Rosy Cheeks Nursery, Bentilee

A baby room capped at six children and gardens reached directly from the play rooms give Rosy Cheeks Nursery, Bentilee its character. Babies have a compact base; older children gain space for messy play, movement and school preparation. Room layout matters here.

At its 16 December 2024 inspection, Ofsted rated the nursery Outstanding overall and across education, behaviour, personal development and leadership. The detail behind that judgement is useful: activities connected conversation, mathematics and practical independence, rather than treating learning as a separate part of the day.

The nursery has capacity for 62 children from birth to five years, in Bentilee Nursery on Chelmsford Drive, Stoke-on-Trent, ST2 0JW. Full-time and part-time attendance are offered. Its single-storey building has wheelchair access, enclosed playgrounds and parking for parents, giving families practical reasons to consider it alongside the educational offer.

Rooms and Ages

Kittens Room takes children from birth to 24 months, with a maximum of six, and combines sensory play with a messy area, adjoining nappy-changing space and direct access to a secure garden shared with Cats Room. The small published cap deserves attention from parents choosing care for a baby: it describes the size of the room's provision, rather than the nursery as a whole.

Cats Room accommodates up to 20 children aged 22 to 36 months, pairing sensory learning and structured play with an open-plan layout, a large messy area, adjoining bathroom and nappy-changing facilities, and direct outdoor access. These are practical resources for the stage when children are becoming more mobile and increasingly involved in their own care.

Tigers room has a maximum of 32 children, with school preparation, multisensory activities and community outings supported by a large messy area, bathroom and direct access to a larger secure garden. The room information starts its age band at 30 months, while the nursery overview starts it at 36 months; the timing of a move therefore needs an individual conversation.

These room caps describe maximum provision, not daily attendance or whole-nursery capacity.

Learning and Activities

The Early Years Foundation Stage (EYFS) provides the framework for learning and development. Sensory experiences and planned play put those areas of learning into children's daily activities, with school preparation added in Tigers room.

Letters and Sounds is included among Tigers room's multisensory learning activities, alongside structured play and outings into the community. The rooms and learning page brings those activities together with the room layouts, helping parents consider the physical environment and learning offer as one decision.

In December 2024, babies and toddlers explored familiar songs using instruments, props and coloured scarves. Older children encountered vocabulary about polar regions and climate through a winter problem-solving activity. The difference in approach matters: younger children had playful opportunities to sustain attention, while older children met language connected to a topic they were exploring.

Mathematics also arose through construction in December 2024. Staff used coloured blocks to introduce counting, balance, shapes and comparisons of height and size. Children could connect mathematical language with something they were making, rather than hearing the words in isolation.

Outdoor and Community Life

Two outdoor areas have surfaces including decking, grass and soft matting, with trees and shrubs adding variety. A mud kitchen and bug hotel sit alongside slides and Wendy houses. Direct access from the rooms makes outdoor space part of the room arrangement, and children use it throughout the year with suitable clothing supplied from home.

In December 2024, bus journeys and visits to the local food market familiarised children with public transport and everyday community life beyond the nursery.

Relationships and Communication

A key worker system operates across the rooms, giving children's care and learning a consistent point of reference. Free settling visits are offered during the two weeks before a child starts, allowing familiarity to build before attendance begins. This is a concrete joining arrangement for families who want time to establish a relationship with the nursery.

In December 2024, staff used observations and assessments to plan children's next learning steps and shared those steps with parents. Parents could extend learning at home with story sacks and home learning kits, alongside stay-and-play sessions. The relationship involved both information and resources, rather than relying solely on updates about the nursery day.

Staff also encouraged children to participate in handwashing, toileting, eating and putting resources away in December 2024. Children were supported to make choices and express opinions about their activities. These small responsibilities connect preparation for school with everyday independence.

Inclusion and Wellbeing

At the December 2024 inspection, Ofsted found safeguarding effective and exceptional progress for children with special educational needs and/or disabilities, with teaching adapted to individual needs and support coordinated with other professionals. A SENCO role and designated safeguarding lead roles are part of the staffing structure, giving families identifiable responsibilities to discuss when planning support.

In December 2024, multisensory resources helped children manage emotions and find calm. Staff responded promptly to unkind interactions and reinforced positive behaviour through discussion and praise. For parents, these examples explain how support worked in practice, beyond the presence of a policy or role.

Staff undertake paediatric first aid training, and the baby-room team includes practitioners with baby practitioner training. Intervention groups also form part of the work in Tigers room.

A cook prepares hot lunches on the premises, with alternatives for individual needs and menus displayed for parents. Breakfast, fruit snacks and a light tea also form part of the food arrangements.

Sessions and Attendance

Opening hours are 7.30am to 5.30pm, Monday to Friday. Children can attend on a full-time or part-time basis, so the offer serves different attendance needs within that opening window. These are opening hours, rather than separate morning and afternoon session times.

The nursery opens for 51 weeks of the year, including bank holidays, and closes for one week in December. That annual pattern is a significant practical detail for families arranging care around work. Enquiries can be made by telephone on 01782 287875 or by email to rosycheeksbentilee@hotmail.co.uk; appointments can be booked by telephone.

Getting There

The address is Bentilee Nursery, Chelmsford Drive, Stoke-on-Trent, ST2 0JW. Parent parking and wheelchair access are provided at the single-storey premises, alongside a secure entrance.

Funding and Paid Extras

Funded early education includes 15 hours for some two-year-olds, and 15 or 30 hours for children aged three and four, with the 30-hour offer applying to eligible families. Families should treat entitlement and their chosen attendance pattern as separate parts of the decision.

Parents supply nappies, creams and bottle feeds, as well as individual sun protection cream and sun hats. These items need to be labelled for the child, making preparation from home part of the daily care arrangement.

• Moving between rooms. Tigers room's starting age is given as 30 months in the room information and 36 months in the nursery overview. Discuss how the nursery decides when a child is ready to move, especially where the room age bands overlap.
• Settling and early learning. Free settling visits can take place in the two weeks before starting. Use a visit to discuss the key worker relationship and what Letters and Sounds involves for children in Tigers room.
• Outdoor clothing. Children use the gardens throughout the year, and families provide suitable clothing, sun hats and sun protection cream. Plan for outdoor play as a regular part of attendance.
• Funding arrangements. The offer includes different funded entitlements by age and eligibility. How would the chosen entitlement fit the attendance pattern, and what would the written quotation cover for meals and consumables?

Rosy Cheeks Bentilee suits families considering either full-time or part-time attendance who value a small baby-room cap, direct garden access and learning linked to practical experiences. Kittens Room's six-child maximum is an especially useful point of comparison, while community outings and school preparation give the older children's provision a different emphasis.

The December 2024 Outstanding judgement carries weight, and the examples of adapted teaching, parent communication and everyday learning give it substance. The room-transition age discrepancy needs a conversation, but the central offer is clear: care from birth to school age, with separate room environments and an annual opening pattern that includes bank holidays.