The Village Nursery, Shenington

A large sandpit, a sit-on digger and friendships across ages give the April 2022 picture of The Village Nursery, Shenington its character. Older children helped younger ones blow bubbles, while children offered each other a hand when balancing outdoors. Shared play was a clear part of the day.

At its 14 April 2022 inspection, Ofsted rated the nursery Good and judged safeguarding effective. A later attendance-record notice also matters to the overall picture. Today, the nursery accepts children aged 12 to 60 months at Shenington Airfield, Rattlecombe Road, Banbury, OX15 6NY.

In April 2022, children explored shaving foam, played with farm animals and vehicles, and discussed what seeds need to grow. These examples combined sensory exploration, imaginative play and conversation rather than keeping learning to adult-led tasks.

The early years foundation stage sets the requirements for children's learning, development and care: play and everyday experiences provide opportunities to build skills. In April 2022, staff gave children time to answer questions and express ideas, using conversations about their activities to introduce vocabulary.

Outside, children chose resources such as bubble mixture and practised judging risks while climbing. However, adult conversation outdoors did not consistently match the interaction indoors. Daily routines also offered missed opportunities: adults prepared for lunch by tidying themselves rather than involving children. Both points matter because learning can continue through garden play and ordinary practical tasks.

In April 2022, staff helped children practise sharing and taking turns, intervening when small disagreements arose. Children made choices about their play and attended to personal hygiene, including toileting. Independence was evident in everyday actions.

Communication with families included regular updates about children's progress and suggestions for activities at home. This gave parents a practical connection between nursery experiences and learning beyond the setting.

On 12 August 2022, Ofsted identified inaccurate departure records and inconsistent records of which staff were caring for children, issuing a welfare requirements notice with action due by 22 August 2022. The notice required accurate attendance hours and staffing records throughout the day; this was the published regulatory position dated 15 August 2022.

The address is Shenington Airfield, Rattlecombe Road, Banbury, OX15 6NY. Opening hours are 8am to 6pm, Monday to Friday. The nursery operates across the year, closing for bank holidays, Christmas and two weeks in summer. Those closures need a place in families' childcare planning.

In April 2022, the nursery provided funded early education for children aged two, three and four. This is a dated description of provision at that point.

• Outdoor conversation. April 2022 identified weaker adult interaction outside than indoors. On a visit, ask how practitioners now extend children's ideas during garden play.
• Everyday independence. In April 2022, children were not consistently involved in transitions such as tidying before lunch. Participation in these routines is worth exploring alongside the activities themselves.
• Attendance records. The August 2022 notice required accurate departure times and records of staff caring for children. Ask how the nursery addressed that notice.

For families seeking care across the year, the weekday opening window is a useful practical starting point, tempered by the summer and Christmas closures. The April 2022 account gives concrete reasons to consider the nursery: mixed-age friendships, sensory play and conversations that developed vocabulary. Its outdoor teaching and daily routines needed attention, and the later attendance-record notice deserves a direct discussion before choosing it.