Learn and Grow Day Nursery and Pre-school

Communication and social development are the decisive issues at Learn and Grow Day Nursery and Pre-school in Kennet Island, Reading. At its February 2026 inspection, Ofsted recorded safeguarding standards as met, children's welfare and wellbeing as Needs attention, and achievement, behaviour and routines, curriculum and teaching, inclusion, and leadership as Urgent improvement, identifying weaknesses in language support, assessment, staff development and responses to children's behaviour. Those findings deserve substantial weight in a family's decision.

The nursery accepts children aged 7 to 59 months and has capacity for 111 children. That is a whole-nursery figure, not the size of an individual group. Alongside its care arrangements, the nursery emphasises STEM education through play and adult-led activities, with personalised settling sessions and weekly practical suggestions for parents.

Learning and Activities

The EYFS is the statutory framework for children's learning, development and care: it brings learning and everyday care together, rather than treating education as a separate part of the day. STEM education adds an emphasis on maths, engineering, science and technology within play and activities initiated by adults. This gives families a concrete subject emphasis to consider alongside the much more consequential findings about how teaching supported individual children.

In February 2026, babies used modelling dough to practise coordinating their hands and eyes, connecting an activity with the physical control needed for feeding themselves. Staff also introduced vocabulary during food routines, including naming watermelon. These examples show how ordinary materials and daily routines can become learning opportunities. They should be read as examples from that month, rather than a current timetable.

Planning and assessment were central concerns in February 2026. Staff did not routinely use what children already knew to adjust activities, and priorities for communication were not consistently built into planning. For parents, the practical distinction is between offering an activity and using it to address a child's next learning step. An appealing subject emphasis alone cannot answer that question.

Outdoor and Community Life

Outdoor physical play in February 2026 included hula hoops and throwing and catching balls. These were opportunities to practise movement and coordination. The account also included cooking, although arguments over shared resources exposed the need for more effective adult guidance during group activities.

Relationships and Communication

A key person provides continuity, taking account of a child's interests and needs. Personalised Settling-In Sessions gather details about familiar stories, preferred activities, comfort needs and home routines. That gives parents a specific way to contribute to the transition: the starting point is the individual child, rather than a single routine applied to everyone.

Weekly Expertise Shares provide parents with practical ideas to use at home. The value is the connection between nursery experiences and family routines, with suggestions parents can incorporate into ordinary days. Additional experiences in the term before children leave are intended to support preparation for school, alongside encouragement to introduce school-related conversations, books and routines at home.

Inclusion and Wellbeing

At the February 2026 inspection, Ofsted found that staff offered reassurance and supported safe rest and nutritious meals, but children needing additional communication support, including those with SEND, were not receiving effective intervention, support plans or implementation of speech-assessment advice, while insufficient guidance during conflict affected emotional wellbeing and social development. Warm relationships and effective developmental support therefore need to be considered separately.

During February 2026, staff comforted children who needed help settling, including the youngest children. Rest arrangements took account of individual needs. These examples matter for babies and less-confident children, but they do not cancel the concerns about identifying learning needs and acting on them.

Meals include vegetarian, halal and vegan options. This gives families with different dietary preferences a concrete starting point when considering the nursery's food arrangements.

Sessions and Attendance

The nursery opens from 8am to 6pm, Monday to Friday, throughout the year except bank holidays. These are opening hours. They establish the operating window for families planning work and care commitments.

Registration starts through an online form covering the child's details, parent contact information and preferred start date. A separate visit form allows families to request a date, with a representative contacting them to confirm the booking. The registration and visit routes serve different purposes: one starts the application process, while the other arranges an opportunity to discuss the care a child would receive.

Getting There

The address is 62-63 Merrick House, Whale Avenue, Kennet Island, Reading, RG2 0GX. The nursery's age range runs from 7 to 59 months, covering babies through to preschool children.

• Communication and teaching. The February 2026 findings centred on gaps in language support and the use of assessment. During a visit, ask for an example of how a child's next learning step shapes activities and how progress is tracked.
• SEND support. In February 2026, speech-assessment advice was not being put into practice effectively. Families whose children need additional support should discuss how recommendations become daily actions and who checks their implementation.
• Settling and relationships. Personalised Settling-In Sessions explore routines and comfort preferences. Use that discussion to explain what helps your child settle and how the key person will provide continuity.
• Attendance and charges. The operating window is 8am to 6pm on weekdays. Which booking pattern and written charge breakdown would apply to your family's intended attendance?

Learn and Grow suits families seeking year-round weekday care in Kennet Island who value individual settling arrangements and practical communication with parents. Its STEM emphasis provides a clear subject interest, and its dietary options accommodate different preferences.

The February 2026 findings remain the decisive caution. Families should give greater weight to effective language support, consistent guidance during conflict and individual learning plans than to the appeal of activities alone. A choice here needs careful consideration of how those everyday responsibilities are delivered.