Jumblies Day Nursery

Six places in the Baby and Toddler Room, river views from the outdoor area and twice-weekly movement sessions in the Zed Shed give Jumblies a recognisable character. This Penryn nursery combines a small youngest room with a larger preschool space, where an outdoor kitchen, fairy garden and quiet corners provide different ways to spend the day. Its setting on Jubilee Wharf is part of the experience: outings include the wharf itself as well as the park.

Jumblies has capacity for 32 children, with a current accepted age range of two months to four years. At its March 2022 inspection, Ofsted judged the nursery Good across all assessed areas and found safeguarding effective, with children making good progress and receiving support towards their next steps.

A parent committee runs this registered charity and meets each term. That gives parental involvement a formal place in the organisation, alongside the everyday exchanges with practitioners. Full-day care and named morning and afternoon sessions form the attendance offer; the session timings need careful attention when choosing a pattern.

Rooms and Ages

The Baby and Toddler Room accommodates up to six children under two, with sensory exploration, a carpeted space for crawling and early walking, and access to outdoor play. The cap matters: families choosing care for a very young child can distinguish the room's maximum from the nursery's overall capacity. Paint, blocks, dressing up, water and sand give children materials to explore according to their interests, rather than a single activity to follow.

In the Preschool room, which accommodates up to 26 children from age two, counting and measuring sit alongside stories, early sounds, role play and creative materials, with a texture alcove, Nature alcove and cosy corner offering different settings for exploration or quiet time. The room's age band extends towards the fifth birthday; whole-setting admission starts at two months.

Learning and Activities

The Early Years Foundation Stage guides planning: learning through play, communication and practical experiences sits alongside children's development and care. At Jumblies, observations help practitioners select activities around children's interests, and weekly themes give table and carpet activities a shared thread. This is the framework for the day, while French, yoga and movement sessions add specific experiences alongside it.

Wednesday mornings bring French for three- and four-year-olds, while yoga takes place weekly. The BIG sing, little sing programme supports communication, and Makaton is used in the youngest room to encourage children to communicate.

In March 2022, water-and-flower activities used pipettes and cylinders to explore quantity and language. Younger children encountered words about filling containers, while older children experimented with mixtures. Songs, rhymes and stories also featured in that month's account of daily life.

Outdoor and Community Life

The Zed Shed hosts dance, exercise and games twice weekly, giving movement a regular space beyond the nursery rooms. Outdoors, children can use bikes, a tunnel, a climbing frame and sports equipment, alongside plants and a sensory board. The outdoor kitchen and fairy garden add settings for imaginative play. Access to the outside area for much of the day means outdoor experiences need not be confined to one scheduled break.

Trips take children to the park and around Jubilee Wharf. In March 2022, outings also involved practising road crossing with staff, and the climbing equipment offered opportunities to work on balance and coordination. Jumblies holds the Eco Schools Green Flag Award 2026.

Relationships and Communication

Preschool children have two allocated key people, making the relationship with familiar adults an explicit part of settling and daily care. Observations are shared through Famly, which also carries learning information and parenting support. A significant observation is completed each term, and nurture plans are used when a child's development needs additional attention. Families therefore have both everyday updates and a more periodic account of how their child is getting on.

For babies, parents provide information about sleep, feeding, preferences and routines, which practitioners try to follow to maintain continuity between home and nursery. The daily online diary records sleep, nappy changes and activities. That makes the account useful for the practical handover as well as for learning: parents can see how the day has unfolded before resuming care at home.

Settling into preschool includes two free sessions, each lasting one hour, with a parent staying for the first. A home visit can also be arranged if it would help the child settle. For babies, parents are encouraged to spend time with their child in the room or come in before the initial session, allowing familiarity to develop gradually.

Inclusion and Wellbeing

Management includes designated SENCO and safeguarding lead roles, and the team includes degree-qualified practitioners who undertake regular training. The SENCO role provides an identified point of responsibility for special educational needs; the preschool's nurture plans describe one way additional developmental support is organised. At the March 2022 inspection, Ofsted found effective support for bilingual children through stories in both languages, while identifying that preschool children needed more time to direct their own play and test ideas.

Rest is accommodated within the preschool room: children who need a nap use mats in a quiet area, with a named box for their blanket and sheet. Parents should inform a senior member of staff if their child needs prescribed medication; it is stored in the kitchen beyond children's reach. These practical arrangements matter when a child's care includes sleep or medicine during the nursery day.

Sessions and Attendance

Jumblies opens Monday to Friday, from 8am to 6pm, and offers full-day care. The named AM session runs from 9am to noon. The PM session also carries a 9am-to-noon timing. An opening window and a booked session are different things: the longer operating day should not be treated as the clock times of every attendance option.

The annual schedule includes a two-week Christmas closure and one week in summer. For families arranging work and childcare across the year, those closure periods belong in the planning alongside the weekly attendance pattern. Enquiries can be made by telephone or email, or through the contact form.

Getting There

The address is Jubilee Wharf, Commercial Road, Penryn, Cornwall, TR10 8FG. River views from the outside area and outings around the wharf make the immediate setting relevant to children's activities as well as to the family's journey.

Funding and Paid Extras

Funded childcare is accepted across the nursery's age groups, alongside private childcare. Eligibility and the chosen attendance arrangement need to be distinguished from that participation in funding. Current prices come in the nursery's written quotation for the care families intend to book.

In March 2022, staff worked with local schools to support the move into school and sought feedback about children's preparation. That dated transition work concerned readiness and support; it does not confer an admissions advantage.

• Afternoon timing. The AM and PM session entries both carry 9am-to-noon times. Clarify the afternoon booking window before choosing that attendance pattern.
• Child-directed play. In March 2022, preschool children needed more opportunities to choose their own play and explore their ideas. On a visit, ask how uninterrupted, child-led time fits around group activities now.
• Moving between rooms. Jumblies aims to reserve a preschool place for children reaching two, but does not guarantee the move. Discuss how that transition is planned if continuity within the nursery matters to your family.
• The complete quotation. For the attendance pattern you want, ask how funded hours are arranged and what the quotation includes for meals, snacks and non-food consumables.

Jumblies suits families seeking either full-day care or a shorter morning pattern. The six-child youngest room, outdoor access and regular Zed Shed sessions give the offer clear practical character. French, yoga and communication activities add identifiable experiences, while key people and online updates make the relationship with home part of the care arrangements.

The March 2022 judgement provides a positive inspection position, balanced by a specific concern about opportunities for independent preschool play. The balance between organised activities and children's own choices remains an important consideration for preschool families.