Cherubs and Imps Day Nursery

Lunch in a greenhouse and flowers handed out on World Kindness Day give Cherubs and Imps Day Nursery a recognisable character: in May 2024, children helped shape their day and took part in life beyond the nursery. Small choices mattered, alongside opportunities to explore and play with friends.

At its 16 May 2024 inspection, Ofsted graded the nursery Good overall and judged safeguarding effective. The Congleton setting has capacity for 44 children, with an accepted age range of 0 to 60 months.

The early years foundation stage sets the framework for children's learning and care, bringing play, communication and physical development into the day. In May 2024, social development and preparation for children's next stage were central to the curriculum.

Babies explored cereal with their hands and responded to familiar singing. Outside, children joined pipes together and experimented with water, using funnels and spray bottles. These were practical opportunities to explore materials and work together.

Stories and rhymes also featured in May 2024. Children selected objects from a bag to prompt songs, then joined in with instruments. Community experiences included making a wreath for Remembrance Day and distributing flowers locally on World Kindness Day, giving children concrete ways to participate in their neighbourhood.

In May 2024, familiar adults sang with babies, while older children confidently expressed preferences, including asking to eat in the greenhouse. Staff helped make that request happen. Children moved furniture and helped prepare the table, taking an active part in an everyday routine.

Key-person conversations about children's development helped parents continue learning at home in May 2024. Staff also received supervision from leaders and described supportive working relationships with colleagues. That combination connected children's day-to-day experiences with conversations between adults.

The address is Overton Court, West Street, Congleton, CW12 1JY. Opening hours are 7.30am to 6pm, Monday to Friday, throughout the year.

In May 2024, the nursery provided funded early education for children aged two, three and four. That dated participation should be distinguished from a family's current funding and attendance arrangements.

• Teaching precision. At the May 2024 inspection, Ofsted identified occasions when staff were unclear about an activity's intended learning and communication-and-language teaching was inconsistent, limiting children's progress. Ask how staff now plan learning intentions and support speaking and listening.
• Funding and attendance. The opening window spans the working day, while funded provision was recorded in May 2024. At a visit, ask how your intended attendance would combine funded hours, paid hours, meals and consumables.

Cherubs and Imps suits families seeking care across the working week who value hands-on play and community participation. The May 2024 examples give substance to that appeal: collaborative water play, songs and opportunities for children to make choices. The balance is the need for more consistent teaching intentions and language support identified at that inspection.