food and funded extras. The voluntary contribution covers snacks and additional activities, while hot lunches cost extra and opting out requires suitable snacks from home. Families affected by allergies should confirm current food-handling practice before joining.
• The next step in quality. In February 2026, leaders were asked to sustain standards and make a greater difference to children's experiences and outcomes, including for children facing barriers. A useful visit question is how current development priorities are changing children's daily learning.

St Gregory's suits families seeking either morning or afternoon early education, as well as those wanting a full nursery day with separate club provision. Its reading room, enclosed garden and continuing key-worker groups give the offer substance. The February 2026 findings provide a strong basis for considering it, especially where language development, independence and supported transition matter.