Arbury Day Nursery, Tommies Childcare

A converted bungalow, a private road and 34 places give Arbury a small-scale setting in Stockingford, Nuneaton. Its character comes through in practical details: babies have a crawl-in sand tray, toddlers have space for pretend domestic life, and the garden is used daily. Those features give families something concrete to weigh alongside the inspection position.

At its 10 September 2025 inspection, Ofsted rated Arbury Requires improvement, finding inconsistent teaching, weaknesses in staff deployment and an ineffective key-person system, although children were generally happy. The distinction matters: appealing surroundings and enjoyable activities did not consistently translate into learning that stretched each child. Staff understood their curriculum intentions, but delivery did not reliably build on what children already knew. In September 2025, new leaders' improvement plans were not yet established effectively in practice; staff training and professional development were required to bring teaching to a consistently good standard.

Attendance centres on full days, with a minimum booking of two days each week, alongside a term-time funding option for specified entitlements. This is a nursery whose physical scale may appeal, but whose teaching and daily organisation deserve close attention before a family commits.

Rooms and Ages

The Baby Room, for children up to 20 months, combines sensory exploration with a crawl-in sand tray and miniature wooden slide, giving the youngest children different ways to investigate materials and movement.

For children aged 20 months to 3 years, the Toddler Room uses a role-play area for pretending to cook, keep house and host meals, with an emphasis on sharing and social interaction.

In the Pre-School Room, for ages 3 to 5 years, activities follow individual interests while emphasising independence, relationships and preparation for school.

The 34 places belong to the nursery as a whole. They should not be read as the size of any individual room or the number of children a baby spends the day alongside.

Learning and Activities

The early years foundation stage sets the requirements for children's learning, development and care; in daily life, that means play and adult support help children develop communication, physical skills and relationships alongside early learning. Arbury also uses the group-wide In the Moment approach, with activities shaped around children's interests, including language and early numeracy. The approach gives those interests a role in planning; its name alone does not establish how effectively staff teach.

In September 2025, planning included science experiments chosen for a child's interest in science. Toddlers explored quantities through pipe cleaners and play dough, while preschool children practised cutting vegetables.

Delivery was the difficulty in September 2025. Activities did not consistently extend existing knowledge or provide enough challenge, and the quality of adult conversation varied. Some practitioners interacted more effectively and more frequently than others.

Outdoor and Community Life

Daily garden use includes trike riding, running and insect hunts, whatever the weather. That gives outdoor time a regular place in the day, with opportunities for movement as well as investigation.

Relationships and Communication

Settling at Arbury follows the time each child needs. That is a useful starting point for families whose child needs a gradual introduction to unfamiliar adults and routines.

Famly, the parent communication app used across Tommies, connects families with their child's nursery experiences. It provides another route for keeping in touch when a child is away from home, alongside direct conversations with staff.

In September 2025, staffing difficulties weakened the key-person arrangements. Some practitioners knew individual children well, but that understanding was not shared consistently enough across the adults caring for them. Staff deployment also prevented some adults from getting to know children's needs sufficiently. This was a care issue as well as a teaching issue: individual routines depend on adults understanding the child in front of them.

Inclusion and Wellbeing

At the September 2025 inspection, Ofsted found safeguarding effective and effective support for children with SEND and those learning English as an additional language, including collaboration with parents and timely referrals for specialist help. That positive finding sits alongside the wider weaknesses in meeting individual needs through everyday routines.

Mealtimes and toileting were poorly organised in September 2025. Children waited or wandered while staff assembled what they needed, reducing opportunities for useful interaction; some children also disengaged from activities or banged cutlery at lunch.

There were useful examples of independence in September 2025: babies practised feeding themselves, toddlers dressing, and preschool children pouring water. The environment was clean, with resources children could reach themselves. Those arrangements supported choice and self-care, even though the overall consistency of provision required improvement.

Food is cooked by Tommies' nursery chefs and brought fresh to Arbury each day.

Sessions and Attendance

Arbury's address is The Bungalow, Quary Yard, Church Road, Nuneaton, CV10 8LJ, with the nursery set down a private road in Stockingford. Enquiries can be made by telephone on 02476 382 066 or through its message route; visits can also be booked.

Full-Day sessions run from 7.30am to 6pm, Monday to Friday. Children must attend at least two full days each week. When a booking covers three full days or fewer, it must include Monday or Friday, so a family seeking only midweek attendance needs to factor that condition into its plans.

The full-week option uses the same daily hours from Monday to Friday. Arbury's annual billing spreads the value of care over 51 weeks into 12 equal monthly payments, and bills include bank holidays and a staff development day. A regular monthly bill therefore does not mean every billed day is an attendance day.

Payment is monthly in advance, on the first day of the month, by Direct Debit, the Tax-Free Childcare Scheme or a combination of the two. The branch does not accept cash or card payments for childcare fees.

Funding and Paid Extras

Arbury offers 15 hours for children aged 2 years receiving additional support and 15 hours for all 3 and 4-year-olds. Eligible working families with children aged from 9 months may claim up to 30 funded hours per week. Entitlement and the nursery's delivery pattern are separate considerations.

Funding can be stretched over 51 weeks. A term-time-only option follows school terms over 38 weeks for the two 15-hour entitlements; those bookings exclude holiday childcare and use a first-come, first-served allocation rule. Additional paid sessions can supplement the hours covered by funding.

Food and snacks are included in standard paid sessions. For funded days, meals are charged separately, covering breakfast, lunch, dinner and snacks; term-time-only bookings may also incur costs when the nursery provides meals. Families should use Arbury's current written quotation to understand the total cost of their particular booking.

An initial registration charge applies when requesting a place. If the exact requested attendance pattern cannot be offered, parents can accept an alternative or withdraw and receive that charge back; it becomes non-refundable once a place is accepted. A separate acceptance payment is credited against the first month's bill. These conditions make the agreed days as important as the headline session choice.

• Teaching and familiar adults. September 2025 brought concerns about inconsistent interactions, staff deployment and the key-person system. During a visit, ask how staff now share knowledge of individual children and demonstrate the next steps in their learning.
• Daily routines. Mealtimes and toileting disrupted children's experience in September 2025. Ask to understand how these transitions are organised now, including preparation and the adults responsible.
• Attendance commitments. The two-full-day minimum and Monday-or-Friday condition affect shorter weekly bookings. Compare the actual days offered with your work pattern before accepting a place.
• Funding and care supplies. Funded meals are charged separately, while term-time care excludes holidays. Request a written breakdown of funded meals and additional paid hours for your entitlement and attendance pattern.

Arbury suits families drawn to a small bungalow setting, sensory resources for babies and daily garden play, who can use either a recurring full-day booking or the term-time option attached to the specified 15-hour entitlements. Its room progression and interest-led planning give it a recognisable character.

The September 2025 judgement carries real weight. Teaching, familiar-adult arrangements and routine organisation were not consistently effective, despite positive findings on safeguarding and specialist support. Arbury merits consideration where its setting and attendance terms fit, with the decision centred on how convincingly current practice addresses those specific weaknesses.