Middleton Cheney Preschool Limited
Middleton Cheney Preschool Limited is a day nursery in Banbury for children aged 2 to 4, with 35 registered places. Ofsted report card, 4 December 2025: Strong standard in 6 areas; safeguarding standards met.
Main Road, Middleton Cheney, Banbury, OX17 2PD
Key facts
- Type
- Day nursery (Full day care) (Ofsted childcare register, as at 30 June 2026)
- Ages
- 2 to 4 (Ofsted childcare register, as at 30 June 2026)
- Registered places
- 35 (Ofsted childcare register, as at 30 June 2026)
- Registered
- 7 April 2017 (Ofsted childcare register, as at 30 June 2026)
Opening hours
Monday,Tuesday,Wednesday,Thursday,Friday : 08:00 - 17:00
Source: Ofsted report, inspection on 4 December 2025
Who runs it
Middleton Cheney Preschool Limited is run by Middleton Cheney Pre-School Limited (Ofsted register).
Latest inspection
- Inclusion: Strong standard
- Curriculum and teaching: Strong standard
- Achievement: Strong standard
- Behaviour, attitudes and establishing routines: Strong standard
- Children's welfare and wellbeing: Strong standard
- Leadership and governance: Strong standard
- Safeguarding standards met
Source: Ofsted, inspection on 4 December 2025. Contains public sector information licensed under the Open Government Licence v3.0.
What it's like to be a child at this setting
Children are confident to say goodbye to their parents and carers when they arrive and settle quickly to their play. Children are excited to see the staff, who greet them heartily and talk to them about what they have been doing at home. The positive relationships between the children and the staff contribute to children clearly showing a secure sense of belonging at preschool. Staff provide children with gentle reassurance and spend time playing alongside them, which promotes children's confidence and wellbeing.
Staff ensure that all children, including those with special educational needs and/or disabilities, can fully join in with the daily activities. Children thoroughly enjoy the staff's enthusiastic and engaging involvement in their play. Staff adapt their interactions for each child. They introduce new words for children and encourage them to keep trying. Children focus intently during small-group games that staff plan to promote their listening and recall skills. Staff provide clear explanations so children know what to. They show children some familiar items and give them time to look at these and name them before covering them up. Children talk excitedly to one another as they anticipate which item will be gone when the tray is uncovered. Staff praise children for their efforts and achievement, which helps build their self-esteem. Children quickly become familiar with the daily routines. They feel secure, and they know what comes next. The staff work very closely with children's parents and carers to ensure that children receive a consistent approach to their care and learning. Staff provide parents with information so they understand the importance of their children attending preschool regularly. The staff's skills in interacting with children and their sensitive approach to teaching contribute to children showing joy in their play and thriving at this welcoming and caring preschool.
What Ofsted found in each area
Inclusion: Strong standard
Leaders and staff promote an inclusive experience for all children attending the preschool. Leaders and staff are skilled in reflecting on what they know about each child and adapt their teaching to ensure that they maintain an accurate level of support. Highly effective communication with parents from the sensitive and supportive staff team helps parents feel confident that their child's individual needs are met. Leaders and staff quickly identify children's emerging needs or any changes and develop strategies to provide support as needed.
Leaders secure funding from the company as well as additional funding to bring in specific support, such as external special educational need professionals who observe children and guide staff to how best help each child to make the best progress they can. Staff plan activities for each child that take account of the specialist guidance, such as specific physical play to help develop children's balance and core strength. Staff help children gain confidence and develop their communication skills. This helps children to understand the daily routines and prevents them from becoming overwhelmed. The priority the leaders and staff give to inclusion is evident in the high expectations they have for each child and the strong support they provide.
Curriculum and teaching: Strong standard
Leaders work closely alongside staff. This promotes continual discussion and reflection to ensure that the curriculum remains inclusive. Leaders support staff to make effective use of their interactions with children, which results in consistently high-quality teaching. Children benefit from the accurately sequenced curriculum that takes account of what they know already, and staff plan to help children achieve their next steps in learning. The staff team has high expectations of every child, and they are warm and engaging towards the children. Staff alter their interactions to take account of each child's age and ability. Staff's gentle encouragement and reassurance build children's confidence to try new things and to follow their own ideas. Staff play alongside children. They demonstrate how things work and comment on what they are doing.
Activities are carefully planned to cover all areas of learning. Children explore rice and pasta with Christmas-themed sequins. They develop their hand-eye coordination as they use scoops to fill bauble shapes and fit them together. Staff incorporate mathematical language for most-able children, such as 'empty', 'half full' and 'full up'. They praise children who were previously reluctant to take part in messy play when they scoop up handfuls of the rice and pasta and watch as it falls through their fingers.
Achievement: Strong standard
All children successfully settle in when they start attending and continue to develop the skills to help them be prepared for starting school when the time comes. Children are supported to say goodbye to their parents or carers. They are encouraged to be confident to communicate their needs. Children approach staff when they need help. They ask staff for assistance or indicate by pointing or taking staff by the hand to show them what they need.
Children rise to the high expectations staff have for them. Children quickly become familiar with the daily routine and build positive relationships with each other and the staff. Children know when it is time to tidy away. They are confident to collect the boxes and eagerly put them away. They develop independence skills and learn to make their own decisions. For example, they begin to become independent in the bathroom and when getting their coats on for outside play. Children choose when they have their snack and whether they would like milk or water to drink.
