Merry Go Round, Riverside

Nature trails in the secret garden and an indoor soft-play room give Merry Go Round, Riverside two different settings for physical exploration. The outdoor trails depend on the weather; the indoor space gives children another way to move, experiment and practise managing physical challenges. This is a nursery within the grounds of Riverside Primary School, on Belmont Avenue in Hereford.

Children are accepted from nine months to five years, with 70 places in total. At its 22 August 2025 inspection, Ofsted rated the nursery Good and found that safeguarding was effective, children made good progress and the key-person system supported secure relationships. Those findings give families a useful starting point, alongside two specific areas for improvement: more precisely targeted staff development and clearer teaching intentions during activities.

Opening hours are 7.30am to 4.30pm, Monday to Friday.

Learning and Activities

The Early Years Foundation Stage (EYFS) provides the framework for children's learning and care: play supports communication, physical development, relationships and early literacy. The useful question is how those aims become everyday experiences. Here, the August 2025 account gives concrete examples, from books and action songs to water play and activities preparing older children for writing.

In August 2025, staff used children's interests when planning play. Reading happened across the day, with songs and rhymes encouraging children to listen and use language. Preschool children also had daily opportunities to connect sounds with letters. A lending library allowed families to take books home, extending the reading habit beyond nursery hours.

Early writing preparation included work on hand strength, while activities for younger children encouraged words and sounds. These are different starting points for different stages of development. They also explain why the purpose of an activity matters: a child practising communication needs interactions that keep that aim clear.

In August 2025, this clarity was inconsistent. Staff sometimes added too many ideas to an activity, taking attention away from its intended learning. The improvement requested was therefore practical: keep interactions directed towards the skill being developed, rather than letting extra concepts crowd it out.

Outdoor and Community Life

The secret garden provides nature trails and bug hunts when weather permits. It sits a short distance from the nursery garden, making it a separate outdoor experience rather than simply another description of the main play space. Looking for insects gives children something concrete to investigate outdoors.

Riverside's soft-play room is accessible to children of all ages during the day. Its purpose is physical play, including practising larger movements and learning to manage risk. Together, these spaces give the nursery an outdoor exploration strand and an indoor movement option.

In August 2025, children also had daily exercise and fresh air. Water play involved filling and emptying containers of different sizes, with adults introducing language about how much they held. That connects physical coordination with early mathematical ideas through the same activity.

Relationships and Communication

In August 2025, families joined stay-and-play sessions adapted to their circumstances. Staff gathered information about children's interests and development before planning their first learning experiences. Familiar adults then shared children's achievements with parents and worked with them on practical changes such as potty training.

The same August 2025 account describes adults responding promptly when babies became tired and helping them settle to sleep. Home routines informed sleep arrangements, and staff checked sleeping children regularly. For a baby moving between home and nursery, that continuity is a concrete part of daily care.

Inclusion and Wellbeing

In August 2025, personal care was handled sensitively, with consistent hygiene routines and reminders about handwashing. Adults used respectful language with children, who were learning to take turns, share and express what they needed. These observations describe ordinary interactions rather than a separate behaviour programme.

Staff development was the other improvement priority in August 2025. Regular discussions with staff were taking place, but they did not consistently identify each person's training needs closely enough. More individual attention to professional development was needed to sharpen teaching. Families should weigh this alongside the positive account of relationships and daily care.

Sessions and Attendance

The nursery is at Riverside Primary School, Belmont Avenue, Hereford HR2 7JF. Opening hours are 7.30am to 4.30pm, Monday to Friday. The nursery operates across the year, with closures for bank holidays, Christmas, one week at Easter and two staff training days. Riverside enquiries can be made by telephone on 01432 350988 or through the contact form.

Funding and Paid Extras

In August 2025, the nursery offered funded early education for children aged nine months to four years. Current prices come in the nursery's written quotation.

Sharing a site with Riverside Primary School does not guarantee a Reception place. Families still apply through the local authority admissions process. Nursery attendance and the school application should therefore be planned separately.

• The weekday closes at 4.30pm. Opening hours run from 7.30am to 4.30pm, Monday to Friday. During a visit, ask which booking patterns would fit your required attendance.
• Teaching has two clear development priorities. In August 2025, staff training needed closer individual targeting and activity interactions needed a clearer learning purpose. During a visit, ask how staff now plan and review these aspects of teaching.
• Outdoor exploration is weather-dependent. Nature trails in the secret garden run when conditions allow, while the soft-play room provides indoor physical play. A visit can help you understand how these spaces fit your child's day.
• Funded provision needs a current booking discussion. In August 2025, funded early education covered children aged nine months to four years. During a visit, ask how funding would apply to your proposed attendance.

Merry Go Round, Riverside suits families seeking weekday childcare with indoor physical play and weather-dependent nature exploration. Its secret garden and soft-play room give physical exploration two useful settings, while the August 2025 account offers concrete examples of reading, communication and responsive baby care.

The balance is clear: positive relationships and a Good inspection judgement sit alongside specific teaching improvements. For parents, the practical decision is whether the weekday opening window and planned closures fit their week.