Early Milestones Nursery

Toothbrushing and movement have named programmes here, giving Early Milestones Nursery a practical emphasis on everyday health alongside play and preparation for school. Brilliant Brushers introduces supervised brushing, while Healthy Movers brings physical activities that families can also try at home. These are concrete additions to the nursery day, rather than a promise resting on a curriculum name alone.

Based at The Leegate Centre in Leegomery, Telford, the nursery accepts children aged two to five and has 48 places in total. At its June 2024 inspection, Ofsted rated it Good and found safeguarding arrangements effective. The judgement comes with useful qualifications: staff organisation and the challenge offered through teaching both needed attention.

Morning, afternoon and full-day bookings operate during term time. That gives families several ways to build attendance around their week, including a mixture of shorter sessions and whole days.

Learning and Activities

The EYFS provides the framework for learning and development: children build skills through play and activities across its areas of learning. Early Milestones changes its activities through the year, using seasonal themes and special events to connect physical activity with learning about the world. The practical question is how those activities develop an individual child's next steps, rather than simply how busy the timetable looks.

Healthy Movers uses activities developed by The Youth Sports Trust to support physical literacy alongside social and emotional development. Parents receive weekly activity details so they can participate at home. That connection gives families something specific to share with their child beyond a general conversation about the nursery day.

In June 2024, children used construction pieces collaboratively and decorated paper plates, combining making, coordination and imaginative play. Books and pretend play offered quieter choices indoors, while wheeled toys supported movement outside. Beanbag games also gave children opportunities to practise a skill, try again and enjoy succeeding.

The limitation in June 2024 was the consistency of adult involvement. Staff sometimes had their attention drawn elsewhere or were moved to cover another area, interrupting engagement with children. Activities also needed more individual challenge. A full activity table is only part of the picture; sustained conversation and well-chosen next steps matter just as much.

Outdoor and Community Life

Early Milestones has its own outdoor play facilities on a separate site. For children who learn readily through movement, outdoor space adds another setting for play beyond indoor activities. The June 2024 examples of pushing and scooting show how that space was used at the time.

Links with Telford College support opportunities to mentor people entering childcare work. This is a connection with staff development, rather than an activity promised to children. The nursery also builds school-transition work into its offer, with opportunities for teachers to meet children before the move onwards.

Relationships and Communication

Each child is allocated a key person for their age and peer group. That person changes as the child progresses through stages, so continuity depends on a planned handover as well as a familiar relationship. For parents, this gives day-to-day communication a clear starting point.

In June 2024, children who needed longer to settle received patient reassurance before joining activities. Staff talked with children during play, giving language to what they were doing, and provided early support while some children waited for external speech and language help. Daily conversations with parents were supplemented by newsletters and social updates.

A health visitor held a drop-in for parents each term in June 2024. That offered a route to advice alongside the nursery's own conversations with families. It is a useful example of support reaching beyond the child's activities, while remaining a dated feature of the setting's practice.

Inclusion and Wellbeing

A SEND leader role forms part of the team structure, and initial discussions with families cover additional needs and medical considerations. In June 2024, staff sought advice from parents and other professionals and incorporated it into children's learning. The important mechanism is that advice becomes part of the child's experience, rather than remaining a separate conversation.

Brilliant Brushers is a supervised toothbrushing programme for children aged three to five, offered free of charge. It adds a daily-life skill to the educational offer: caring for teeth becomes something children practise, rather than only hear about.

School preparation includes contact with schools, teacher visits and opportunities for taster days at those settings. These arrangements can help children become familiar with the next stage.

Sessions and Attendance

The address is The Leegate Centre, Leegate Avenue, Leegomery, Telford, TF1 6NA. Core opening hours are 9am to 3pm, Monday to Friday, during term time, so holiday childcare needs a separate arrangement.

Morning sessions run from 9am to noon, afternoons from noon to 3pm, and full days from 9am to 3pm. An extended morning runs from 8am to 1pm, and afternoons can extend until 4pm. Those extensions sit alongside the core timetable rather than changing every booking into an extended day.

Families can combine morning, afternoon and whole-day attendance across the week. Sessions are booked for their complete length, although later drop-offs and earlier collections can be discussed. The charges structure also includes half-day and full-day additional sessions. This is a flexible choice of bookings, with a distinction between the session purchased and the time a child actually attends.

Enquiries can be made by telephone on 01952 260303, by email at info@earlymilestones.co.uk or through the contact form. There is also an online route to register interest.

Funding and Paid Extras

Funded and privately paid attendance can be combined, including purchased hours beyond a child's entitlement. The nursery offers 15- and 30-hour funded options during term time, subject to eligibility. Funding therefore needs to be considered alongside the family's chosen attendance pattern, rather than treated as a guarantee that every requested hour is covered.

Snacks are charged separately under the standard terms for non-funded children and additional sessions, and children attending all day bring a packed lunch; the lunch policy excludes nuts and coconut alongside other listed items. Allergy and medical considerations are discussed during the initial application, so individual arrangements need attention as well as the general lunch rules.

Parents supply consumables, with no nursery charge for that category. Parties and events can carry a voluntary contribution towards the celebration, present and party bag. Current prices come in the nursery's written quotation; the charges page sets out the categories to consider alongside funded hours.

• Adult engagement and challenge. In June 2024, staff deployment sometimes interrupted interactions and activities needed closer adjustment to individual learning. During a visit, ask how staff sustain conversations and extend learning for children at different stages.
• Term-time attendance. Morning, afternoon and full-day patterns offer several combinations, but the nursery operates during school terms. Families needing holiday cover should account for that in their childcare plan.
• Food and allergies. Full-day children bring lunch, snacks carry a separate charge under the standard terms for non-funded children and additional sessions, and the lunch policy includes nut and coconut exclusions. Confirm the current arrangements for your child's allergies before joining.

Early Milestones suits families seeking term-time morning or afternoon sessions, as well as those combining shorter bookings with full days. Healthy Movers and Brilliant Brushers give its health emphasis substance, and the key-person structure provides a clear relationship for families as children progress.

The June 2024 Good judgement is a useful starting point, with an equally useful caution about teaching challenge and uninterrupted staff engagement. Parents should give those everyday interactions as much attention as the activity choices when deciding whether the setting fits their child.