Behaviour, attitudes and establishing routines: Strong standard
The atmosphere at this preschool is overwhelmingly positive. Children develop secure relationships with staff, who skilfully engage them and build their confidence as they learn and follow the preschool routines. Children quickly get to know the cues for a change during the day, such as a tidy-up song. They eagerly respond as they enthusiastically help to put the toys away. This contributes to children feeling a sense of belonging and helps build friendships. Children cooperate and learn from one another as they play. Staff have a consistent and supportive approach that helps children understand what is expected of them.
During physical activities, children observe their friends as they move by jumping and side-stepping. When a friend takes their hand, children feel confident to join in. Staff recognise when children need assistance. They take time to listen to children and adapt their responses to children's individual abilities. This contributes to children being able to express themselves clearly while playing with their friends. This in turn promotes cooperation and negotiation. Leaders offer support for parents to help them ensure that their child arrives on time and attends regularly so they can benefit fully from everything available to them at preschool.
Children's welfare and wellbeing: Strong standard
Staff get to know each child and their family when they start attending. They find out detailed information from parents about any specific needs their child has. Staff work effectively with other professionals, such as a community paediatrician, to ensure that they feel confident to meet children's needs. Staff smile and get down to the child's level to have conversations during activities. This contributes to children developing positive attachments to the staff and demonstrating a secure sense of wellbeing at preschool. Children thoroughly enjoy physical activity, such as climbing. They are excited to show how they can climb up the side of a wooden frame and lift their leg over the top. Staff help children to think about their safety. For example, when children experience the sensation of leaning back at the top of the wooden frame, staff remind them to hold on tightly and think about if their feet feel secure on the lower rung.
Staff successfully help children learn about how their emotions have an impact on how they are feeling and reassure children if they occasionally become overwhelmed. They take the time to just be with them, speak to them gently and ask them what they would like to do. The sensitive and calm approach supports children to manage when they have big feelings. At mealtimes, staff supervise children closely to keep them safe. Children learn about healthy choices through discussions with staff. They talk to them about the food they have for snack and lunch. The lively back-and-forth conversations while sitting together promote the noticeable feelings of harmony at this preschool.
Leadership and governance: Strong standard
Since the last inspection, leaders have improved and strengthened the arrangements to ensure that all those who are responsible for the governance of the preschool are known to Ofsted to ensure the required suitability checks can be carried out. Leaders work closely with the staff team. Regular meetings ensure that they are kept fully up to date with what is happening at the preschool. Leaders respect and value the staff team's knowledge of each child's needs. They are receptive to considered requests from staff to seek additional specialist support from other agencies to help them provide the high-quality curriculum so all children make the best possible progress.
Leaders use additional funding effectively to promote children's communication and language skills and to develop a love of books. Staff have a positive, reflective approach to their work. They have high expectations of themselves and continually evaluate their effectiveness, both individually and as a team. Leaders support staff effectively in their professional development as well as their wellbeing. Leaders observe staff practice and provide constructive feedback through discussions. They ensure that specialised training for specific roles has a positive impact on staff's ongoing professional development. Leaders are committed to supporting one another, and every member of staff is valued for their individual talents. The successful partnership working with children's parents and carers results in a consistent approach to children's care and learning that contributes to children thriving in their development.
What the setting must and should do next
The provider should:
- Leaders and those responsible for governance should sustain their work to ensure continued improvement and high standards. They should focus on creating a transformational impact on the outcomes and experiences of disadvantaged children and those with special educational needs and/or disabilities.
Ofsted's words, from the report on the inspection on 4 December 2025. Read the full report on the Ofsted website. Contains public sector information licensed under the Open Government Licence v3.0.
Inspection history
Ofsted report cards (England, from November 2025)
Since 10 November 2025 Ofsted has graded nurseries and pre-schools on a report card. There is no single overall grade. Instead, each of six areas gets one of five grades: Exceptional, Strong standard, Expected standard, Needs attention, Urgent improvement.
The six areas are inclusion; curriculum and teaching; achievement; behaviour, attitudes and establishing routines; children's welfare and wellbeing; leadership and governance. Safeguarding is judged on its own, as met or not met.
Expected standard means the setting does what Ofsted expects of every setting. Strong standard and Exceptional are above that; Needs attention and Urgent improvement mean Ofsted found things the setting has to put right.
Source: Ofsted reports
Funded childcare hours in England
All 3 and 4 year olds in England can get 15 hours of free childcare a week, for 38 weeks of the year.
Working parents of children aged 9 months to 4 years old can get 30 hours of free childcare a week for 38 weeks of the year (Free Childcare for Working Parents), if they meet the earnings rules. You confirm your details every 3 months.
Some 2 year olds can get 15 hours a week when the family gets certain kinds of extra support.
The hours are used at a registered provider that offers them, so ask each nursery how it offers the funded hours.
Source: GOV.UK: Free Childcare for Working Parents, check if you're eligible · GOV.UK: Free childcare and education for 2 to 4 year olds (checked 31 October 2026)
Other nurseries nearby
- Bambooh Nursery - Day nursery, Banbury OX17 2NS, ages 1 to 7, 30 places, 0.3 milesOfsted, 27 March 2023: Good overall; safeguarding is effective
- Chacombe Preschool Group - Pre-school, Banbury OX17 2JA, ages 2 to 4, 20 places, 1.3 milesOfsted, 14 September 2022: Good overall; safeguarding is effective
Schools nearby
- Middleton Cheney Primary Academy - Primary, under 0.1 miles
- Chenderit School - Secondary, 0.4 miles