Smartys Toddlers Nursery

Balancing beams, a bike track and conversations about a woodlouse give Smartys Toddlers Nursery a recognisable toddler character. These were features of daily life in November 2022, when outdoor movement and children's curiosity supplied much of the colour. At its 15 November 2022 inspection, Ofsted rated the nursery Good and judged its safeguarding arrangements effective.

The nursery has capacity for 32 children aged 18 to 36 months, at 2 and 4 Taverners Drive in Little Stoke, Stone. Its age range makes this a choice for families looking specifically for toddler care. Opening hours are 7.30am to 6pm, Monday to Friday, across the year except bank holidays.

The strongest impression from November 2022 is of children choosing their play and adults getting to know their interests. There is also a clear point to weigh: some adult-led activities needed to give older children more room to contribute ideas and expand their vocabulary.

Learning and Activities

The early years foundation stage sets the requirements for children's learning, development and care, connecting their everyday play with the skills they are developing. At the November 2022 inspection, Ofsted found that the curriculum built learning in a planned sequence, children progressed in communication and language, and activities sometimes needed more scope for older children's ideas.

In November 2022, staff talked alongside children's play, supplying words and sounds for what they were doing. Books, rhymes and singing created further opportunities to listen and respond. Children aged two remembered movements and words from favourite songs, giving them familiar words and movements to join in with.

Choice mattered too. During that month, children selected activities and moved between them with enthusiasm. The improvement point concerned what happened when adults introduced some activities: finding out what children already thought would give their own ideas a bigger role. For parents, this is a useful distinction between providing language examples and making space for a child to answer.

Outdoor and Community Life

In November 2022, balancing beams and a track for bikes gave children different movement challenges. Digging and water play added opportunities to handle materials, fill containers and empty them again. These were concrete experiences rather than learning confined to sitting with an adult.

A woodlouse became the subject of conversation before children returned it to where it belonged. The episode connects outdoor exploration with noticing living things and talking about them. Regular walks in the surrounding area also formed part of nursery life that month, taking children's experiences beyond the nursery's play spaces.

Relationships and Communication

In November 2022, staff gathered information from parents about children's existing skills when they joined. Observations then informed what children would work on next. This linked the starting point supplied by families with what practitioners saw during play, rather than treating each child as beginning at the same stage.

Parents could contribute news about achievements and interests through online exchanges and consultations. Updates about nursery topics and events gave families material to follow up at home. The practical value is continuity: a current interest could travel between home and nursery and shape an activity.

Inclusion and Wellbeing

In November 2022, staff organised additional activities and help when children needed them. Younger children received encouragement to reach resources and practise moving independently, while everyday care included hygiene routines and discussion of healthy eating and dental care. These examples show how learning and personal care met during ordinary routines.

Behaviour guidance that month used a gentle approach, praise and practice in sharing. Taking turns was something adults helped children learn during activities. For toddlers beginning to play alongside others, those small interactions are an important part of the nursery day.

Sessions and Attendance

Opening hours run from 7.30am until 6pm on weekdays. The nursery operates throughout the year, with bank holidays as its closures, making the annual calendar relevant alongside the daily hours when families plan their care.

Getting There

The address is 2 and 4 Taverners Drive, Little Stoke, Stone, ST15 8QF. The contact listing for this address uses the name Smartys Little Blossoms and gives the telephone number 01785 811867 for enquiries.

• Children's own ideas. The November 2022 improvement point concerned activities that did not sufficiently draw out older children's thinking. During a visit, ask how staff now use children's answers to extend conversation and shape an activity.
• Toddler age range. Care covers ages 18 to 36 months. This suits a particular stage of early childhood, so families should consider how it fits their child's next move.
• Attendance and costs. With weekday opening across the year, ask which booking patterns apply at Taverners Drive and request a written quotation for care.

Smartys Toddlers Nursery suits families seeking weekday, year-round care for a toddler. Its November 2022 account brings together outdoor movement, songs and books, with parents contributing to the understanding of each child's interests. The point to probe is equally specific: how adult-led activities make room for children's ideas. That question gets closer to the experience a toddler will have than the grade alone.