The Wantage Nursery & Preschool

A large garden and an all-weather indoor play space give The Wantage Nursery & Preschool two useful settings for active play. Its Church Street address puts it in Wantage town centre, while Poppets, Tweenies and Preschool organise the day around different stages of childhood. This is care with room to move.

At its 16 June 2026 inspection, Ofsted awarded Strong standard for behaviour and routines, welfare and wellbeing, and inclusion, with Expected standard for achievement, curriculum and teaching, and leadership and governance; safeguarding standards were met. That balance matters: the stronger judgements concern children's care and relationships, while teaching consistency remains a point to weigh.

The nursery accepts children from three months, with Preschool continuing to age five. Attendance choices include a full-time pattern and shorter funded day sessions, alongside paid morning and afternoon sessions.

Rooms and Ages

Poppets serves children up to age two, Tweenies up to age three, and Preschool children aged three to five. Preschool introduces more structure and emphasises confidence and independence before school, giving older children a different rhythm from the youngest groups.

Bright rooms are arranged for the different age groups, with toys and materials for imaginative and creative play. The garden adds outdoor space, and the all-weather indoor play space gives active play another home. Both matter for families who want movement to feature in the day rather than depend entirely on outdoor conditions.

Learning and Activities

The early years foundation stage sets the requirements for children's learning, development and care: everyday play and interaction support their developing skills. Each child has a key person who watches their play, learns their interests and uses those observations to plan activities. The practical link is between what catches a child's attention and what staff offer next.

In June 2026, babies shared books with adults, practised turning pages and joined action songs. Toddlers dug in sand and filled buckets, while older children cut fruit and explored ideas about size. These examples span language, movement and everyday independence rather than treating learning as a separate lesson.

The same month's activities included conversations about dinosaurs and imaginative play involving a volcano. Children practised balancing and swinging, while drawing, scooping and play dough gave children ways to practise using their hands. Staff also encouraged cooperation in the sandpit as children fetched water and worked together.

There is a qualification to this picture. In June 2026, some children's ideas were left unexplored, and staff did not consistently follow babies' interest in physical activity. The next steps called for more consistent curriculum delivery across age groups and better-directed staff development. For parents, the important distinction is between having activities ready and using them skilfully to move a child's learning forward.

Relationships and Communication

Getting to know a child includes their routines, preferences and personality. The key-person arrangement gives that information a practical purpose: an adult follows the child's interests and plans their activities.

In June 2026, key workers were matched to children's individual needs, and children returned to familiar adults for comfort. Toddlers recognised the sleep routine, found their sleeping space and began taking off their own shoes and clothes. Those small steps show how care routines can also give children opportunities to do things for themselves.

Daily conversations and an online platform carried communication with families in June 2026. Staff gathered information about children's development and used it in planning further support. Less-confident children were supported through adults playing beside them and putting their actions into words, giving them a way into interaction at their own pace.

Inclusion and Wellbeing

At the June 2026 inspection, Ofsted found that staff identified SEND needs promptly, involved specialists and adapted daily practice, with children making progress through this support. Concrete examples included cause-and-effect toys to help children sustain attention and specialist strategies incorporated into routines to support physical development. Families also received help with paperwork and discussions about learning.

June 2026 staffing observations give a mixed picture of professional support. Training about babies' brain development informed staff practice, and supervision supported staff wellbeing; however, professional development did not address every practitioner's needs closely enough. Less-experienced staff were unevenly distributed, affecting the consistency of teaching between areas of the nursery.

A chef cooks fresh meals daily, including fish pie and mild curries, with most fresh ingredients sourced from local greengrocers. Food preferences and intolerances are accommodated, allowing the menu to account for individual requirements.

Sessions and Attendance

The address is 6-7 Church Street, Wantage, Oxfordshire, OX12 8BL. Opening hours are 7.30am to 6pm, Monday to Friday, and the nursery operates across 52 weeks, closing on bank holidays. Enquiries can be made by telephone, email or online application, and nursery tours can be booked.

The full-time pattern runs Monday to Friday, 7.30am to 6pm. Paid morning sessions run from 7.30am to 10am; afternoon choices run from 3.30pm to 6pm or from 5pm to 6pm. These shorter additions can extend a funded day when a family's working hours require it.

Funding-only attendance for the 15-hour entitlement is arranged across two days, from 10am to 3.30pm. For the 30-hour entitlement, the options include two or three day sessions from 10am to 5pm, or four day sessions from 10am to 3.30pm. These are different attendance patterns, not simply a shorter version of the full-time week.

Funding and Paid Extras

Both 15 hours funded childcare and 30 hours funded childcare are offered, subject to the relevant eligibility conditions. Funding is stretched across 52 weeks from the 38-week entitlement period. The funding structure also limits the allocation for children attending two or three days a week, so the pattern matters as much as the headline entitlement.

Privately funded fees include nappies, wipes, water, milk, snacks, a hot lunch and breakfast for children attending before 8.30am; parents supply breast milk when their baby needs it. On funded days, a nursery lunch carries a voluntary separate charge, with a packed lunch as the alternative, and there are no other consumables charges during funded sessions.

Additional care outside funded hours is optional and charged separately. Fees are paid monthly and depend on attendance and funding eligibility; current prices come in the nursery's written quotation. The funding and charges page explains the attendance options and lunch arrangement.

• Consistency between rooms. The June 2026 inspection followed a risk assessment after information was received about the provider. Its next steps addressed uneven teaching interactions and babies' physical development. During a visit, ask how staff development and planning now address those two points.
• Funding against the working week. The funding-only day starts at 10am, and the allocation varies with attendance across two or three days. Compare the proposed weekly pattern with the written quotation, including any morning or afternoon additions.
• Food and individual needs. Funded lunches can be bought separately or replaced with a packed lunch, while food preferences and intolerances are accommodated. Families managing allergies should confirm current preparation and packed-lunch arrangements.

The Wantage Nursery & Preschool suits families comparing a full-time week with shorter funded day sessions, including those who need paid morning or afternoon additions. Its garden, indoor play space and key-person planning give the offer concrete substance.

The June 2026 balance is clear: stronger care and inclusion judgements sit alongside work to improve teaching consistency. Families choosing between the youngest rooms and Preschool should give that room-by-room question real weight.