Cherry Blossom Day Nursery

Cardboard-box adventures, a pretend hairdresser’s salon and garden bug investigations give Cherry Blossom Day Nursery’s June 2022 account its character. At its 23 June 2022 inspection, Ofsted rated the nursery Outstanding and found that children progressed rapidly, with staff using their interests and existing experiences to shape learning.

Based at The Moot Hall, Market Square, Daventry, NN11 4BH, the nursery has capacity for 95 children aged from birth to five. It opens Monday to Friday, 8am to 6pm, throughout the year except bank holidays.

The early years foundation stage provides the framework for children’s learning, development and care: play, conversation and everyday tasks become opportunities to build skills.

In June 2022, books about pirates helped children turn cardboard boxes into an imaginative adventure. A visit to a local hairdresser inspired salon play, giving children a reason to practise conversation with their pretend customers. Staff watched how play developed before deciding what to introduce next. Activities followed children’s experience rather than standing apart from it.

Garden exploration was equally hands-on that June. Children examined herbs through magnifying glasses and used a book to identify insects; outdoors, they also practised balancing, catching and kicking. Babies explored climbing equipment and squeezed paint bottles before making marks alongside staff. These examples connect physical movement, investigation and early creative expression.

In June 2022, baby-room staff had training in attachment and brain development. Sleep followed individual routines, with supervised cots and beds, comforting stories or gentle music. Familiar relationships mattered alongside the activities.

Independence ran through everyday care that June: younger children selected cutlery and served themselves lunch, while older children practised applying sun cream and putting on hats with help. Staff ate alongside children and discussed healthy eating. Children also helped complete accident forms, turning an uncomfortable moment into a chance to explain what had happened.

At the June 2022 inspection, Ofsted judged safeguarding effective, with recruitment checks, refreshed training and staff understanding how to report and escalate concerns. A special educational needs coordinator discussed support for children with SEND during that visit, and management directed additional funding towards children’s development.

The Moot Hall address places the nursery in Daventry’s Market Square. Its year-round weekday opening pattern accommodates care across the working week, with bank holidays excluded.

In June 2022, funded early education was offered to children aged two, three and four. That dated position belongs alongside the inspection account rather than a promise about a family’s present entitlement.

• A dated quality judgement. The Outstanding judgement comes from June 2022. How are the interest-led activities, individual sleep routines and support arrangements described here delivered now?
• Year-round attendance. Opening runs across the year, with bank holidays excluded. That calendar matters for families coordinating childcare with working commitments.

Cherry Blossom suits families seeking year-round weekday care for babies through to five-year-olds. Its June 2022 account combines imaginative play with practical independence: children explored ideas, handled everyday tasks and received individual attention to their routines. The strongest quality evidence is dated, but its concrete examples give families a useful basis for judging the nursery’s approach.