Edward Bears Private Daycare

A separate sleep room for babies, water tunnels for toddlers and growing space for preschool children give Edward Bears Private Daycare a clear progression through early childhood. Outdoor provision changes with each stage, rather than treating babies and older children as one group. For parents, the useful detail is how closely the spaces match the children using them.

At its 8 August 2025 inspection, Ofsted rated the nursery Good, found safeguarding effective and identified a curriculum that helped children make strong progress. There were also two teaching priorities: extending children's thinking during play and explaining the value of everyday routines more clearly. Both matter alongside the positive overall judgement.

At 64 Victoria Road in Cirencester, GL7 1ES, the nursery has capacity for 71 children from birth to five years. Happy Days Nurseries and Pre-Schools acquired Edward Bears in September 2025, retaining its name, manager and staff team. Regular full-day attendance and additional flexible sessions form the booking offer.

Rooms and Ages

The Acorn Room takes babies from birth to around 20 months, with a published maximum of fifteen, and combines natural materials and loose parts with a milk kitchen, changing facilities, a separate sleep room and a baby garden beneath a UV-protective canopy. Rest has a dedicated space, and the garden is designed for babies.

From 20 months to three years, The Willow Room has spacious play rooms, changing facilities and access between indoor activities and an outdoor area containing planters, water tunnels and a deck. Its layout gives movement and exploration room to happen. Water play and planting also offer different materials for toddlers to investigate, rather than relying entirely on toys indoors.

The Oak Room serves children aged three to five and emphasises curiosity and independence, with child-sized toilets, courtyard provision for balance and coordination, flower and vegetable growing space and a weather-protected outdoor classroom. Here the physical provision connects practical self-care with outdoor learning. The Acorn Room's capacity is distinct from the number attending on any particular day.

Learning and Activities

The Early Years Foundation Stage provides the common framework for learning and care: children develop communication, physical skills, relationships and early understanding through play, with both child-chosen activities and practitioner-led experiences. Edward Bears combines those two kinds of activity. Observation informs planning in its curriculum, helping staff choose activities that build on each child's development.

Alongside that framework, the nursery aims to follow the Curiosity Approach, using everyday objects and natural materials to encourage children to investigate and decide how to play. This approach shapes the materials and adult involvement alongside the Early Years Foundation Stage's learning and care requirements. Loose parts in the baby room give a concrete example of the materials behind the idea.

In August 2025, babies explored dough and oats, while staff paired simple spoken language with signs. Preschool children discussed butterfly development and made symmetrical butterfly artwork. Those examples connect sensory exploration, communication and early creative work; they also show how activities differed across ages.

Outdoor and Community Life

Eco Schools activities involve planting herbs, vegetables and flowers, then watering and watching them grow. Children have living things to care for and discuss.

During British Science Week in March 2026, the Acorns investigated textures, floating boats and colour mixing in the garden, using outdoor space for science experiments.

Relationships and Communication

Each child has a key person to tailor care and build familiarity. The registration fee includes two settling visits: first with a parent, then independently. Further sessions and a home visit can be arranged where needed, allowing a gradual introduction.

The online Learning Journey records activities, interests and achievements. Parents and the key person update it together, bringing home interests into nursery planning.

Observations during play inform Learning Journals and assessments after settling, at transitions and before school. Parents contribute to the age-two progress check, adding another opportunity to discuss development.

In August 2025, key persons accompanied children on room-transition visits, with staff considering physical stability and independent eating. Newsletters, conversations, digital updates and workshops on potty training and school readiness supported parent communication.

Inclusion and Wellbeing

For children with a specific allergy, the nursery requires medical confirmation and uses a Health Care Plan shared with the adults caring for them. Plans are reviewed every three months, and a photographed red placemat identifies dietary requirements at mealtimes. These are concrete procedures for communicating individual needs; allergy-affected families should discuss their child's current arrangements before starting.

In August 2025, sleep monitoring included checks every five minutes and physical observations, while key persons handled nappy changes. Staff also checked UV conditions and used hats outdoors. These details describe care at that time, rather than a current guarantee about individual routines.

Breakfast, hot lunch and tea are included in the nursery fee. Parents supply formula where needed and bring ready-made bottle feeds, as bottles are not prepared at the nursery; toothpaste and a toothbrush also come from home.

Preparation for school included sharing information with Reception teachers and inviting them to meet children at the nursery in August 2025. This put the emphasis on continuity of care and familiarity. It was transition work, rather than an admissions advantage.

Sessions and Attendance

Opening hours are 8am to 6pm, Monday to Friday. Regular attendance has a minimum booking of two full days; a temporary one-day arrangement can be offered when only one day can be accommodated, with the expectation of moving to two when another day becomes possible. Regular sessions cannot be exchanged for different days. Families need a pattern they can sustain.

Additional sessions can be booked up to four weeks ahead, subject to space, and require payment in advance. These flexible bookings can be transferred with 48 hours' notice but become non-refundable once booked. That gives some scope for extra care while keeping a clear distinction between the regular pattern and additional bookings.

The nursery operates across the year, closing for bank holidays, one week at Christmas and two staff-training days. Those closures need to sit alongside the family's working calendar, especially where extra cover has to be arranged.

Getting There

The address is 64 Victoria Road, Cirencester, Gloucestershire, GL7 1ES. A private car park has thirteen spaces for collection and drop-off, and the nursery is adjacent to St. Michel's Park.

Funding and Paid Extras

Funded childcare and privately paid care are offered. The group-wide funding information used at Edward Bears describes support of up to 570 or 1,140 hours a year, depending on a child's age and family circumstances; this is not a promise of eligibility or a particular booking pattern.

Current prices come in the nursery's written quotation, with the fees and registration page providing the enquiry route. Breakfast, lunch and tea are included in the fee, while formula and dental-care items are supplied by parents. A non-refundable registration charge applies when reserving a place, subject to availability, and includes the two settling visits. Fees are paid monthly in advance.

• Challenge during play. In August 2025, adults did not consistently extend children's problem-solving or creative thinking, and some routines interrupted concentration or lacked explanation. On a tour, ask how staff now develop a child's idea and explain transitions between activities.
• Food preparation and allergies. Meal preparation arrangements conflict between delivery by Zebedees for hot lunch and tea and preparation in an on-site kitchen. Confirm the current preparation route and how your child's allergy plan applies to meals and edible play materials.
• A fixed regular pattern. The two-full-day minimum and restriction on swapping regular sessions suit predictable attendance better than a changing weekly rota. Tours require booking and email confirmation; use the visit to work through the regular pattern and the separate flexible-session terms.
• Individual support. The key person and online Learning Journey provide routes for discussing a child's development. If your child needs additional help, ask how those arrangements would translate into an individual support plan and coordination with other professionals.

Edward Bears suits families seeking regular full-day attendance and those who need additional flexible sessions alongside a settled booking pattern. Its strongest practical qualities are the age-specific outdoor spaces, dedicated baby sleeping provision and structured introduction to a key person. The August 2025 judgement gives a positive inspection position, with clear teaching improvements to pursue. Families should weigh that provision against the fixed-day rules and resolve the meal-preparation question before making their decision.