Chec Mates Day Care

Books shared on staff members’ laps, pretend meals and outdoor stepping stones shaped the day at Chec Mates Day Care in May 2024. The emphasis was on conversation, relationships and practical play, with some important improvements needed to protect children’s uninterrupted learning time.

Ofsted rated the nursery Good on 13 May 2024 and judged its safeguarding arrangements effective. Today, this Madeley setting has capacity for 27 children aged 24 to 60 months.

In May 2024, language learning ran through stories, conversations and songs. Children practised animal noises while looking at pictures; older children explored letter sounds and recognised their own initial. These were concrete opportunities to connect sounds, pictures and words.

The early years foundation stage sets the requirements for children’s learning, development and care. In everyday terms, play supports learning alongside the routines that meet children’s care needs.

During May 2024, sensory play included finding animals concealed in shaving foam. Outdoors, children rolled balls through pipes, balanced on blocks and used spinning cones. Stepping stones offered a chance to practise movement with an adult’s hand before trying independently.

There were also interruptions. In May 2024, play sometimes ended ahead of meals being ready, leaving children waiting at tables. At other points, too little choice of activity reduced their engagement. Both issues matter: appealing resources only help when children have time and opportunity to use them.

At its May 2024 inspection, Ofsted identified SEND support as a particular strength, with tailored help enabling children to participate and make progress. The special educational needs coordinator worked with families, practitioners and other professionals to arrange additional support.

In May 2024, staff gathered information about children’s interests and abilities before they started, giving learning plans an individual starting point. Younger and older children ate together, with conversation and practice using utensils built into mealtimes. Parents received information about their child’s day, learning priorities and ways to continue learning at home.

The address is CHEC, 31/32 High Street, Madeley, Telford, TF7 5AR. Opening hours are 8am to 6pm, Monday to Friday, across the year, with closures on bank holidays and for one week at Christmas.

In May 2024, the nursery provided funded early education for two- and three-year-old children.

• Uninterrupted play. In May 2024, preparation for meals sometimes curtailed activities and created lengthy waits. On a visit, ask how mealtimes now fit around children’s play.
• Choice of activities. Children sometimes lost interest when their options were too narrow in May 2024. Ask how staff organise choices for different interests and stages of development.
• Attendance planning. The opening window runs across the working day, with bank-holiday and Christmas closures. What booking pattern and funded-hours arrangement would apply to your child?

Chec Mates suits families seeking care for children aged 24 to 60 months in Madeley. Its May 2024 strengths lay in individual support, communication and hands-on play. The balancing consideration is equally concrete: daily routines and activity choices needed attention so that children could spend more of their day engaged in learning.