St Mary's Nursery & Preschool, Charlton Kings

A light, spacious hall and Forest School experiences give St Mary's its character: indoor play in Charlton Kings, with opportunities to explore nature at Charlton Kings Infants School. Based at Brotherhood Hall in Cheltenham, the nursery welcomes children aged two to five and has 28 places in total. Its term-time calendar is a central part of the choice for families.

At its October 2022 inspection, Ofsted rated the nursery Good and judged safeguarding effective, while identifying improvements needed in the sequence of learning and opportunities for safe risk-taking. Those findings give parents both a positive inspection position and two useful subjects to explore during a visit. They are dated judgements, rather than a description of today's practice.

Morning, afternoon and all-day sessions sit alongside an after-school club. The practical appeal is the choice between shorter attendance and a longer nursery day, rather than a single booking pattern.

Learning and Activities

The EYFS, the framework for early learning and care, connects play with children's development: conversation, stories, movement and practical tasks all have a place in the day. At St Mary's, interactive storytelling and music with movement are part of the weekly activity schedule. These give children different ways to participate, whether through listening, speaking or physical expression.

Forest School adds exploration outdoors at Charlton Kings Infants School, led by that school's Forest School teacher. Children learn through practical encounters with nature. This is a concrete addition to the nursery's indoor experiences, and the session is complimentary.

Sporting Minis centres on physical play. Sunshine Dancers and music sessions bring listening, singing, rhythm and movement into the activity offer, connecting communication with coordination and awareness of the body. Activities change during the year and take place on particular days, so the experience depends partly on the attendance pattern a family chooses.

The Music Man is another named activity carrying a voluntary payment each half term, alongside Sporting Minis and Sunshine Dancers. These payments are itemised on invoices. Families can therefore distinguish the nursery's hourly care from the changing activity charges when considering a quotation.

Outdoor and Everyday Play

In October 2022, children used a substantial outdoor space for gardening and examining small creatures with magnifiers. Indoors, imaginative play, building materials, stories and messy activities offered different routes into exploration. The hall remains a useful physical detail: its spacious, light interior is part of the setting's current description.

Choice was important to the October 2022 nursery day, with children's interests shaping their play. However, some children lost engagement, and learning needed a more deliberate sequence that built on what they already understood. The distinction matters: following an interest can start an activity, but the next step also needs a purpose.

At the October 2022 inspection, Ofsted found that the key-person arrangement supported secure relationships, children developed their communication skills, and children learning English as an additional language received effective support. A familiar adult mattered here, alongside opportunities to talk with staff and other children.

In October 2022, communication cards were used across the group, giving children another way to participate. Adults also left time for children to answer questions and helped them talk about feelings. These are practical examples of support built into ordinary interactions, rather than a separate activity reserved for one child.

Daily routines carried responsibilities too. In October 2022, children helped get snacks ready, handled fruit and drinks, cleaned tables and put play materials away. Name labels supported recognition, while a timer helped signal changes between activities. Small jobs made independence part of the day, and the timer gave children preparation for a transition rather than an abrupt instruction.

A designated safeguarding lead is part of the current team structure. The dated safeguarding judgement belongs to the inspection; the current role identifies responsibility within the nursery. For food, families supply a packed lunch and a healthy snack for morning and all-day attendance, while the first after-school session includes a snack. Preparing the nursery bag is therefore part of the daily routine.

Sessions and Attendance

St Mary's operates during term time. Morning Session runs from 8am to 1pm, Afternoon Session from noon to 3.30pm, and All Day Session from 8am to 5pm. These are separate booking choices: an afternoon offers a shorter stretch, while the morning includes the lunchtime period.

After-school care has two sessions: 3.30pm to 4.30pm and 4.30pm to 5.30pm. Children enrolled in the club may be collected directly from Charlton Kings Infant School. The first session includes a snack, making its food arrangement different from the nursery sessions where families bring food.

Funding and Paid Extras

Government funding is accepted for eligible children aged two and upwards, and the full 30 hours is offered to eligible parents. Funded attendance follows the nursery's term-time operation, with flexibility over how funded hours are used. Additional private hours are charged at an hourly rate; current prices come in the nursery's written quotation.

The fees and funding information separates hourly care from activity payments. The Music Man, Sporting Minis and Sunshine Dancers carry voluntary payments billed each half term, with activities varying across the year and by day. Forest School is complimentary. For funded morning and all-day sessions, families still provide the packed lunch and healthy snack.

Location and School Links

The address is Brotherhood Hall, Lyefield Road East, Charlton Kings, Cheltenham, GL53 8AU. Enquiries can be made by telephone on 01242 260080, by email at hello@stmarysnurseryck.org or through the enquiry form.

The nursery describes its after-school provision as a collaboration with Charlton Kings Infants’ School & Kindergarten and The Nursery School. That relationship supports a practical childcare arrangement; attending the nursery does not guarantee a school place. Families seeking a state-school place still use the local authority admissions process.

• Learning beyond the starting point. In October 2022, learning needed clearer sequencing to build on children's existing understanding. During a visit, ask how staff now turn a child's interest into progressively more demanding activities.
• Challenge in play. October 2022 findings called for more opportunities to practise resilience through safe risks indoors and outdoors. Ask to see how this works in the hall and outdoor activities today.
• Term-time attendance. Morning, afternoon and all-day nursery sessions operate within a term-time setting. Families needing care during school holidays will need a separate arrangement for those periods.
• Food and daily kit. Morning and all-day attendance require a packed lunch and healthy snack, while the first after-school session includes a snack. Ask how dietary requirements are handled and which non-food consumables families should bring.

St Mary's suits families seeking term-time morning or afternoon attendance, as well as those choosing an all-day nursery session. Its hall setting, Forest School connection and changing movement and music activities give the offer recognisable substance. Direct school collection also makes the after-school club relevant to families using Charlton Kings Infant School.

The October 2022 Good judgement provides a positive starting point, balanced by specific concerns about learning progression and safe challenge. The strongest visit will explore those two issues through examples of children's current play and learning.