Chiltern Nursery & Training College

Large gardens, nursery rooms capped at 12 children for the youngest age group, and childcare training on site give Chiltern Nursery & Training College a clear character. This Caversham setting combines care for young children with a training college, making practitioner development part of the same operation. The gardens are a substantial part of the offer: both age departments use them daily, with time outside adjusted around weather and children's routines.

At its August 2024 inspection, Ofsted judged the nursery Good and found safeguarding effective, with additional funding and collaboration with families and agencies supporting children with SEND. The improvement point concerned independence: staff sometimes stepped in to do tasks children could attempt themselves.

There are 130 places in total, for children from three months to five years. These are whole-setting places, not the number of children sharing a room. For parents weighing a baby's first nursery experience, the younger rooms' daily occupancy cap is the more useful measure.

Rooms and Ages

Children are grouped into Under 2s and Over 2s, usually moving departments close to their second birthday. Each of the three younger rooms has a daily maximum of 12 children. Among the six rooms for the older department, five have a maximum of 16 and one has a maximum of 14. Room allocation depends on the position when a place is offered, so a particular room cannot be guaranteed.

As described in the nursery's current arrangements, staffing is one adult for every three children in the younger rooms and one for every four in the older department. These figures describe staffing, not room occupancy. Soft play rooms add another physical space to the nursery rooms and gardens, giving children several settings for their activities.

Learning and Activities

The EYFS guides learning here through play, interaction with adults and activities adjusted to individual development. A key person observes each child and uses those observations to shape experiences and maintain developmental records. For families, that connects the child's interests and progress with what practitioners plan next.

In August 2024, simple signing accompanied communication across the nursery, including younger children's singing. Older children listened to stories, while mathematical ideas arose through conversations about adding and removing objects. Younger children explored colour, shape and size. These examples make the learning concrete: language and early mathematics were part of familiar play and conversation.

On-site Training & One-to-One Assessment combines staff training at the college with support and assessment on the premises. Traineeships bring tutorial learning together with practical experience in the nursery. This is a recognisable part of Chiltern's structure, although the training arrangement itself is not a substitute for judging children's day-to-day care.

Outdoor and Community Life

Garden use follows the needs of each department. Over 2s go outside in both the morning and afternoon; Under 2s visit daily, with shorter periods possible around sleep and other routines. Families provide clothing suitable for outdoor play, and weather can affect how long children remain outside.

In August 2024, the vegetable patch gave older children something to tend and discuss: they watered plants and talked about harvesting, cooking and eating the produce. Bikes and tennis provided active play, while younger children explored sand and practised balancing with adult help. The physical detail matters. Outdoor experiences included movement, coordination and caring for growing things.

Relationships and Communication

A key person is allocated when a child starts and again when they change departments. That practitioner arranges the induction meeting and settling visits, maintains an overview of the child's needs and completes observations and assessments. Other staff in the room also provide care, so the relationship sits within a room team.

Settling begins with information about home routines, preferences and individual needs. Parents can spend time alongside their child during introductory visits, and familiar resources help connect home and nursery. The nursery seeks to follow home routines closely and provides updates during settling. This gives families a specific starting point for discussing what helps their child feel comfortable.

Developmental records are shared with parents, alongside written progress summaries. Information from those records also contributes to a transition record when a child moves to another setting or school. Sleep arrangements follow the same individual approach: rest needs are discussed with parents and accommodated within the nursery routine as far as possible, with familiar blankets or toys welcome.

Inclusion and Wellbeing

In August 2024, practitioners used calm conversation to help children manage difficult emotions, and group activities gave them practice in sharing and taking turns. Children worked together on models made from boxes and exchanged ideas about attaching materials. This made cooperation something to practise through an activity.

Eat Better, Start Better informs menu planning, with food cooked from scratch by the on-site catering team and a morning snack, lunch and afternoon tea. For allergies, intolerances or cultural dietary requirements, the nursery's policy is to prepare an individual menu and share it with parents and those caring for the child.

Sun cream is supplied by the nursery; families provide a particular brand if an allergy makes that necessary. This exception is worth building into a child's care arrangements alongside their dietary needs.

Sessions and Attendance

The address is 20 Peppard Road, Caversham, Reading, RG4 8JZ. Opening hours are 8am to 6pm on weekdays, across 51 weeks of the year. Closures include bank holidays and the Christmas period, beginning on Christmas Eve and ending at the first working day following New Year.

Minimum attendance is two full days, expressed as four sessions. Offers normally begin up to four months before the requested starting date. Permanent changes to sessions require a calendar month's written notice and depend on nursery planning and availability; requests for occasional extra sessions can be made up to two weeks ahead, subject to availability.

Contracts run for a minimum of three months, and withdrawal requires a calendar month's written notice. These terms matter for families whose work pattern or childcare needs may change soon after starting. Admissions enquiries can be sent to admissions@chilternntc.com. Parking is provided for parents collecting or bringing children.

Funding and Paid Extras

Early Years Entitlement is offered for eligible working families whose children are two, three or four, alongside universal funding for children aged three and four. Eligibility remains part of the working-family offer. For current prices, ask the nursery for a quotation.

• Independence in everyday routines. In August 2024, some practitioners completed tasks such as clearing activities and pouring drinks before children could try. Ask how staff now give children time and support to attempt these tasks themselves.
• Room allocation and settling. Younger rooms have a daily maximum of 12, but a particular room cannot be guaranteed. A personal tour with the nursery manager offers a useful opportunity to discuss how a child's home routine would fit the room's day.
• Attendance commitment. The minimum is two full days, with a three-month minimum contract and a calendar month's written notice to leave. Families planning a short period of care should weigh those terms carefully.
• Individual dietary care. The nursery prepares individual menus for specified dietary needs. Allergy-affected families should confirm current preparation and sharing arrangements, including whether they need to supply a particular sun cream.

Chiltern suits families who value daily garden time, a defined key-person role and care planned around their child's routines. The younger rooms' occupancy caps give parents a useful sense of scale, while the college's on-site training adds character to the setting. The attendance commitment will suit families able to maintain a regular pattern. Giving children enough time to practise independence remains the clearest point to explore alongside those strengths.