ABC Day Nursery

A mud kitchen, sensory walkway and tree house climbing frame give ABC Day Nursery's garden real substance. At this Bowerhill setting, outdoor play extends beyond a single play area: different age groups have separate outdoor spaces, and children can move between indoor and outdoor learning throughout the year. That makes exploration a central part of the day.

ABC Day Nursery cares for children aged 3 to 60 months at 19 Lancaster Road, Melksham. At its 8 August 2024 inspection, Ofsted rated it Good overall and judged safeguarding effective. Morning, afternoon, short-day and full-day bookings serve different family routines, with both term-time and year-round attendance.

Learning and Activities

The Early Years Foundation Stage (EYFS) provides the framework for learning through play, developing communication, physical skills and relationships alongside later work with books, mathematical ideas and creative expression. Here, practical activities explore shape and measurement, while music and art give children ways to express their ideas. These activities connect learning with children's play.

Real objects and resources with several possible uses support child-led exploration. Children can investigate natural and manufactured materials rather than following a single prescribed activity. The emphasis is on trying ideas, sustaining interest and finding ways to solve a problem. The learning approach connects those habits with children's play.

In August 2024, stories led into practical activities: younger children made dough owls after hearing Owl Babies. Older children practised writing their names, while adults celebrated their efforts. Linking a story with making something gives children another way to engage with its characters; practising a familiar name makes early writing personal.

Independence also had a practical expression in August 2024. Younger children received help to clean their hands and faces after lunch, while older children managed this themselves. The distinction matters: adults supported a task where help was needed and allowed children to take responsibility when ready.

Outdoor and Community Life

The garden combines active play with quieter spaces. A tree house climbing frame with slide sits alongside a play house, mud kitchen and sensory walkway; sand, water and natural materials supply further possibilities for exploration. Quiet corners and places for reflection give the outdoor area a different pace as well.

Separate outdoor spaces for different ages allow activities to relate to children's interests and stage of development. Year-round movement between indoors and outdoors also makes seasonal changes part of ordinary nursery life. For families who value outdoor play, the useful detail is this continuing access, rather than an occasional special outing.

A Key Person supports each child's adjustment and builds a relationship with parents or carers to understand individual needs. Settling sessions are adapted to the child, and transitions allow time to become familiar with new surroundings. This gives families a clear relationship through which to share routines and preferences, rather than treating settling as a fixed timetable.

At the August 2024 inspection, Ofsted found that staff used assessment and work with parents to support children's progress, with individual support plans and sensory strategies following autism training contributing to support for children with special educational needs and/or disabilities. The practical strength is the connection between understanding a child's needs and adapting what staff do.

Communication with families in August 2024 covered children's learning and where they needed support. Friendship-building was equally concrete: younger children passed a ball while learning one another's names, and older children shared resources and took turns independently. These examples show how social learning was built into play, rather than reserved for a separate discussion about behaviour.

A cook makes fresh meals on the premises. Families of babies supply bottles, teats and formula milk; the different treatment of meals and nappies for funded and privately paid hours is explained below.

Sessions and Attendance

The address is 19 Lancaster Road, Bowerhill, Melksham, SN12 6SS. Opening hours are 7.30am to 6pm, Monday to Friday, and enquiries can be made by telephone on 01225 791 742 or through the enquiry form.

The booking choices are specific: a Morning Session runs from 8am to 1pm, an Afternoon Session from 1pm to 6pm, a Short Day from 8am to 3.30pm and a Full Day from 8am to 6pm. Early Drop off covers 7.30am to 8am. These distinctions let parents match attendance to a shorter working day, a morning or afternoon commitment, or a full working day.

The minimum attendance is at least one short day each week. Both year-round and term-time arrangements are offered. Fees are invoiced monthly ahead of attendance; term-time charges are spread across eleven months, with no charge during August.

Closures include official bank holidays and the period between Christmas and New Year. The nursery also closes on the first academic day of the new school year for training, and may close on the final working day before Christmas Day. Those closure days are removed from the weeks charged.

Funding and Paid Extras

Funding is accepted for children aged 9–23 months, two-year-olds, and three- and four-year-olds. Funded hours can follow a term-time pattern or be stretched across the year, with no restriction on which hours funding can cover. Extra privately paid hours can sit alongside funding.

For funded attendance, meals and nappies fall within a voluntary Meal & Sundries charge, which also covers snacks and milk, including allergy-related alternatives, for children over one year old. For children receiving no grant funding, meals, snacks, milk for children over one year old and nappies when needed are included in the fee; parents of babies still provide bottles, teats and formula milk.

The distinction between funded hours and privately paid attendance matters to the overall cost. Families should obtain current prices in the nursery's written quotation, using the fees page to understand the charge structure.

• Language development. In August 2024, staff sometimes missed chances to introduce unfamiliar vocabulary during children's play. On a visit, ask how the team now extends language through stories and everyday conversations.
• The weekly commitment. Attendance starts with a minimum of one short day per week. Families seeking only a brief morning or afternoon should discuss how their proposed pattern fits that requirement.
• Funding and baby supplies. Funded attendance carries a voluntary meals-and-sundries charge, while bottles, teats and formula remain the family's responsibility. Ask how these arrangements would apply to your child's particular booking.

ABC Day Nursery suits families seeking morning or afternoon sessions as well as short-day or full-day attendance, subject to its weekly minimum. Its strongest practical appeal is the combination of year-round outdoor access, varied garden resources and settling organised around a Key Person. The August 2024 Good judgement supports that picture, while the vocabulary-development point gives parents a specific aspect of practice to explore. Funding delivered term-time or stretched adds another useful choice, provided families distinguish funded extras from the inclusive private fee.