URN 2822774 · Inspected 2026-07-24 · Published 2026-10-14 · Inspector: Holly Smith
Berkhampstead Day Nursery, Charlton Kings Unique reference number (URN): 2822774 Address: Lexham Lodge, Copt Elm Road, Charlton Kings, Cheltenham, GL53 8AG Type: Childcare on non-domestic premises Registered with Ofsted: 02/12/2024 Registers: EYR Registered person: Berkhampstead School (Cheltenham) Trust Limited Inspection report: 24 July 2026 Exceptional Strong standard Expected standard Needs attention Urgent improvement Safeguarding standards met The safeguarding standards are met. This means that leaders and/or those responsible for governance and oversight fulfil their specific responsibilities and have established an open culture in which safeguarding is everyone's responsibility and concerns are actively identified, acted upon and managed. As a result, children are made safer and feel safe. How we evaluate safeguarding When we inspect settings for safeguarding, they can have the following outcomes: Met: The setting has an open and positive culture of safeguarding. Not met: The setting has not created an open and positive culture of safeguarding. Not all legal requirements are met. Strong standard Expected standard Inclusion Strong standard Leaders have established a highly inclusive culture where barriers to children's learning and wellbeing are identified early and responded to effectively. They work closely with parents to develop a detailed understanding of each child's strengths, interests and individual needs, including those of children with special educational needs and/or disabilities and children in receipt of early years pupil premium. This enables children to receive timely, well-targeted support that helps them participate fully in nursery life and access the curriculum alongside their peers. Leaders ensure that practitioners consistently adapt teaching, routines and the learning environment to meet children's individual needs. Practitioners implement personalised strategies consistently, including visual supports, carefully planned transitions and additional reassurance where needed. This helps children to understand routines, regulate their emotions and participate confidently in nursery life. Leaders work in close partnership with parents and external professionals to secure specialist advice that informs children's individual support. For example, where children's nutrition or sleep routines present barriers to their learning and wellbeing, leaders seek specialist guidance. They share this with parents to promote consistency between home and nursery and support practitioners to implement agreed approaches. Leaders regularly review children's support with parents and external professionals, adapting strategies as children's needs change. As a result, barriers to learning and wellbeing are reduced effectively. Children participate fully alongside their peers, access the curriculum and are well supported to develop the knowledge and skills they need for their next stage of learning. Achievement Expected standard Children develop the age-appropriate knowledge, understanding and skills they need across the areas of learning. They demonstrate curiosity, sustain engagement in their play and confidently explore, investigate and share their ideas. They increasingly apply what they already know, recalling previous learning during play and everyday routines to develop their knowledge, understanding and skills. They use these confidently as they become increasingly independent in their play and everyday routines. Children with special educational needs and/or disabilities make measurable progress because barriers to learning are reduced effectively, enabling them to participate successfully alongside their peers. As a result, children make secure progress from their starting points. However, children's achievement is not stronger because they do not consistently deepen and strengthen their knowledge, understanding and skills across the areas of learning. As a result, children's achievement is not consistently as strong as it could be. Behaviour, attitudes and establishing routines Expected standard Leaders establish a positive culture through clear expectations, consistent routines and secure relationships that promote children's positive behaviour and attitudes across the nursery. They regularly evaluate practice and refine approaches to meet children's individual needs. For example, leaders have identified that wall-mounted visual supports are not always accessible when children need them. They are introducing portable prompts to strengthen practitioners' use of visual supports during routines and transitions. Leaders promote good attendance. They monitor attendance patterns carefully, follow up unexplained absences promptly and work proactively with families when concerns arise. Practitioners build warm, respectful relationships with children. They implement consistent approaches that help children understand expectations and participate confidently throughout the nursery day. Children generally demonstrate positive attitudes to learning. They confidently follow familiar routines and show increasing self-control during group activities. For example, children wait patiently for their turn by using the visual timer before washing their hands. Practitioners report that children regularly recreate circle-time experiences during their role play, showing that routines are familiar and meaningful to them. Practitioners use personalised strategies, including visual prompts and adapted routines, to support children who need additional help with their behaviour. As a result, children regulate their behaviour successfully, participate alongside their peers and contribute to the calm, purposeful and inclusive atmosphere across the nursery. Children's welfare and wellbeing Expected standard Leaders prioritise children's welfare and wellbeing throughout the nursery. They typically establish thoughtful care routines and continually refine these to reflect children's stages of development and everyday experiences. For example, leaders identified that younger babies could not independently access the handwashing sink and introduced an adapted handwashing station. This enables babies to develop independence while maintaining good hygiene. Leaders carefully consider how everyday routines support children's wellbeing. For example, children with allergies follow the same mealtime routines as their friends through the use of allergy plates and individual place mats. This helps them participate naturally in nursery life. Practitioners follow children's usual sleep routines so babies and young children can rest in ways that reflect familiar patterns from home. Practitioners provide responsive care throughout the day. They recognise when children need additional reassurance and adapt their support sensitively. For example, they use carefully chosen books and conversations to help children understand becoming an older sibling and other changes in family life. Mealtimes are calm and sociable. Practitioners allow children to finish eating at their own pace and read stories with children who finish first so that everyone remains purposefully engaged without feeling rushed. Consequently, children remain relaxed during everyday care routines, settle easily into the nursery day and experience consistent care that supports their physical and emotional wellbeing. Curriculum and teaching Expected standard Leaders have designed an ambitious curriculum that builds progressively on children's interests, developmental stages and identified next steps. The curriculum places an emphasis on children's communication and language, personal, social and emotional development, and the knowledge and skills they need for their next stage of learning. Leaders regularly review children's progress to ensure the curriculum reflects children's individual needs and changing interests. As a