Old Sarum Nursery

Songs, stories and learning to do things independently give Old Sarum Nursery’s community centre setting its character. Dedicated rooms at Old Sarum Community Centre provide a base for two-year-olds and younger three-year-olds, with outdoor play woven into the routine. This is the younger children’s setting within a nursery that also operates at the neighbouring primary school.

Ofsted rated the community centre setting Good on 14 September 2023. It has capacity for 12 children aged two to five. Morning, afternoon and full-day attendance fit a term-time calendar.

The strongest practical detail is the way care and learning connect: a key person follows each child’s development, Tapestry shares experiences with parents, and visual signs help children move between parts of the day. In September 2023, group engagement and consistency in routines needed attention.

Rooms and Ages

The community centre has a suite of nursery rooms opposite Old Sarum Primary School. Two-year-olds and younger three-year-olds are based here, while the nursery’s separate school setting serves older children. The community centre’s separate timetable matters when comparing attendance at the two sites.

The Early Years Foundation Stage guides learning through play across communication, physical development, early literacy, mathematics and other areas of development. Activities are planned around children’s interests and their next steps, so the framework connects with what an individual child is ready to explore. It provides the educational foundation for the day.

Learning and Activities

The community centre routine alternates children’s chosen play with activities led by adults. A Hello song accompanies circle time, and stories and songs form another shared gathering before the morning finishes. These repeated moments give children familiar landmarks within a day that can flex around individual needs.

In September 2023, staff used books, pictures and objects to introduce vocabulary, alongside conversations, rhymes and singing. Mathematical language entered water play, while tower building gave children opportunities to count blocks. Learning happened through ordinary play materials, rather than being confined to a separate lesson.

Making play dough was another September 2023 example of adults introducing a process and helping children explore ingredients and materials. Children also chose their own activities. However, the organisation of some shared activities made it harder for everyone to stay involved, a reservation that deserves attention alongside the appealing examples of learning.

Outdoor and Community Life

Outside play has a place in the community centre’s morning routine, alongside adult-led activities and personal care. Wellington boots and waterproof clothing are part of the nursery’s clothing requirements, with spare clothes also needed. Families should expect to equip children for outdoor play and the possibility of getting muddy.

The SEND arrangements include outings to parks, farm parks and local schools, with additional support planned through discussion with parents and risk assessment when needed. These are outings described by the nursery, rather than a fixed weekly programme.

Relationships and Communication

Each child has a key person, with continuity intended throughout their time at Old Sarum Nursery. Settling arrangements are flexible, and staff use phone calls or texts to keep parents involved while a child adjusts. This gives families a named role responsible for following progress and a direct way to discuss the early weeks.

Tapestry, the online learning journal, records children’s experiences and development for parents to view. Regular parent meetings offer a fuller conversation about progress, while the open-door policy allows day-to-day discussion. The journal makes nursery experiences visible at home; meetings provide space to discuss what those observations mean for the child.

Inclusion and Wellbeing

Support begins with an All about Me document and a One Page Profile, completed with parents to help staff understand the child. A SENCo undertakes regular training and attends termly network meetings, and the nursery has links with speech and language therapists, health visitors and the Children’s Centre. Assessment and individual planning guide decisions about extra help and equipment.

At its September 2023 inspection, Ofsted found safeguarding effective and highlighted support for children learning English as an additional language. These are dated findings. Current arrangements also include written allergy information from parents and controlled collection arrangements, including prior authorisation for an unfamiliar adult.

Comfort toys are welcome for settling and rest. In September 2023, children practised finding their belongings, washing their hands and serving food with adult guidance, giving them manageable responsibilities within everyday care. Staff sometimes applied different expectations during mealtimes, however, which could leave children unsure about the routine.

Sessions and Attendance

The setting is at Old Sarum Community Centre, Old Sarum, Salisbury, SP4 6GH. For younger children, morning sessions run from 8.30am to 11.30am, afternoons from 11.30am to 2.30pm, and a full day from 8.30am to 2.30pm. The community centre routine also ends at 2.30pm.

Attendance follows Wiltshire school terms, Monday to Friday, across 38 weeks of the year. School holidays and public bank holidays are closures, making holiday childcare a separate planning consideration for working families. Enquiries can be made by phone, email or the contact form, and show-around booking is offered.

A completed, signed application is required before a place can be allocated, and bookings are handled in the order received. No deposit is currently required. Ending a place requires a month’s written notice, with fees payable during that period; permanent changes to sessions require a term’s notice. Those terms matter if a parent’s work pattern is likely to change.

Funding and Paid Extras

The community centre accepts two-year-olds funded through the Better 2gether scheme. Funded attendance follows the term-time model, and private paid childcare is also offered. Current prices come in the nursery’s written quotation.

Snacks are charged separately, and lunch can either come from home or be purchased as a hot meal prepared by the school kitchen. The snack menu rotates over four weeks, and the nursery asks families to avoid nut-containing lunchbox products under its allergy policy.

Parents provide sun cream during summer, alongside a hat. This is a non-food item to include in the practical preparations for attendance.

The nursery describes close links with Old Sarum Primary School, including story-time visits during the final two terms before moving on, with transition meetings arranged as needed. Those links support familiarisation; attendance does not guarantee a Reception place, and families still apply through the local authority admissions process.

• Shared activities and boundaries. In September 2023, group activities did not consistently keep every child involved, and adults sometimes gave differing messages about routines. On a visit, ask how group times and mealtime expectations now work for younger children.
• The community centre day. The younger-child fee table includes a late session from 2.30pm to 3.00pm and breakfast club for all ages from 8am to 8.30am, while the community centre timetable runs from 8.30am to 2.30pm. These timings conflict: ask which extensions apply at this site, and factor school-holiday closures into your childcare plans.
• Food and allergies. Lunch involves a choice between a packed meal and a purchased school-kitchen dinner, with snacks charged separately. Allergy-affected families should confirm current food handling and how their child’s written allergy information is used.
• Changing attendance. Permanent session changes require a term’s notice, while leaving requires a month’s written notice with fees still due. Consider those commitments before choosing a pattern that may need to change.

Old Sarum Nursery’s community centre setting suits families seeking morning or afternoon sessions, as well as a term-time full day for younger children. Its appeal lies in familiar songs and stories, individual planning and concrete ways for parents to follow development through Tapestry and key-person contact.

The September 2023 Good judgement provides a positive inspection position, with clear reservations about group engagement and consistent routines. The core full day ends at 2.30pm; the applicability of breakfast and late-session extensions needs clarification, and school-holiday closures are a practical consideration. For families whose timetable fits, this is a setting with useful detail behind its play-based approach and a clear route into conversations about individual support.