Activeplay Nursery and Preschool

All-weather outdoor play and a settling process that can start at home give Activeplay Nursery and Preschool a clear character. Children can climb, ride trikes and grow plants outside, while a home visit lets a new child meet their key person in familiar surroundings. The practical emphasis is on getting to know each child before expecting them to fit into nursery life.

At its inspection on 26 April 2023, Ofsted rated the nursery Good, judged safeguarding effective and found that children with special educational needs and/or disabilities received good support. That judgement came with two teaching priorities: more consistent delivery of curriculum plans and stronger support for children beginning to take an interest in reading. In April 2023, the provider had also failed to notify Ofsted that the nursery owner was absent for an extended period following an injury. After discussion, the provider understood the notification duty; the absence had not affected nursery operations.

Based at London House in Milton Regis, Activeplay has capacity for 54 children, accepting ages from three months to five years. Morning, afternoon and full-day bookings give families different attendance options, with separate arrangements for funded hours.

Rooms and Ages

The Baby Room combines messy play and natural materials with activities shaped by children's interests, and children spend time outside in both the morning and afternoon. In the Toddler Room, adult-guided activities sit alongside children's own choices, with parents' knowledge and earlier assessments helping staff plan what comes next. The 2-3’s Room also uses natural resources and children's interests to guide activities, with outdoor play across different weather conditions. The Preschool Room adds practical preparation for school, including managing coats, toileting and handwashing independently.

Parents share likes and dislikes each term, helping the key person plan activities around interests from home as well as nursery.

Learning and Activities

The Early Years Foundation Stage provides the framework for learning through stories, games and practical activities. Here, planned experiences combine adult guidance with children's own choices. Music, dressing up and creative play are part of the day, and books have a prominent place in every room, with a comfortable corner for reading.

In April 2023, children explored dough mixed with herbs and spices, returning to activities that interested them and using pretend cooking to develop their play. Another experience involved trying a spirit level on different surfaces. These examples show learning through handling materials and testing ideas, rather than simply listening to explanations.

The teaching weaknesses matter alongside that activity. In April 2023, staff did not consistently put every curriculum plan into practice, and additional support for teaching early reading had not yet been introduced.

Outdoor and Community Life

The enclosed outdoor area supports climbing, construction, trike riding, imaginative play and growing plants. Wet-weather suits keep outdoor play part of the routine in rain.

In April 2023, children's curiosity about snails prompted a garden search and discussion of their shells and whereabouts, turning the surroundings into material for learning.

Relationships and Communication

Settling starts with an assigned key person who discusses the child's routines, abilities and preferences with their family. A home visit can be arranged on request, and parents can spend time at nursery while their child settles. The approach is adjusted with parents for each child, rather than treating the first days as a fixed procedure.

Tapestry is the online learning journal used to share photographs, videos and information about nursery life. Parents can contribute observations and pictures from home, making communication a two-way exchange. Baby-room updates cover eating, sleep and nappy changes; other rooms record food eaten, and staff speak with parents at collection about the day.

Before room changes, children make familiarisation visits, accompanied by their existing key person where possible. The next key person is assigned beforehand, and staff transfer information about the child.

Inclusion and Wellbeing

A SEND Officer discusses a child's needs with parents, while the admissions policy provides for individual conversations about cultural requirements, access and other circumstances affecting attendance. Work with external agencies is possible where a child with disabilities can be accommodated safely within the building. Families needing adaptations should consider that building condition alongside the support arrangements.

Staff undertake training in safeguarding, paediatric first aid and food hygiene, and the team includes people qualified in childcare or working towards a qualification. Doors have fingersafe protectors to reduce trapping accidents, and children are released only to parents or a named person. These are concrete arrangements supporting daily care.

Food is prepared on site by a cook, using three rotating weekly menus adjusted for the seasons. The allergy policy uses individual identifiers at mealtimes and records requirements in the kitchen, but it does not guarantee that purchased food is nut-free.

Sessions and Attendance

The address is London House, 10-14 High Street, Milton Regis, ME10 2AB. Opening hours are 7.30am to 6.30pm, Monday to Friday, throughout the year, with closures for bank holidays and Christmas. Enquiries can be made by telephone on 01795 410811 or through the contact form.

Paid morning sessions run from 7.30am to 12.50pm and afternoons from 1.10pm to 6.30pm; half-day and full-day bookings are offered. Funded sessions use different times: mornings from 7.50am to 12.50pm, afternoons from 1.10pm to 6.10pm and full days from 8am to 6pm. Families comparing arrangements need to distinguish the funded session from the wider paid attendance window.

Waiting-list applications are considered by application date and age, with priority for enrolled children's additional sessions and siblings.

Funding and Paid Extras

Funding includes the 15-hour and 30-hour entitlements for three- and four-year-olds, alongside Working Parent Entitlement for children aged nine months to two years. For the older age group, the 30-hour offer can be taken over 38 weeks or stretched as 24 hours across 48 weeks; attendance outside the funded weeks is chargeable. Term-time-only places in that offer are allocated on a first-come basis.

The younger Working Parent Entitlement is neither stretched nor offered as term-time-only attendance. Booked school-holiday sessions are charged in full, making holiday costs a substantial difference between the age groups.

Meals, drinks and snacks are included in private childcare fees. During funded attendance, breakfast, lunch and tea are charged separately, while snacks carry no charge; funded hours can usually be arranged around mealtimes to avoid meal charges. Additional hours beyond the entitlement are paid for separately, and current prices should be obtained in the nursery's written quotation.

Invoices are issued monthly for the following month's care, with payment in advance. A deposit taken when a child joins is credited against the first monthly invoice. Absences are normally charged, but the holiday allowance permits notified absences of up to two weeks at a time with at least one month's notice, within an annual limit of four weeks adjusted to the child's attendance pattern. It does not extend to taking every school holiday off without charge.

• Early reading and curriculum delivery. The April 2023 teaching priorities concerned consistent implementation and support for emerging readers. During a visit, ask how staff have addressed both in the Preschool Room.
• Funding changes with age. The younger Working Parent Entitlement has fully chargeable school-holiday bookings, whereas the older offer includes a stretched option. Consider the whole year's attendance costs alongside the weekly funded hours.
• Allergy arrangements. Individual mealtime identifiers are used, but purchased food is not guaranteed nut-free. Allergy-affected families should confirm current handling arrangements for their child's needs.
• Settling and building access. Home visits are available on request, and disability-related admissions depend on safe accommodation within the building. Use the visit to discuss the child's settling plan and any necessary adaptations.

Activeplay suits families seeking morning or afternoon sessions as well as full-day attendance, with outdoor play and parent involvement built into the nursery routine. Tapestry updates, advance room visits and an optional home visit provide practical ways to maintain continuity between home and nursery.

The funding arrangements deserve close attention, especially for younger children whose booked holiday sessions are fully chargeable. The April 2023 Good judgement sits alongside teaching weaknesses in curriculum delivery and early reading.