Flying Start Nursery & Preschool

Emotion pictures on staff lanyards gave children a way to express feelings before they had the words: a telling detail from Flying Start’s July 2022 provision in Fairford. At its 6 July 2022 inspection, Ofsted judged the nursery Good overall and found safeguarding effective, with activities shaped around children’s interests and learning needs.

Based at Gloucester House, Market Place, the nursery has capacity for 45 children aged 3 to 60 months. The inspection picture combines affectionate care for babies with opportunities for older children to contribute ideas and practise independence.

In July 2022, babies responded to songs with movement, clapping and anticipation. Older children contributed suggestions about story characters during group activities. These were different routes into communication: listening and responding for the youngest, speaking up and exchanging ideas for those approaching school.

The early years foundation stage sets requirements for learning, development and care. Here, the July 2022 examples included language through songs and stories, physical coordination through sand play, and social learning through sharing and taking turns.

Outside, children filled containers and tipped sand into a tray. Walks into town included the library, market and church, connecting learning with familiar community places. The limitation was breadth: children needed more experiences and resources introducing people and family lives beyond those they already knew.

At the July 2022 inspection, Ofsted found that children with special educational needs and/or disabilities benefited from individual support plans developed with parents and health professionals, close key-person relationships and targeted help.

In July 2022, staff gathered information about home routines and interests when children started. For children learning English, parents supplied familiar words from their home language, while books in different languages supported connections between home and nursery.

An on-site chef planned a weekly menu around dietary needs that July. Mealtimes also gave children practical tasks, including serving fruit and spreading butter, bringing independence into everyday care.

The address is Gloucester House, Market Place, Fairford, GL7 4AB. Opening hours are 8am to 6pm, Monday to Friday, across the year, with bank holidays and one week at Christmas closed.

In July 2022, the nursery received early-education funding for children aged two, three and four. That dated participation is useful context for families considering funded childcare alongside paid care.

• Teaching consistency. The July 2022 improvement priorities included more precisely targeted staff development. Ask how training now addresses individual practitioners’ skills and translates into children’s activities.
• A broader view of family life. In July 2022, town walks introduced familiar community places, but children needed more opportunities to learn about different people and families. A visit is a chance to discuss how that experience has broadened.
• Your attendance and funding plan. The nursery opens across the year and closes for bank holidays and a Christmas week. Discuss which booking pattern fits your routine and how funded hours, meals and consumables would be handled together.

Flying Start suits families seeking care in central Fairford, with opening hours spanning the working day. Its July 2022 strengths were concrete: responsive interactions with babies, children contributing to stories, and everyday opportunities to express feelings and manage practical tasks. Balance that positive inspection picture against the two development priorities: teaching consistency and a broader understanding of people and families.