Chuckles Day Nursery

Activities with seeds and recycled materials, garden discoveries and climbing equipment give Chuckles Day Nursery's June 2024 learning programme a practical, hands-on character. Based at Budmouth Academy on Chickerell Road in Weymouth, it has capacity for 59 children aged three months to five years.

At its June 2024 inspection, Ofsted rated the nursery Good, judged safeguarding effective and found that children with special educational needs and/or disabilities made good progress. The improvement priorities were literacy development and helping quieter children take a fuller part in activities. Those points matter alongside the grade.

In June 2024, children made bird feeders while exploring seeds, construction and reusing materials. Garden digging introduced new vocabulary, connecting language with something children could investigate directly.

The early years foundation stage is the framework for children's learning, development and care: here, the June 2024 examples included counting through songs and stories, handling tools for mark-making and testing predictions. These gave children different ways to practise skills through play.

Physical activity also featured in June 2024. Climbing equipment and toys supported balance, jumping and coordination, while visiting adults contributed to physical education. Children could request different resources to pursue their interests.

In June 2024, settling involved helping children build relationships with a familiar key person. Staff offered comfort when children were tired or unsettled, and babies' care followed routines established at home. That continuity connected nursery care with family life.

Support in June 2024 included working with families and outside agencies and adapting learning for individual children. Parents interviewed felt informed about their children's development.

There were weaknesses too. In June 2024, some staff missed opportunities for conversation or used confusing language. Quieter children could spend too long watching others rather than joining meaningful play, making individual attention an important consideration.

The address is Budmouth Academy, Chickerell Road, Weymouth, Dorset DT4 9SY. Attendance at the nursery does not guarantee a Reception place.

In June 2024, opening hours were 7.45am to 5.30pm, Monday to Friday, across 51 weeks of the year. At that time, the nursery received funding for early education for two-, three- and four-year-olds.

• Literacy and conversation. The June 2024 improvement priorities included literacy, alongside weaknesses in some staff's language modelling. Ask how conversation and early literacy are now built into play.
• Quieter children. In June 2024, reserved children sometimes spent extended periods observing. During a visit, ask how practitioners help a child who prefers to watch before joining in.
• Baby routines. Home routines shaped babies' care in June 2024. Discuss how your child's feeding, sleep and settling routines would fit into the day.

Chuckles suits families looking for practical learning and care that takes babies' home routines into account, judged on its June 2024 provision. Construction with recycled materials, counting games and physical play give substance to that picture. The deciding questions concern how literacy is supported now and how reliably quieter children are drawn into activities.