Enchanting Childcare

Garden bicycles, parachute games and conversations woven into play give Enchanting Childcare a recognisable character in its June 2024 account of nursery life. At its 18 June 2024 inspection, Ofsted rated the nursery Good overall. The strongest practical examples centred on language, physical activity and helping children become more independent.

Based at Kingsway Community Centre in Quedgeley, Gloucester, the nursery has 70 places in total for children aged 0 to 60 months. That is whole-setting capacity, rather than the size of an individual group.

The early years foundation stage sets the requirements for children's learning, development and care: it connects what children learn with how their everyday needs are met. In June 2024, staff placed particular emphasis on conversation, introducing vocabulary through play and encouraging children to explain their interests and experiences. Language learning happened alongside activities, rather than being confined to a separate lesson.

Outside, children combined mud and water using tools, sharing the work with friends. The June 2024 garden activities also included hopping, jumping, obstacle courses and parachute games, alongside climbing equipment and bicycles. These gave children different ways to practise movement and cooperation. For older children, preparation for school emphasised confidence and doing things independently.

The June 2024 examples show how several kinds of learning could share an activity. Collecting ingredients for mud play involved helping a friend as well as handling materials; mixing with tools gave children something practical to do together. Conversation during play gave staff opportunities to introduce words connected to children's own interests. For families, the useful distinction is between simply offering resources and using an activity to develop communication or cooperation. Here, the examples included both the materials and what children did with them.

Daily routines also formed part of the June 2024 experience. Staff explained expectations through consistent boundaries, linking rules to children's safety, and children followed instructions and routines. Practitioners encouraged children who needed help to join games, using participation to build confidence with others. This matters for a child who needs encouragement before becoming involved: the adult's role extended beyond setting out an activity. The reservation about organised group times concerned a different part of the day, where sitting continued too long and children's attention drifted.

In June 2024, practitioners caring for babies worked with families to maintain familiar routines and help children build relationships with staff. Parents received updates about their children's learning. This connected care at nursery with children's needs at home.

For the youngest children, the June 2024 priorities were security and relationships with the adults caring for them. Following a baby's familiar routine was a concrete part of that work, rather than treating every child as needing the same pattern. Staff also gathered information from parents about children's needs and interests. That exchange gave families a role in shaping the care their child received.

The June 2024 account distinguished individual planning from group organisation. Staff monitored each child's development and used that understanding to plan learning; some children needed encouragement to participate, while some older children needed activities that took their learning further. For parents, these are different questions about the day: how a child is helped to join in, and how learning develops once they are confident.

At the June 2024 inspection, Ofsted found safeguarding effective and assessed support for children with SEND or learning delays positively, while identifying a need for greater challenge for some older children. Staff tracked individual development and planned around children's needs; they also checked language understanding to target help for children learning English as an additional language.

The address is Kingsway Community Centre, Thatcham Avenue Kingsway, Quedgeley, Gloucester, GL2 2GS. Opening hours are 07:30 to 17:30, Monday to Friday, across the year.

Closures include bank holidays, 1 week at the end of August and 2 weeks at Christmas. Those breaks matter for families arranging childcare around work.

• Group activities. In June 2024, some organised group activities involved prolonged sitting and children became restless. On a visit, ask how these activities now keep children involved.
• Challenge for older children. The June 2024 improvement priorities included making better use of older and more able children's interests. Families approaching school age should explore how staff build on what their child already knows.
• Holiday cover. The August and Christmas closures create planned breaks in care. Factor them into your family's working calendar.

Enchanting Childcare suits families seeking weekday nursery care in Quedgeley who value conversation, active garden play and attention to babies' familiar routines. Its June 2024 assessment gives a positive starting point, with specific reservations about group activities and stretching older children. Those are useful priorities for judging the fit for your own child.