Poplars Day Care Nursery

A woodland playhouse, a paddock cycle track and a balcony for babies give Poplars Day Care Nursery its character. Three-acre grounds provide space for exploration; age-based units organise the indoor day.

At its September 2022 inspection, Ofsted rated Poplars Good, while identifying two priorities: more consistent challenge in learning and fuller use of the grounds for physical activity.

Poplars has capacity for 160 children, with a current early-years age range of two months to five years. That is a whole-setting figure, not the size of a child's room or daily group. The nursery opens on weekdays from 7.30am to 6.30pm, with separate after-school and holiday-club provision also forming part of its offer.

Rooms and Ages

Willows & Cherries accommodate babies aged three to 18 months within a baby unit capped at 24 across two suites; the balcony provides outdoor access around individual sleep routines, and separate milk and food kitchens keep bottle preparation apart from meals. The combined cap deserves attention. It describes the baby unit as a whole and does not establish the number of babies in either suite on a particular day.

Maples room serves children from 18 months to two years. Oaks room and Conkers room each cover the two-to-three-year stage. For older children, Palms room and Acorns take the three-to-five-year age band. Grouping also takes account of development, so the room structure is about a child's stage as well as their birthday.

Across the units, sleep and quiet areas sit alongside adult-led activities and children's chosen play. Messy work, creative activities and outdoor play make practical nursery clothing sensible.

Learning and Activities

The Early Years Foundation Stage (EYFS) is the common framework for learning, development and care. Here, observations guide activity planning, while children choose resources and move between indoor and outdoor provision.

A key person updates each child's learning journal with photographs, work and observations. Milestones such as spoon use and early mark-making give parents a practical account of development.

In September 2022, older children took part in cake-making, measuring ingredients and comparing mixtures with one another. Younger children chose pictures to select songs and practised waiting for a turn. These examples show learning through ordinary activity: making something together involves language and cooperation as well as the task itself. At that visit, however, the level of challenge varied, so participation did not consistently lead to the strongest next step for each child.

Outdoor and Community Life

Bug hunts, tree climbing, den building and bear hunts give woodland exploration a purpose. A wooden playhouse and fire pit also support planned woodland activities.

In the paddock, a wooden fort, willow structure and climbing equipment sit alongside the cycle track. Covered learning areas and an outdoor toilet help make the space usable for more than a brief spell of exercise. Each room can use its own garden area, and children have an outdoor opportunity at least daily. Wellies and clothing for wet or cold weather belong in the nursery bag.

In September 2022, use of the larger grounds varied: light rain sometimes discouraged outings despite children's need to run, and smaller outdoor areas did not always provide enough physical activity.

Relationships and Communication

The All About Me form records interests, dislikes and a developmental starting point to guide planning. WOW sheets let parents share achievements from home.

For babies, individual routines cover feeding, sleep and allergies, with the key person carrying these out where possible. Parents of children under two receive a daily written record covering meals, sleep, nappy changes and activities, with additional observations discussed at collection. This gives families practical information about the day as well as developmental updates.

Twice-yearly telephone consultations complement parents' access to learning journals. Tapestry, an online journal system for sharing observations and photographs, was scheduled for introduction from January 2026.

Inclusion and Wellbeing

Concerns identified through learning journals are discussed with management and the Special Educational Needs Co-ordinators, followed by a meeting with parents. Additional support is explored with parental involvement. The sequence connects observations with a parent meeting and exploration of additional support with parents' knowledge.

At the September 2022 inspection, Ofsted judged safeguarding effective and support for children with special educational needs and/or disabilities good, including help for parents to understand further support and school choices. Those are dated judgements, while the journal-review and parent-meeting arrangements describe the continuing mechanism for raising concerns.

Meals use freshly prepared vegetables and meat, with a vegetarian alternative for children who require it. Food therefore forms part of the nursery day, alongside the individual feeding routines described for babies.

Sessions and Attendance

The nursery address is Stratton Road, Wanborough, Swindon, SN4 0AA. Opening hours are 7.30am to 6.30pm, Monday to Friday, and the nursery operates throughout the year apart from bank holidays. Opening hours describe the operating window; they should not be read as a requirement to book the entire day.

Separate school-age provision gives families two further attendance patterns. The after-school club runs during term time from 3pm to 6.30pm for children aged four to 14, with a cooked tea included. Collections cover Wanborough, Covingham, Nythe and Grange Infants and junior schools. These are collection arrangements, not an admissions relationship with those schools.

During school holidays, the club opens from 7.45am to 6.30pm for the same age group, with a full-day pattern. Art and craft work, drama and access to IT equipment sit alongside outdoor activities; holiday trips often include Lotmead Farm and Lydiard Park. These outings belong to the holiday club, rather than establishing trips for the nursery's youngest children.

General enquiries can be made by telephone or through the contact form. The telephone number is 01793 790774.

Getting There

Poplars sits east of Swindon, just off the A419, with the A420 and M4 junction 15 also nearby. This gives drivers a clear road-based location to consider alongside the hours they need.

Funding and Paid Extras

The April 2025 to March 2026 funding structure covered children from nine months to four years and included a 50-week spread option running across a September-to-August academic year. That dated scheme offered a voluntary extras package covering food, consumables and digital communication, while families opting out received a collection-time handover instead. These terms describe that past cycle. Current prices come in the nursery's written quotation.

• Outdoor use. The September 2022 findings distinguished generous grounds from consistent physical opportunities. On a visit, ask how your child's room uses the paddock and woodland in wet weather, as well as its own garden.
• Baby-unit scale. The 24-baby cap applies across Willows & Cherries, not separately to each suite. Discuss the usual daily grouping and how feeding, sleep and balcony access work together; for a child starting before three months, include the appropriate room arrangement in that conversation.
• Learning challenge. In September 2022, activities did not consistently stretch every child appropriately. Ask for an example of how an observation leads to a more demanding activity for a child who has already mastered the first step.
• Your attendance and funding agreement. The detailed funding schedule covered April 2025 to March 2026. Before joining, request the current session agreement and written quotation, including funded-hour delivery, the meal and consumables choices, and access to the online journal.

Poplars suits families who value substantial outdoor space alongside a nursery day organised into age-based units. The baby balcony, woodland activities and paddock equipment give parents specific features to weigh, while daily records and key-person consultations provide practical routes for communication. Families combining early-years care with term-time after-school support or full-day holiday care have separate patterns to consider within the same setting.

The September 2022 Good judgement came with priorities that still deserve attention when choosing: regular use of outdoor space and appropriate learning challenge.