Opening hours
Monday, Tuesday, Wednesday, Thursday,Friday : 08:00 - 18:00
Orchard Day Nursery, open since 2002 and operating all year round from 8 am to 6 pm on weekdays, offers childcare for children aged 0-4 years. Located in Reading, RG4 6LJ, this nursery prides itself on fostering a safe, calm, and respectful environment where children feel a sense of belonging and are valued.
The dedicated staff build warm relationships with children, encouraging independence in self-care skills like feeding and toileting. The nursery supports children with special educational needs and/or disabilities (SEND) through a newly appointed leadership team that provides targeted interventions and personalised guidance, ensuring progress through collaborative efforts with families and external professionals.
While the overall quality of teaching and leadership oversight has been inconsistent, leaders have demonstrated capacity for improvement and remain committed to strengthening the curriculum for all children. Orchard Day Nursery utilises the EYFS curriculum approach, incorporating an engaging outdoor curriculum to develop physical skills and natural curiosity through activities like mud kitchens and obstacle courses.
What it's like
Children's learning and development are variable. Their achievement is supported by leaders and staff, but inconsistencies in teaching and leadership oversight mean that not all children consistently benefit from high-quality provision. Children with special educational needs and/or disabilities (SEND) benefit from a newly appointed leadership team, who are working to strengthen the curriculum, teaching and children's achievements. However, their learning experiences are inconsistent and there is not sufficient impact for other children at the setting to achieve their full potential.
Opening hours
Monday, Tuesday, Wednesday, Thursday,Friday : 08:00 - 18:00
Term time / All Year
All_year
Established
2002
Last inspected Feb 2026
Grade summary
Each dot represents one of the six inspection categories. Headline is the average of the six grades, rounded up.
Category grades
Last inspected 10 February 2026
Actions the provider must take
What it's like to attend
Children's learning and development are variable. Their achievement is supported by leaders and staff, but inconsistencies in teaching and leadership oversight mean that not all children consistently benefit from high-quality provision. Children with special educational needs and/or disabilities (SEND) benefit from a newly appointed leadership team, who are working to strengthen the curriculum, teaching and children's achievements. However, their learning experiences are inconsistent and there is not sufficient impact for other children at the setting to achieve their full potential.
Inspector highlights
Areas to develop
Inclusion & environment
Leaders at Orchard Day Nursery have made progress in helping staff understand specific children's gaps in learning, particularly for children with special educational needs and/or disabilities (SEND). They coordinate and monitor inclusive practice, providing targeted interventions and personalised guidance to help these children access learning and narrow gaps. Additional funding is effectively used for extra resources, enrichment, and one-to-one adult support, and the newly appointed leadership team has facilitated training for staff on specific strategies to support children with SEND, fostering positive relationships with parents and other professionals to ensure steady progress.
The outdoor curriculum supports children's physical skills, natural curiosity and imaginations. Staff plan and set up open-ended activities that children enjoy, such as exploring in the mud kitchen, building obstacle courses, and creating sand models. Key persons responsible for those children with special educational needs and/or disabilities know that some of them prefer to learn outdoors in the fresh air. Typically, these staff play alongside these children with enthusiasm, helping to build their stamina and coordination, such as with obstacle courses.
A lovely nursery and preschool which has looked after my children really well. The staff are attentive and build really strong bonds with the kids, and there's a real variety of indoor and outdoor play spaces for the kids to find the things they really love to do. They also foster a wonderful parent community, which acts as a great support network through the various trials and tribulations of raising young kids!
Read on GoogleThe most incredible, caring and wonderful place for little people to start their school journey. Our 3-4 year old absolutely loved the staff, the outdoor learning and the all encompassing warmth of the whole place and all the fabulous staff!
Read on GoogleBrilliant. I can't rate it enough. Both daughters went here and both were very happy and well cared for. The staff are wonderful and they do so many indoor and outdoor activities with the children. They have a great outdoor space and a dance studio with a dance teacher once a week. They do full days and work through the summer holidays, which is excellent for full time working mums.
Read on GoogleOnce a cherished and loved nursery, that has sadly suffered greatly from the pandemic - our daughter was unceremoniously without justifiable reason served notice, via a letter snuck into her bag after 2 years of attending because we innocently and professionally enquired via a complimentary email, praising the good work on return and the happiness and excitement from our young daughter to attend again, but also asking when the full opening hours we needed would be available again and seeking update about the fees we had been forced into paying at threat of loss of needed place throughout lockdown. Our email was ironically in response to an email stating those that contributed "would not be forgotten"... Numerous attempts via email and calls to resolve, with the announcement of multiple staff leaving and evidence of severe duress and breakdown of management resulted in our very sad and stressful decision to remove our first child; in addition to this the nursery were also aware, we had just had our 2nd child meaning severe financial stresses and changes to our 1st child's life amongst many other pressures we were experiencing - these factors were of no concern confirming evidence of terrible lack of compassion for us as a family or our daughter as a developing attendee. Although the children always seem happy, if you want a nursery that communicates or offers any additional service other than keeping of your child for the contracted times, then I can not recommend Orchard Day Nursery sadly. It has fast become apparent, at least in these times, they are no more than numbers on a spreadsheet and if one number requires minimal additional work, they are unprepared to action - such as a professional response to a professional enquiry on service - that "number" is not wanted and disregarded.
Read on GoogleHumphrey is dedicated person to early year child wellbeing and education.two of my kids went there for 3-4 years and have excellent time and I am more than happy to recommend Orchard day nursery to anyone who is looking for day nursery. Haven't said my kids are now 19 and 17.
Read on GoogleReviews from Google for Orchard Day Nursery. See all on Google Maps
Date: March 2013
The most recent inspection point has been hidden because the parsed entry didn't match the headline Ofsted rating (Requires improvement). We're re-checking it against the original report.
Other Ofsted-registered day nurseries close to Orchard Day Nursery.
Reading · RG4 6LU
Reading · RG4 8ED
Reading · RG4 6PF
Reading · RG4 8JZ
Reading · RG6 1PT
Reading · RG4 8LJ
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This listing has been compiled from official Ofsted records, the nursery's own website, details provided directly by the nursery where available, and other trusted public sources. We regularly review and update listings to keep the information as accurate as possible. Learn more