Goldilocks Nursery, Sittingbourne

Ground-floor care for babies through to preschool children gives Goldilocks Nursery, Sittingbourne a clear practical identity. Its refurbished home at Murston Hall combines purpose-designed indoor spaces with a garden equipped for play. Children aged 3 months to 5 years attend, with babies, toddlers and preschool children all accommodated on the ground floor.

At its December 2022 inspection, Ofsted rated the nursery Good and found safeguarding effective, with learning tailored to individual children and communication and language taught well. That judgement belongs to an earlier stage of the nursery's operation: the children attending at that visit were aged 2 to 4. The current offer includes younger babies, so the older children's experiences should not be read as an assessment of today's baby provision.

Natural décor and bright indoor spaces provide the physical setting for learning through play. The garden adds outdoor equipment and activities, giving children another environment in which to explore. The age groups occupy purpose-designed rooms within the same ground-floor layout.

The nursery follows the early years foundation stage, the framework for children's learning, development and care. In everyday parent language, this means play and care serve learning as well as keeping children occupied: conversation, handling materials and practising everyday tasks all have a place in the day.

In December 2022, a vegetable-and-water activity made that connection concrete. Children investigated parsnips, sprouts and carrots, scooped water and practised pouring, while adults helped them describe what they could feel and see. Staff adjusted the activity for different abilities. The useful detail is the combination of physical exploration and conversation, rather than an activity treated simply as something to finish.

Language also ran through ordinary play in December 2022. Adults accompanied toddlers' activities with songs and descriptions of their actions; older children talked about a film and used vocabulary associated with a cinema visit. This gave children opportunities both to hear language and to use it themselves.

Beyond the building, December 2022 activities included borrowing books from a nearby library and travelling on local transport for a zoo trip. Those experiences extended children's encounters beyond familiar nursery play. They are examples from that period, rather than a current outing timetable.

In December 2022, staff met families before children started, using those conversations to understand individual needs. Key persons took responsibility for children's care, and staff exchanged information with other settings that children attended, including specialist provision. For a child spending time with more than one provider, that sharing helped connect learning and family circumstances across the different settings.

At the December 2022 inspection, Ofsted found that children with additional needs received effective support, with the special educational needs coordinator, parents and other agencies working together to begin assessments. The concrete mechanism matters: support involved collaboration and assessment rather than a general promise of inclusion.

Everyday independence was visible in December 2022 too. Children served food, washed their hands and learnt to handle drinks and snacks for themselves. Adults supported sharing and taking turns. These were small, practical tasks through which children could participate in their own care and learn how to play alongside others.

Communication with families in December 2022 included updates about children's development and observations from the day. Craft mornings and afternoon teas also brought parents into nursery life. However, parents wanted more ideas for extending learning at home, and improving that exchange was one of the required next steps.

Meals and healthy snacks are supplied by the external caterer Zebedees. Catering is therefore part of the Sittingbourne offer, rather than food prepared by an in-house nursery cook.

Murston Hall is at 32 Church Road, Sittingbourne, ME10 3RU, next to All Saints Church and close to the Eurolink Business Estates. Parking is available at the setting, making the location relevant for families combining nursery care with work nearby.

Opening hours are 7.30am to 6pm, Monday to Friday. The nursery operates across the year, closing for bank holidays and Christmas. Those closures matter when planning care around working commitments. The Sittingbourne contact number is 01795 436862.

In December 2022, the nursery accepted eligible children aged two, three and four who received funding. That is a dated participation fact, rather than a statement of the current entitlement or attendance arrangement.

• Care for younger babies. The present age range begins at 3 months, while children at the December 2022 visit were aged 2 to 4. During a visit, ask how the ground-floor baby provision handles sleep, feeding and individual routines.
• Older children's daily transitions. In December 2022, some children became disengaged or uncertain about expectations during tidying and preparation for lunch. Ask how these parts of the day are organised now, as they affect the continuity of children's play and learning.
• Learning beyond nursery. December 2022 communication included progress updates, but families wanted more practical ideas to use at home. Ask for an example of how staff now connect a child's nursery interests with activities parents can try together.

Goldilocks suits families seeking ground-floor care spanning infancy to preschool, with garden play and a Church Road location close to the Eurolink Business Estates. Its December 2022 judgement gives a positive assessment of the provision at that time, supported by concrete examples of language work, everyday independence and help for children with additional needs. The decision deserves equal attention to today's baby care and the two development points from that visit: smoother transitions for older children and more useful home-learning ideas.