Gooseberry Bush Day Nursery, Kemble

Natural materials, children’s own ideas and outdoor play give Gooseberry Bush Day Nursery, Kemble its character. Housed in a single-storey building at Cotswold Business Park, it combines space to explore with a key-person approach that connects each child’s interests to their learning. The emphasis is on having a go: testing ideas, making choices and developing independence through ordinary parts of the day.

At its January 2023 inspection, Ofsted rated the nursery Good overall, with Outstanding behaviour and attitudes, while identifying a need for more precise individual learning goals. That balance matters. The positive judgement sits alongside a specific improvement point about how staff turn their knowledge of children into what they should learn next.

Children can attend from 3 months to 5 years, and there are 74 places in total. Full-day, morning and afternoon bookings give families different ways to use the nursery; the detailed timings sit below.

Learning and Activities

The EYFS sets the standards for children’s learning, development and care, with play providing the route into language, movement, relationships and early understanding. Here, experiences are planned around children’s interests and development. The learning programme links communication and physical skills with areas such as mathematics, literacy and creative expression, rather than treating them as isolated lessons.

Open-ended natural materials add something concrete to that approach. Children can decide how to use them and test their own ideas, rather than simply complete an adult’s set task. The key person plans experiences around the child, so that freedom to explore has a connection to their development.

In January 2023, babies used objects for sensory exploration and resources that helped them practise standing. Toddlers played hiding games behind a curtain and joined spontaneous songs. Older children rode bikes outdoors and helped organise a course about road safety. These were different experiences for different stages, with movement and participation running through them.

Language also threaded through play in January 2023. Staff talked alongside children, helping them describe how sand felt and changed when wet. A separate sand activity linked objects and words to an early letter sound. Singing appeared in both planned activities and spontaneous moments, giving children opportunities to remember words and actions as well as join in with others.

Outdoor and Community Life

The outdoor provision includes a garden and natural spaces used in different weather conditions. Exploration outside is part of the nursery day, alongside stories and free play. For children who enjoy moving and investigating, this gives outdoor activity a place in the routine rather than leaving it as an occasional extra.

The Bristol Standard is a self-evaluation framework used by the team to reflect together and decide priorities for improving provision. The Eat Out Eat Well Award scheme adds a different emphasis: encouraging nutrition and healthier food choices. The EYFS remains the statutory framework for children’s learning, development and care.

Relationships and Communication

A key person observes each child’s development and wellbeing and plans experiences suited to their interests and stage. Parents contribute observations from home and take part in assessment discussions. That exchange gives staff more than a picture of what a child does at nursery; it brings family knowledge into planning too.

In January 2023, handovers helped children settle into their day, and families exchanged information with staff about development. Moves between rooms were organised around children’s readiness, with staff working together to help the change feel comfortable. For a child approaching a move, the important distinction is between simply changing rooms and being supported through the change.

Everyday independence had a clear place in January 2023. Children practised removing footwear, helped prepare the lunch table and managed handwashing with little prompting. Toddlers served themselves more food. These small responsibilities gave children opportunities to practise useful skills during familiar routines.

Inclusion and Wellbeing

At the January 2023 inspection, Ofsted found safeguarding arrangements effective, with staff understanding how to raise concerns, recruitment checks in place and controls on mobile-phone use. This is a dated judgement about safeguarding practice, separate from the nursery’s current descriptions of its learning and care.

Food follows a rotating menu, with three main meals and two snacks during a full day; children are encouraged to help prepare food and serve themselves. Meals are also used as social occasions, allowing conversation and independence to develop alongside eating.

Sessions and Attendance

The address is Cotswold Business Park, Kemble, Cirencester, GL7 6BQ. Opening hours are 7.30am to 6pm, Monday to Friday, across 51 weeks, excluding bank holidays. The Christmas-to-New-Year week is also a closure period, so families arranging year-round care need to account for that break.

A Full Day runs from 8am to 6pm. Half Day AM is 8am to 12.45pm, while Half Day PM runs from 1.15pm to 6pm. An early-start period runs from 7.30am to 8am. The distinction between opening hours and the full-day booking matters: the earlier opening is a separate addition to the standard day.

Enquiries can be made by telephone or email through the contact route. Both full-time and part-time attendance are offered, allowing families to choose between whole days and the named shorter sessions.

Funding and Paid Extras

Nursery Education Grant places are accepted for eligible children aged 9 months, two, three and four years. Afternoon sessions can use this funding, with funded hours allocated by term and the weekly allowance varying between terms. Other sessions are charged at the nursery’s normal private rate. Current prices come in the nursery’s written quotation.

Private childcare fees include meals, nappies and other items children need during attendance. Funded sessions have separate voluntary service charges: one covers snacks and meal items, while another covers activities, events, nappies and wipes. Families wishing to supply particular consumables themselves can discuss that arrangement with the nursery. Keeping these categories separate helps families understand what funded attendance includes and which additional services they choose.

• Individual learning goals. In January 2023, some children’s next learning goals needed greater precision. During a visit, ask how the key person now identifies and shares the particular skills your child will work on next.
• The start of the day. The standard Full Day begins at 8am, with an early-start addition from 7.30am. Choose the pattern around the time care needs to begin, rather than the opening window alone.
• Funded-session choices. Afternoon sessions can be funded, but food and non-food services have separate voluntary charges. Discuss which services you want and any consumables you intend to provide before agreeing the arrangement.
• Room moves. In January 2023, moves were timed around children’s readiness. On a visit, ask how that decision would be made for your child and how familiar staff would support the change.

Gooseberry Bush suits families who value learning through exploration, regular outdoor experiences and practical independence, with a key person connecting nursery life to home. Its attendance choices serve both families needing full days and those choosing morning or afternoon sessions. The January 2023 Good judgement provides a clear inspection reference, while the improvement point makes individual learning goals the most useful subject to explore before joining.