Close to Home Childcare

An allotment, an all-weather summerhouse and guinea pigs called Marble and Hazel give Close to Home Childcare a recognisable character: children have living things to care for and food to grow, alongside the ordinary business of play. The nursery occupies a detached house in Burnham-on-Crouch, with infant toilets and glass-panelled doors among the features designed around younger children. Its nursery provision covers ages 0 to 5, with capacity for 37 children in total.

At its July 2024 inspection, Ofsted rated the nursery Outstanding, finding ambitious teaching, rapid learning progress and strong relationships between children and staff. The useful detail behind that judgement is how much children contributed: daily discussions helped shape activities, while preparing food and setting tables gave independence a practical purpose.

Opening hours run from 7am to 7pm, Monday to Friday, and the setting also provides after-school care and a holiday club. For parents, the combination brings early-years care and provision for older children under the same name.

Learning and Activities

The Early Years Foundation Stage guides children's learning and development through play and everyday experiences; Birth to 5 matters also helps staff assess learning and plan support. Here, the current approach puts children's interests alongside independence and communication. Storytelling, singing and open-ended play give children ways to explore ideas rather than simply complete a prescribed task.

Daily life extends into the surrounding area. Trips include the post office, shops, marina, museum and beach, making familiar places part of children's learning. Cloud gazing provides another starting point for curiosity. These experiences connect play with the world children recognise beyond the nursery.

In July 2024, children used daily discussions to explain what interested them and influence subsequent activities. Their conversations drew on earlier learning about caterpillars, butterfly patterns and changes in living things. Staff gave children thinking time when asking questions, and offered help rather than immediately solving a difficulty for them. That leaves room for children to work out an answer themselves.

Makaton signing, used to help children communicate their needs, was part of practice in July 2024, including with babies. Books also served a practical purpose: children building dinosaur scenes checked reference books when they needed information about names or habitats. Reading supported their investigations as well as their enjoyment of stories.

Outdoor and Community Life

The summerhouse provides another place to play throughout the year and in different weather, including imaginative activities and exploration of outdoor sounds and sensations. The garden also supports obstacle courses, gardening and sandcastle building. Outdoor space has several uses rather than being reserved for a break between indoor activities.

Children help tend the allotment and herb garden, and the produce is harvested, washed and used in meals. This gives food preparation a visible beginning: children can take part in growing something before it reaches their plates. Marble and Hazel, the nursery's guinea pigs, bring opportunities to observe animals and learn about their care.

In July 2024, a comfortable garden space supported emotional expression through calming music and painting pebbles. Children were given words to describe their feelings. The practical implication is a quieter activity with a purpose, alongside the garden's more energetic play.

Relationships and Communication

A key person is assigned at the first settling session and remains with the family throughout their time at Close to Home. Parents and staff establish an individual care routine together, with continuing discussion of sleep, weaning and development. For a baby, this makes the connection between home routines and nursery care an explicit part of settling.

Children have personal storage trays, and the setting provides individual sets of bedding and toiletries. At the end of each attended session, a daily diary combines photographs with an account of activities. That gives parents concrete material for conversations about the day rather than a brief verbal handover alone.

In July 2024, staff followed babies' individual sleep and milk routines and responded with close attention. Staff also asked babies before changing nappies and spoke respectfully when offering help. The emphasis was on involving children in their care, including those too young to answer verbally.

Inclusion and Wellbeing

At the July 2024 inspection, Ofsted found safeguarding effective and praised support for children needing additional help, including early intervention, a knowledgeable special educational needs coordinator and collaboration with outside agencies. Those mechanisms matter because support can be coordinated between the adults involved in a child's care.

School transition work in July 2024 included building relationships with the schools children would attend. This was preparation for the move, rather than an admissions advantage.

Home-cooked lunches or dinners and snacks depend on the hours attended, and families can alternatively send a packed meal; dietary needs are discussed with parents. Children take part in food preparation and table-setting, while babies' meals develop alongside their weaning routines.

Sessions and Attendance

The address is 97 Station Road, Burnham-on-Crouch, Essex CM0 8HR. Opening hours are 7am to 7pm on weekdays, with year-round operation and closures on bank holidays, during the last week of August and for one week at Christmas. These closures are worth building into a family's annual childcare arrangements.

After-school care includes time for homework according to parents' wishes, as well as play and practical tasks such as meal preparation. The Holiday Club serves children aged 4 to 16 and offers flexible, contract-free school-holiday attendance. Its separate, purpose-built space has its own outdoor area, giving older children an environment suited to their activities.

Families can contact the nursery by telephone or email. Current prices come in the nursery's written quotation.

Funding and Paid Extras

In July 2024, the nursery provided funded early education for children aged two, three and four. Families considering funded attendance should treat the hours and associated costs as part of the overall booking decision, rather than assuming that funding covers every element of care.

• Care across ages. Siblings and children of different ages can interact, while the older children's holiday provision has a separate space. On a visit, ask how those arrangements work for your child's age and daily routine.
• Annual closures. The last week of August, a week at Christmas and bank holidays sit outside the usual opening pattern. Families needing continuous cover should plan around those breaks.
• Funding and meal choices. Funded early education was provided in July 2024, and families can send packed meals or use the nursery's catering. Ask for a written booking quotation covering funded hours, food and consumables together.

Close to Home Childcare suits families drawn to a house-based nursery where gardening, animal care and children's interests shape everyday activities. Its July 2024 Outstanding judgement gives weight to that character, while the continuing key-person arrangement and daily diary provide concrete ways to connect home and nursery life.

The offer also serves families combining nursery attendance with after-school care, or needing flexible holiday-club attendance for older children. Long weekday opening hours are useful, but the planned annual closures remain a practical consideration.