result, children benefit from a broad curriculum that supports their learning well. Practitioners generally demonstrate a secure understanding of children's interests and developmental needs when planning experiences. During everyday routines such as snack time, practitioners promote children's mathematical understanding by encouraging children to compare the length of breadsticks and use mathematical language, such as 'longer'. Older babies develop balance, coordination and self-control through carefully planned physical experiences. Practitioners adapt teaching to enable children with special educational needs and/or disabilities to participate alongside their peers. However, practitioners do not implement the curriculum consistently across all rooms. Although they know children well and understand children's identified next steps, they do not consistently use interactions to extend children's thinking, develop their communication and language and move learning forward. For example, practitioners do not consistently build on children's responses or make the most of naturally occurring opportunities to develop children's understanding during adult-led activities and everyday interactions. Consequently, children's learning is not consistently extended across the areas of learning. Leadership and governance Expected standard Leaders have established a clear vision for the nursery that places children at the centre of decision-making. They evaluate practice thoughtfully and use this to drive improvement. For example, leaders continually review how visual supports are used throughout the nursery and are introducing portable visual prompts to strengthen the consistent use of visual supports during routines and transitions. This ongoing evaluation enables leaders to identify clear priorities for further improvement and make well-considered changes that enhance children's daily experiences. Leaders foster a positive culture in which practitioners feel supported, valued and listened to. Staff report that leaders are approachable and provide effective support for their wellbeing and workload. Leaders provide regular coaching, professional development and opportunities for reflective discussion to support practitioners' ongoing development. They work closely with parents, schools and other professionals to support children's transitions. They share relevant transition information with receiving schools to help ensure continuity in children's care and learning. Leaders have established systems to monitor practice and support practitioners to improve their practice. These have not yet secured consistently high-quality interactions or curriculum implementation across all rooms. As a result, leaders have accurately identified the nursery's strengths and the priorities needed to improve the consistency of practice and children's experiences across the nursery. What it's like to be a child at this setting Children arrive confidently at this friendly nursery, where they are greeted warmly by practitioners who know them, their parents and siblings by name. These warm, familiar relationships help children separate from their families with ease and settle quickly into the day. Parents describe the nursery as welcoming and personal because practitioners know them and their children well. Practitioners respond sensitively to changes in children's lives, such as the arrival of a new sibling, moving home or changes in family circumstances, helping children feel emotionally secure and ready to learn. Children quickly become absorbed in the wide range of experiences available to them. Babies eagerly explore their surroundings before returning to familiar practitioners for reassurance, demonstrating the secure relationships they have formed. Older children confidently share what they know as they recall familiar yoga poses and count backwards during familiar songs. Outdoors, they eagerly investigate worms while creating mud castles inspired by earlier conversations about holidays, beaches and camping. Children confidently take responsibility for themselves and their environment throughout the day. They independently manage everyday routines by choosing and returning resources, pouring their own drinks, serving themselves at mealtimes and washing their hands. Mealtimes are calm, sociable occasions where children chat happily with practitioners and one another. Practitioners read stories to children who finish eating first, ensuring they remain purposefully engaged while others finish their meals. Children with special educational needs and/or disabilities are fully included because practitioners understand their individual needs and thoughtfully adapt routines and experiences to help them participate alongside their peers. During term time, children attend French lessons, take part in forest school, travel on the school minibus and enjoy the school playground. These opportunities broaden children's knowledge, develop their confidence in new environments and prepare them well for their move to school. Children attend regularly, enabling them to benefit from the broad range of experiences the nursery provides. As a result, children feel safe, valued and included, enjoying their time at this welcoming nursery. Inspector: Holly Smith About this setting Unique reference number (URN): 2822774 Address: Lexham Lodge Copt Elm Road, Charlton Kings Cheltenham GL53 8AG Type: Childcare on non-domestic premises Registration date: 02/12/2024 Registered person: Berkhampstead School (Cheltenham) Trust Limited Register(s): EYR Operating hours: Monday,Tuesday,Wednesday,Thursday,Friday : 08:00 - 18:00 Local authority: Gloucestershire Next steps Leaders should strengthen practitioners' interactions so that they consistently extend children's communication and language, deepen children's thinking and build on children's identified next steps. Leaders should strengthen the monitoring, coaching and evaluation of practice to secure consistently high-quality curriculum implementation across all rooms. About this inspection The inspector spoke with leaders, practitioners, the special educational needs coordinator, children and parents during the inspection. We carried out this inspection under sections 49 and 50 of the Childcare Act 2006 on the quality and standards of provision that is registered on the Early Years Register. The registered person must ensure that this provision complies with the statutory framework for children's learning, development and care, known as the early years foundation stage. Facts and figures used on inspection This data was available to the inspector at the time of the inspection. This data is from 24 July 2026 Children numbers Age range of children at the time of inspection 0 to 4 Total number of places 62 Our grades explained Exceptional Practice is exceptional: of the highest standard nationally. Other settings can learn from it. Strong standard The setting reaches a strong standard. Leaders are working above the standard expected of them. Expected standard The setting is fulfilling the expected standard of education and/or care. This means they are following the standard set out in statutory and non ‑ statutory legislation and the professional standards expected of them. Needs attention The expected standards are not met but leaders are likely able to make the necessary improvements. Urgent improvement The setting needs to make urgent improvements to provide the expected standard of education and/or care. The Office for Standards in Education, Children's Services and Skills (Ofsted) inspects services providing education and skills for children and learners of all ages, and inspects and regulates services that care for children and young people. If you would like a copy of this document in a different format, such as large print or Braille, please telephone 0300 123 1231, or email enquiries@ofsted.gov.uk. 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