Chalkhouse Nursery Earley

Weekly BilinguaSing sessions give babies, toddlers and preschool children their own introduction to sensory music with another language. That sits alongside baking, early writing activities and an emphasis on learning outside at Chalkhouse Nursery Earley, a family-owned setting in Lower Earley for children aged 0-5. Music and practical exploration give its day recognisable character.

At its March 2025 inspection, Ofsted rated the nursery Good and found safeguarding effective, while identifying improvements needed in staff support for child-led learning and the resources available for play. The decision for parents is therefore about both the care children receive and how consistently their interests are developed into learning opportunities.

Rooms and Ages

Care is organised into the Baby Room, 2-3 Room and Preschool Room.

In March 2025, babies explored sensory materials, including dough and soapy water, while adults introduced descriptive words and animal noises during play. These are simple experiences with several purposes: feeling different textures, hearing language attached to an action and sharing attention with an adult. Familiar routines also shaped babies' care, keeping individual needs central to the room's day.

Toddlers and older children spent time together outside in March 2025. Stories, the sandpit and a slide gave them different ways to participate, with staff helping children use the slide. Older children also handled cooked spaghetti with scissors and tweezers. That example makes the learning concrete: tools and materials brought opportunities to practise small hand movements into outdoor play.

Learning and Activities

The early years foundation stage sets the requirements for children's learning, development and care. Here, that means learning through activities and play across different areas, rather than treating preparation for school as the whole purpose of nursery.

BilinguaSing adds a weekly sensory music session involving another language, with a session for each of the baby, toddler and preschool groups. A qualified music teacher is also on site. For parents who value musical experiences, these are specific elements of the offer rather than a general promise of enrichment.

Baking, mark-making, phonics and school preparation sessions add practical and early literacy experiences. They give children different routes into making things, experimenting with marks and exploring sounds. In March 2025, conversation accompanied play throughout the day: adults sang, read and introduced vocabulary connected to what children were doing. Language was part of ordinary activity, rather than confined to a separate teaching slot.

Outdoor resources need equal attention. In March 2025, both gardens had mud kitchens with utensils and containers, but the materials needed for messy exploration were missing that day. The equipment alone could not offer the intended experience. This is a useful distinction for parents assessing outdoor provision: what children can actually do matters as much as what is installed.

Relationships and Communication

Settling was adapted to the needs of children and their families in March 2025. Children moving rooms could spend time in their next room as often as needed, while outgoing and incoming key persons exchanged information. That continuity matters because a room change involves different adults and routines, not simply a different space.

The baby-room key-person arrangements in March 2025 centred on children's own routines. Staff had also refreshed their knowledge of bottle feeding and weaning through training. For parents of very young children, those practical details are more useful than a broad description of affectionate care: feeding and familiar daily patterns require close attention.

Famly is the nursery's app for developmental updates, using photographs, video and audio alongside reporting. It gives families a way to follow experiences they did not share in person and provides staff with a system for recording development. The nursery also has designated safeguarding lead roles, including within management.

Inclusion and Wellbeing

In March 2025, staff worked with families to understand the festivals they celebrated and their family structures. Adults helped children name emotions and encouraged them to express a wish to share instead of taking another child's things. These examples show how everyday interactions addressed both identity and behaviour.

Food is cooked on the premises by an on-site chef, with menus changing seasonally and rotating; shared meals involve children in preparing the table and clearing up afterwards. The nursery's food policy includes catering for allergies and religious dietary needs, making individual arrangements an important part of the conversation for affected families.

Children also learnt about looking after their teeth and brushed them at nursery in March 2025. Daily outdoor opportunities were another part of the routine at that time. These were practical health habits woven into the day.

Sessions and Attendance

The nursery is at 2 Elm Lane, Lower Earley, Reading, RG6 5UF. Opening hours are 7.30am to 6pm, Monday to Friday, with an all-year opening schedule. These hours establish the operating window for families organising work and travel.

Enquiries can be made by telephone on 07547 896026 or by email at enquiries@chalkhousenursery.co.uk. The accepted age range is 0-5, so families can consider the setting across infancy and the preschool years.

Funding and Paid Extras

In March 2025, the nursery provided government-funded early education for children from nine months to four years. That is a dated participation fact, rather than a promise that a particular child will qualify or receive a funded booking.

• Extending children's play. In March 2025, some staff did not consistently recognise opportunities to take children's thinking further. On a visit, ask how staff now develop learning from activities children choose themselves.
• Resources in the gardens. The March 2025 findings included mud kitchens lacking messy-play materials despite having tools. Look at how outdoor activities are supplied for children to use, as well as the equipment itself.
• Attendance and funding costs. The opening window spans 7.30am to 6pm on weekdays, and funded early education was provided in March 2025. What booking patterns can your family use, and how are meals and non-food consumables treated within funded and private attendance?
• Dietary arrangements. Meals are prepared on site and the nursery's policy covers allergies and religious needs. Families managing an allergy should confirm the current preparation and serving arrangements for their child.

Chalkhouse suits families who value music, practical activities and an outdoor emphasis, with Famly updates helping them follow their child's development. BilinguaSing supplies a concrete weekly addition for different age groups. The March 2025 findings also make the assessment balanced: personalised settling and continuity between rooms deserve attention, alongside the need for more consistent support during child-led play and better-supplied activities. Those are useful priorities for a visit.