Little Robins Nursery

A converted bungalow, mature gardens and space to grow food give Little Robins Nursery a recognisable character. In a residential part of Melksham, its outdoor provision includes a forest garden, an all weather garden and a growing area where children follow produce from seed to harvest. These are useful spaces for families who want outdoor exploration woven into nursery life.

Little Robins accepts children from birth to five years. At its July 2023 inspection, Ofsted judged it Good and found safeguarding effective, with good progress for children, including those with special educational needs and disabilities. The strongest practical themes were independence, conversation and learning through everyday play. The improvement priorities concerned extending older babies’ language and explaining the reasons behind behaviour boundaries more clearly.

Rooms and Ages

The youngest group is Hedgehogs, followed by Squirrels, with Foxes for the oldest children. Separate rooms serve different age groups, with equipment chosen for their stage of development. That gives the progression through nursery a physical shape, rather than putting every age into the same space.

Hedgehogs is the starting group for the youngest children. Squirrels accommodates the middle group. Foxes is the final group for older children. For parents, these names provide a useful way to understand where their child sits within the nursery’s organisation.

Learning and Activities

The EYFS provides the framework for learning and care: children develop communication, movement, social understanding and early knowledge through play, with staff observing their progress. It is the foundation of provision here. Activities are planned around children’s interests and developmental needs, while observations help the key person decide what comes next.

In July 2023, stories became opportunities to explore feelings as well as words. Preschool children used mirrors to examine expressions and shaped dough to represent them. They also discussed the roles of authors and illustrators. The combination connected books with children’s own experiences, giving them something concrete to talk about.

During that same period, toddlers experimented with bread dough, noticing how it changed as it rested, while older children worked with small construction blocks and used hammers with pins and cork boards. These activities brought different kinds of hand control into play. Mathematics also featured in daily routines through counting, comparing size and discussing shapes.

Language work in July 2023 included responding to babies’ vocal sounds, introducing toddlers to new vocabulary and inviting older children to predict what might happen in a story. Songs and action rhymes were regular experiences. There was an important qualification: opportunities to develop the oldest babies’ language were sometimes missed, so the provision was not equally consistent across ages.

Outdoor and Community Life

The gardens offer different settings for play, including a forest garden and a free flow garden, alongside an all weather garden. Children can use the mature grounds together or in separate groups, and the nursery aims to take them outdoors each day. The growing area adds a longer project: planting, watching development and harvesting food.

In July 2023, physical play included balancing, crawling and jumping over obstacles, while babies practised moving around equipment and pulling themselves upright. A metallic sound wall gave children another way to experiment, using wooden utensils to make sounds. Outdoor activity therefore involved movement and investigation, rather than simply time outside.

Relationships and Communication

Each child has a key person, giving families a regular contact for discussing development and daily care. All About Me forms gather information about the child’s family, preferences and existing needs, while a Baseline Assessment brings parents’ understanding of their child into the starting assessment. The purpose is practical: planning begins with the individual child.

Tapestry, the online learning journal, holds observations that help staff assess development and plan next steps. Assessments are shared in October, February and June, alongside parent evenings and daily conversations. This gives families both an ongoing account of nursery experiences and scheduled opportunities to discuss progress in more depth.

Inclusion and Wellbeing

The SENCO works with the key person and parents to plan support. My Support Plan brings together observations and professional advice, leading to Individual Education Plans with targets overseen by the key person and reviewed regularly. Families can review these plans, and outside professionals can contribute with parental permission. This describes a process families can take part in, rather than a general promise about meeting every need.

Visual timetables help children understand routines, and communication friendly spaces provide somewhere quieter to spend time. Activities, routines and the environment can be adapted to individual needs. Personal healthcare plans can also be used where necessary, with permission forms for regular prescribed medication.

In July 2023, babies sought comfort from staff when tired and shared books with them. Older children practised managing toileting, helping clear away resources and serving their own food. These everyday experiences linked care with preparation for greater independence. A nursery cook prepares food in the kitchen.

Sessions and Attendance

The address is 3 St Margarets Gardens, Melksham, Wiltshire SN12 7BT. Opening hours are 8am to 5.30pm, Monday to Friday, across the year, with closures for Christmas Week and bank holidays. The earlier finish matters when matching childcare to work commitments.

Attendance uses a flexible charging arrangement, with a minimum day of six hours centred around 9am to 3pm. Specific requirements can be discussed directly with the nursery. This is a substantial minimum attendance commitment even for a family seeking flexibility. Enquiries can be made by telephone or email.

Getting There

Off-road parking supports collection and drop-off at the converted detached bungalow. Its residential setting and parking provision are useful practical considerations when planning the daily journey.

Funding and Paid Extras

Funded childcare is offered for three- and four-year-olds: up to 15 hours for 38 weeks per year, starting from the term after their third birthday, with 30 funded hours for eligible families. Applicable funding for two-year-olds is also accepted. Funding can be spread over 52 weeks if the child attends all year round, and a code for the 30-hour entitlement must be obtained and verified in the preceding term.

Meals and outings may attract additional charges alongside funded provision. Current prices come in the nursery’s written quotation, and the funding and opening information explains the charging arrangement. Tax-free childcare is accepted.

• Minimum attendance. The flexible arrangement starts with a six-hour day around 9am to 3pm. Discuss how that fits your required attendance and the 5.30pm closing time before committing.
• Older babies’ language. The July 2023 improvement priority concerned missed opportunities to extend their communication. At a visit, ask how practitioners now develop conversation with this age group.
• Behaviour explanations. In July 2023, children were sometimes given a boundary without an explanation of its consequences. Ask how staff now help children understand why a rule matters.
• The written quotation. Current prices come in the nursery’s written quotation. Ask it to explain the costs of meals and outings and the arrangements for nappies, wipes and other consumables.

Little Robins suits families who value gardens, an individual key person and structured communication about development. Its six-hour minimum day around 9am to 3pm suits families whose childcare needs fit that attendance commitment and the 5.30pm closing time. The bungalow and growing area give the setting character; support plans and Tapestry give parents practical ways to stay involved. The July 2023 priorities make older babies’ language and explanations of behaviour the most useful areas to explore when assessing the nursery today.