Yeovilteenies Day Nursery

Military family life gives Yeovilteenies its character. Based at RNAS Yeovilton, it serves children whose parents are serving military personnel or civil servants working at the base, with a parent association linking nursery life to the military community. That connection has a practical expression: parents can contribute to their child's online development journal even while deployed at sea.

Children attend from three months to five years. At its July 2021 inspection, Ofsted rated the nursery Good, found safeguarding effective and judged that staff's work with parents and other professionals helped children with special educational needs and/or disabilities (SEND) progress well.

The current room arrangement separates babies, toddlers and preschool children into Bumblebee, Ladybird and Butterfly rooms. Outside, a baby garden, vegetable patch and mud kitchen give the setting more texture than a simple playground. Morning, afternoon and family friendly sessions offer different ways to organise attendance.

Rooms and Ages

Bumblebee room serves children aged zero to two, with a playroom for exploration and a baby garden accessible directly from the room; Ladybird room, for two- to three-year-olds, concentrates on developing independence and supporting potty training; Butterfly room serves three- to five-year-olds, with independent toileting and small-group activities helping children prepare for school. The progression is practical. Children move from early exploration towards managing more of their own day.

Child-sized toilets and sinks set low enough for children to use support that emphasis on independence, while nappy changing has its own facilities. These details matter because learning to manage personal care depends partly on an environment children can use themselves.

Learning and Activities

The Early Years Foundation Stage (EYFS) guides learning through play, covering communication, physical development, relationships and later learning such as literacy and mathematics. Activities are planned around each child's interests and adjusted as those interests change. Observations therefore inform what happens next, rather than simply recording what has already happened.

Paint, chalk, water and sand provide different ways to make marks, alongside construction, pretend play, stories, puppets and sensory activities.

In July 2021, toddlers practised hand control by tapping ice with small hammers to release toy sea creatures. Numbered fish and magnetic fishing rods brought number recognition into a game, while conversation during sandpit play gave staff opportunities to model unfamiliar words. These examples connect early learning to things children can handle, talk about and repeat.

Outdoor and Community Life

A soft play shed and purpose-built climbing frame add physical challenges, while the mud kitchen and vegetable patch create opportunities for hands-on exploration. Babies have their own outdoor space.

The parent association, named PSA, raises funds for opportunities including ZooLab visits and Incredible Eggs. Both sit within the association's support for nursery activities, rather than being a guaranteed weekly programme. Regular visiting activities also include Tatty bumpkin, providing yoga, and boogie bunnies, combining dance and music, alongside football training without an extra charge.

Across the year, celebrations include World Book Day, Harvest Festival, Diwali and Hanukkah. They offer occasions to explore stories, seasons and celebrations beyond a child's own family experience.

Relationships and Communication

Every child has a key person who takes a leading role in care and monitors development. Other staff also contribute observations, giving the journal a broader view of the child's day. Parents can add their own comments and observations online, including during deployments at sea. For this nursery's families, that is a useful way to remain involved in learning despite physical separation.

Settling usually takes place over the two or three weeks before attendance begins. The first session brings parent, child and key person together; later sessions introduce time apart, with parents able to remain in the building initially. There is no fixed minimum or maximum number of settling sessions, but each lasts no more than two hours. The arrangement allows the pace to respond to the child.

Twice-yearly parents' evenings sit alongside day-to-day or weekly conversations with the key person. In July 2021, staff supported families facing relocation to another naval base and kept parents informed about children's welfare and next learning steps.

Inclusion and Wellbeing

Support for additional needs has several practical routes. Staff use observations, developmental tracking and Every Child's a Talker (ECAT), a tool used to identify needs and plan support. A SENCO coordinates discussion with parents and, with their permission, seeks advice from outside professionals. Reviews and meetings allow plans to be revisited rather than left unchanged.

Individual education plans, next-step sheets and behaviour monitoring can be used according to need. Somerset Total Communication (STC) supports children's communication, with visual timelines and now-and-next boards used where helpful.

The building and garden are wheelchair accessible and arranged on one level. Translation support is available for policies, forms and further information, helping parents participate in discussions about their child. Moving on to school can involve planning meetings with the school and relevant professionals, followed by a transfer plan.

Food is cooked daily, and menus include vegetarian, vegan and dairy-free choices. Allergy information is collected during enrolment and staff follow procedures for individual allergies; families affected by allergies should confirm current practice as part of their care discussions.

Sessions and Attendance

The address is RNAS Yeovilton, Ilchester, Yeovil, BA22 8HL. Opening hours are 7.30am to 5.30pm, Monday to Friday, across 51 weeks, with approximately a week closed at Christmas as well as statutory bank holidays.

Morning sessions run from 7.30am to 12.30pm; afternoons run from 12.30pm to 5.30pm. The family friendly session runs from 8.30am to 3.30pm. Full-time and part-time attendance are also offered, with requests accommodated where possible.

Admission requires one parent to be in the Armed Forces or an MOD civil servant and employed, based or parented at RNAS Yeovilton. Written evidence of the parent's workplace accompanies the application.

The waiting-list process is first come, first served. When an offer is made, families have one week to accept; declining an unsuitable offer while remaining on the list moves the application to the bottom. Collection arrangements also require nominated adults to be identified beforehand, with parental authorisation and a password for last-minute changes.

Enquiries can be made by telephone on 01935 453731 or through the contact form. A deposit secures an accepted place and is returned when the child leaves if a month's notice has been given and fees are fully paid. Current prices come in the nursery's written quotation.

Funding and Paid Extras

In July 2021, the nursery received early-education funding for children aged two, three and four. That dated position should be kept separate from a family's present funding arrangements. Tatty bumpkin, boogie bunnies and football training carry no additional activity charge.

Parents supply sun cream alongside suitable seasonal clothing. The cost discussion should distinguish childcare, food and other consumables, so families understand the whole attendance arrangement before accepting an offer.

• Eligibility comes first. Admission depends on a parent's qualifying Armed Forces or MOD civil-service connection to RNAS Yeovilton, with workplace evidence required. Establish that connection before planning attendance around the nursery.
• An offer has a short decision window. Families have one week to accept, and declining while staying on the waiting list moves their application to the bottom. Morning, afternoon and family friendly sessions give useful alternatives to consider before an offer arrives.
• Creative freedom and community understanding. The July 2021 improvement priorities were broader opportunities for children to express their own ideas through art materials and deeper understanding of different communities. During a visit, explore how children choose materials and how festival activities develop understanding beyond the celebration itself.
• The whole cost of attendance. Parents supply sun cream, and a refundable deposit has notice and payment conditions. Before accepting, ask which funded entitlements and delivery patterns apply, and how meals, nappies and wipes are treated within the quotation.

Yeovilteenies suits eligible military and MOD families seeking morning, afternoon or family friendly attendance, with communication arrangements that recognise deployment and rooms that build independence in stages. The baby garden, practical personal-care facilities and parent-supported activities give the offer substance.

Its Good judgement dates to July 2021, and the creative and community-learning priorities from that visit remain useful subjects for discussion. The strongest fit is between this nursery's daily arrangements and the circumstances of the families it serves.