YMCA Redland Nursery

Three large rooms with their own enclosed gardens give YMCA Redland Nursery a clear outdoor character. Children can move between indoor play and garden space, while access to the neighbouring school field adds woodland to explore. For families who want outdoor play woven into the day, the physical layout is a substantial attraction.

Based at Redland Community School on Brook Street in Chippenham, the nursery accepts children from three months to five years. At its November 2021 inspection, Ofsted rated the provision Good and found safeguarding effective. That judgement is dated; the current gardens and attendance arrangements sit alongside an older assessment of practice.

Full days and flexible sessions are offered across 51 weeks of the year. The practical choice extends to food: families can send a packed lunch or prebook a cooked school lunch, with separate charges for snacks and high tea.

Learning and Activities

The EYFS provides the framework for children's learning and care: play, conversation and everyday experiences help children develop language, physical skills and relationships. It is the common foundation for early years provision. Here, the November 2021 curriculum was shaped around children's interests, with assessments used to decide what they should learn next.

In November 2021, younger children investigated everyday objects and made art, while older children practised listening through group games. These were different routes into learning, rather than a single activity expected to suit every age. Adults also encouraged children to explain their ideas through questions that invited longer answers.

Language teaching reached into ordinary routines. In November 2021, babies heard descriptive vocabulary while eating, and children learning English as an additional language received support through conversation. The useful detail is the setting: opportunities to build vocabulary were taken during the day, rather than reserved for a separate lesson.

Outdoor and Community Life

Each of the three rooms opens onto its own enclosed garden, allowing free movement between the room and outdoor play. Gardens are used in wet weather as well as sunshine. The adjacent school field includes woodland, giving children another environment for exploration and imaginative play beyond their room's garden.

In November 2021, outdoor activity formed part of the daily routine and gave children opportunities to develop physical coordination. Preschool provision needed more attention, however: outdoor activities did not engage every child's interests, especially children less inclined to go outside. Changeovers between preschool activities also sometimes left children waiting and losing interest. The important question is how the outdoor space and the routine work for the individual child, not simply whether a garden exists.

Relationships and Communication

Settling was tailored to individual children in November 2021. Staff gathered information about home life, favourite activities and existing skills, then used it to plan familiar, appealing experiences. That makes the connection between home and nursery practical: knowledge supplied by parents helped shape the child's starting point.

Tapestry, the online learning journal, gives parents a way to see their child's nursery experiences and contribute moments from home. Communication works in both directions. Parents can add information about their child as well as follow how they settle and develop, helping nursery and home share a fuller picture.

In November 2021, staff also suggested activities families could try at home, including investigating flowers frozen in ice and watching the ice melt. This was a concrete link between nursery learning and family play. Staff received supervision and opportunities for further training at that time, supporting their work with children.

Inclusion and Wellbeing

In November 2021, children used pebbles representing emotions to talk about their feelings, and adults helped them practise sharing and taking turns. Everyday self-care also gave children opportunities to do things for themselves. These examples show how emotional understanding and independence were addressed through ordinary nursery experiences.

Meals allow a choice between a healthy packed lunch from home and a separately charged cooked lunch supplied by the school and booked ahead; snacks and high tea are also charged separately. Parents provide nappies and wipes, and a non-compulsory consumables contribution supports activities and enrichment beyond the EYFS.

Sessions and Attendance

Opening hours are 8am to 6pm, Monday to Friday. Families can book full days or flexible sessions within that window, so the offer accommodates different lengths of attendance rather than requiring every child to stay for the whole opening day.

The nursery operates for 51 weeks annually and closes between Christmas and New Year. That closure needs to fit the family's working calendar. Enquiries go directly to the nursery through its form, by calling 01249 477340 or by emailing redland@ymca-bg.org.

Funding and Paid Extras

Funded early education is offered for three- and four-year-olds, eligible two-year-olds and eligible children from nine months. The entitlements include 15 hours for three- and four-year-olds, 15 hours for eligible two-year-olds and 30 hours for eligible working parents. Eligibility conditions matter; the nursery's offer does not itself establish a family's entitlement.

Funding can be taken over 38 term-time weeks or spread across 51 weeks. Paid childcare is also offered. Food charges, parent-supplied nappies and wipes, and the non-compulsory consumables contribution should be considered separately from funded education when comparing attendance patterns. Current prices come in the nursery's written quotation; the session times and prices page explains the structure.

The address is Redland Community School, Brook Street, Chippenham, SN14 0JE. Being on school grounds does not guarantee a Reception place: families still apply through the local authority's admissions process.

• Preschool engagement. In November 2021, outdoor activities did not draw in every child, and changeovers sometimes lost children's attention. During a visit, ask how staff now support reluctant outdoor players and keep transitions purposeful.
• Food and daily supplies. Packed lunches are an option, cooked lunches require advance booking, and snacks and high tea attract separate charges. Parents also bring nappies and wipes, so these arrangements belong in the household's daily planning.
• The Christmas closure. Attendance runs across 51 weeks, with a break between Christmas and New Year. Families needing care during that period will need another arrangement.

YMCA Redland Nursery suits families seeking either full-day attendance or flexible sessions, with a choice of term-time or stretched funding where eligible. Its strongest current attraction is physical: gardens attached to each room and access to woodland on the school field make outdoor play an integral possibility throughout the day.

The November 2021 assessment gives a positive historical judgement, while its preschool concerns provide useful visit questions. For parents, the decision rests on how those spaces and routines suit their child, alongside the food choices, separate extras and annual Christmas break.