The Old Station Nursery Houlton

Continuity of care is the decisive issue at The Old Station Nursery Houlton. Its Dollman Farm setting has practical access near Crick Road. In May 2026, children had daily outdoor play, but staffing pressures affected their relationships with their key persons. The building and the care experience need separate consideration.

At its 13 May 2026 inspection, Ofsted judged achievement, behaviour and routines, curriculum and teaching, and inclusion to meet the expected standard, while children's welfare and wellbeing and leadership and governance needed attention; safeguarding standards were met. Those distinctions matter: positive learning experiences sat alongside weaknesses in everyday care and communication.

The nursery has 99 places in total and accepts children aged 36 to 60 months. It opens throughout the year, with closures for bank holidays and Christmas.

Learning and Activities

The early years foundation stage sets the requirements for children's learning, development and care: in everyday terms, learning and play sit alongside routines and personal care. In May 2026, staff used children's interests and assessments to choose activities and decide what to introduce next.

Books were accessible across the nursery. Children selected familiar stories, discussed characters and remembered parts of the narrative. Outdoors, chalk mark-making connected spoken sounds with written letters. These were concrete opportunities to build language and early literacy, rather than simply practise isolated tasks.

Mathematical play also involved patience and coordination. In May 2026, children used tweezers to arrange coloured balls into patterns, waiting while others took their turn. Pretend play gave them opportunities to revisit experiences and communicate ideas with one another.

Staff shortages interrupted this learning. In May 2026, workload sometimes left children occupied without a clear learning purpose, even though staff planned activities around their development and interests. For families, the question is how consistently those planned experiences reach children throughout the day.

Outdoor and Community Life

In May 2026, children played outside daily, with large equipment providing opportunities to climb and balance. That physical element complemented the quieter concentration involved in books, patterns and mark-making.

Houlton Play Park is nearby, and the nursery occupies a purpose-built building at Dollman Farm. The park's proximity is a useful location detail; it should not be read as a promise of nursery outings.

Relationships and Communication

In May 2026, settling began with staff gathering information about children's health, development and familiar routines. Staff comforted children when needed and helped babies settle to sleep, with frequent checks afterwards. These observations describe care at that time, including younger children attending then.

The key-person arrangements were less dependable. During May 2026, staff sometimes moved between rooms or took on other duties to cover shortages, disrupting relationships and occasionally leaving children without an identified key person. Some parents also received incomplete daily updates or were not told promptly about changes to their child's main contact.

Temporary staff carried fewer responsibilities, increasing the burden on permanent practitioners. Staff supervision and mentoring were also inconsistent. A new manager had recently been appointed, and leaders were recruiting permanent staff, but those steps were responses to weaknesses rather than proof that they had been corrected.

Inclusion and Wellbeing

At the May 2026 inspection, Ofsted found that children with SEND were supported through individual plans shared with families and staff, input from the area SEND team and regular parent meetings, with progress in communication and language. This gives families a specific picture of how support worked at that point.

Everyday hygiene needed greater consistency. In May 2026, staff sometimes missed children going to the toilet and therefore failed to reinforce handwashing. Required actions covered parent communication, the effectiveness of the key-person system and staff supervision, each with a completion deadline of 30 June 2026.

Sessions and Attendance

Opening hours are 7.30am to 6.30pm, Monday to Friday. The nursery operates across the year and closes for bank holidays and Christmas. These are opening hours, which families should distinguish from the attendance pattern they book.

Getting There

The address is Dollman Farm, Houlton, Rugby, CV23 1AL. A car park serves the setting, and nearby Crick Road provides road access.

• Key-person continuity. Room moves and additional responsibilities disrupted attachments in May 2026. During a visit, ask how the nursery now maintains your child's main relationship when staff are absent, and how changes are communicated to parents.
• Staff support and daily hygiene. In May 2026, workload affected routine care, learning and handwashing reminders, while supervision needed improvement. The arrangements for supporting practitioners deserve as much attention as the activities planned for children.
• Attendance arrangements. The opening window runs from 7.30am to 6.30pm across the working week. What booking pattern and settling arrangements would apply to your child?

Houlton suits local families looking for care across the year whose routines fit its weekday opening hours, although it merits cautious consideration. Outdoor equipment, books and practical learning were useful parts of children's experience in May 2026, and SEND support had clear mechanisms. However, continuity of care, parent communication and support for staff were material weaknesses. Those issues should carry substantial weight in a family's decision.