Annabelle's Day Nursery

Over two acres of outdoor space give Annabelle's Day Nursery a clear identity: a converted house with gardens, a paddock, a mini football pitch and a sandpit, rather than care confined to indoor rooms. At Great Coxwell, the outdoor offer sits alongside rooms organised around children's development and The Little Lodge, a quieter space with sensory resources for children who need extra support with busy group environments.

At its January 2023 inspection, Ofsted rated the nursery Good and found safeguarding effective. That judgement gives families a useful starting point, but the detail matters too: outdoor learning, relationships and communication were strengths, while children's understanding of their own backgrounds and information about their next learning steps needed attention.

The nursery has 90 places in total and accepts babies from four months through to preschool children. Its weekday opening window runs from 7am to 6pm, with bookings completed termly. The combination of extensive grounds and provision for different developmental stages will interest parents who want outdoor experiences alongside attention to their child's individual needs.

Rooms and Ages

The Baby Room combines shared books and individual games with walks around the grounds, using pushchairs for babies who need them. The Big Baby Room has carpet for practising walking and a hard-surfaced area for messy activities, with outdoor time two to three times daily and animal visits to The Ranch on the Turtle Bus. The Toddler Room balances close adult support with opportunities to explore in one of the nursery's larger spaces.

The Big Toddlers have access to construction materials, paint and sand, with support for dressing, hygiene and potty training and a sleep room used according to children's routines. Mini Pre-school pairs its creative area, including water, soil and tactile materials, with quieter periods for conversation, stories and singing. Great Coxwell Pre-school gives emphasis to language, imaginative play and mathematical problem-solving, using both indoor and outdoor space.

Learning and Activities

The Early Years Foundation Stage shapes the nursery's learning through play, conversation, creative activities and experiences matched to children's development. In practice, this means books and individual games for babies, exploration and growing independence for toddlers, and opportunities to explain ideas and solve problems in preschool. It is the common early-years framework; the useful distinction here is how the rooms translate it into everyday experiences.

During January 2023, outdoor learning was a daily part of nursery life. Younger children visited the chickens and discussed how to care for them, connecting an animal encounter with an understandable responsibility. Children also explored unfamiliar foods, including mango, noodles and soy sauce, talking about their textures. These examples show learning through direct experience rather than relying entirely on adult explanation.

Language support also has a named structure. The group-wide WELLCOMM programme uses communication assessments to identify children who may need help with language, followed by work with families to support them. This gives parents a specific mechanism to discuss if speech development is a concern, rather than a general promise that communication matters.

Outdoor and Community Life

The paddock, mini football pitch and sandpit give children space for active play and exploring materials, extending their experiences beyond the indoor rooms.

Relationships and Communication

At the January 2023 inspection, Ofsted found that babies received responsive care and formed close relationships with staff, and that children made good developmental progress, including the most vulnerable. Those are dated findings about the care experienced at that visit, rather than a guarantee about every child's experience today.

In January 2023, new children received a care bear to use for comfort during the day, while older children were helped to name feelings and explain what had caused them. The practical thread was continuity between emotional reassurance and learning: a baby needed responsive contact, while an older child could begin to put a difficult feeling into words.

Current room arrangements include key people who observe children's development and contribute to assessments. In Great Coxwell Pre-school, the Key Person system links personalised care and learning to relationships with familiar adults. For parents, that provides a recognisable point of contact for discussing how their child is settling and developing.

The group-wide The Point provides development information and learning packs for families, alongside a clothes rail and food pantry donations, with remaining food items passed to the local pantry in Faringdon. Its value extends beyond nursery activities: families can share resources as well as ideas. However, in January 2023, parents needed clearer explanations of their children's next developmental steps so that they could support learning at home.

Inclusion and Wellbeing

The Little Lodge has a SENCO-led approach involving parents and collaboration with speech therapists, occupational therapists and other specialists. Fidget toys, lighting resources and soft spaces are accessible during the day, while visual supports and separate zones help organise the environment. These are concrete support mechanisms, rather than an assurance that one arrangement will suit every child.

The space also supports small-group work for children with language delay or other circumstances that make extra attention useful. Time there is discussed with parents when staff believe a child could benefit. That makes the conversation about how the provision would work for an individual child especially important.

Food is prepared by a nursery cook who creates the menu each term, with breakfast, snacks, a cooked lunch and a light tea offered daily. The group-wide Healthy Smiles initiative connects changes to snack foods and freshly prepared meal ingredients with teaching routines such as toothbrushing.

Sessions and Attendance

Annabelle's is at Willow Dene, Great Coxwell Road, Great Coxwell, Faringdon, SN7 7LU. Opening hours are 7am to 6pm from Monday to Friday, and the nursery operates for 51 weeks, closing for bank holidays and a week at Christmas. The year-round pattern is relevant to families whose childcare needs continue beyond school terms.

Bookings are completed termly. Late bookings may attract an administration charge, and collection after the 6pm closing time incurs an additional charge. These terms make planning ahead useful, even where the number of days a family needs changes over time.

Enquiries and visit arrangements use the contact form, email or telephone. Visits are offered at 9.30am and usually last 30 minutes, with the whole family welcome; a pre-registration form follows the visit, and joining carries a registration fee.

Funding and Paid Extras

Fully funded sessions are offered, while lunch carries a separate voluntary additional charge. Families should distinguish the funded childcare element from the food charge when comparing attendance costs. Current prices come in the nursery's written quotation, and the fees and booking page sets out the termly booking arrangement.

• Home learning. In January 2023, parents needed clearer information about children's next developmental steps. During a visit, ask to see how an individual child's next steps are now explained and shared with home.
• Personal backgrounds. January 2023 findings identified too few opportunities for children to explore their own cultures and family backgrounds. Ask how your family's experiences would contribute to activities and conversations.
• A quieter route through nursery. The Little Lodge offers sensory resources and specialist collaboration. If your child finds larger groups difficult, use the visit to discuss how time there would fit with their main room and individual support.
• Termly planning and funding. Bookings are made termly and lunch has a voluntary separate charge. Before joining, ask how funded sessions fit your intended attendance and which non-food supplies you would need to provide or pay for.

Annabelle's suits families who value substantial outdoor space, developmental stages with different room environments, and a practical alternative for children who need a quieter setting. Babies have resources for movement and individual interaction; older children have space for imaginative activity, language and growing independence.

Its weekday opening window and operation beyond school terms will appeal to parents planning ongoing childcare. The January 2023 Good judgement supports that choice, while the questions about home-learning information and children's own backgrounds deserve attention. The Little Lodge and the grounds give families concrete reasons to consider this nursery, with the termly booking arrangement forming an equally practical part of the decision.