CherryTown Nursery

A large garden, a small animal area and rooms spread over two levels give CherryTown Nursery a recognisable character. This Sandhurst setting combines opportunities to explore outdoors with an emphasis on helping children communicate their needs and understand their feelings. Reading Areas and a Sensory Room add different spaces for the nursery day. There is more here than a single busy playroom.

CherryTown has capacity for 48 children, accepting ages from 2 to 60 months. At its May 2024 inspection, Ofsted rated it Good overall, while identifying improvements needed in activity organisation and the consistency of behaviour expectations. Those qualifications matter alongside the positive judgement: an appealing activity needs enough space for everyone interested, and instructions need steady follow-through.

Attendance can be built around full days, mornings or afternoons, with an early-start addition. The choice is useful, but the minimum weekly booking and requirement to include Monday or Friday make this a structured arrangement rather than occasional childcare.

Rooms and Ages

Two age-group rooms occupy different levels of the building, with equipment selected for children's developmental stages. The arrangement gives the indoor provision an age-based structure rather than treating babies and older children as one undifferentiated group. Alongside the main rooms, the Sensory Room and Reading Areas provide spaces for sensory experiences and books.

Outside, children may enjoy open areas and quieter corners in the large garden. A small nature area may include rabbits and guinea pigs, bringing animals into children's experience of the natural world. The attraction for families is the mix: room to move, places for quieter exploration and opportunities to practise gentle care.

Learning and Activities

The Early Years Foundation Stage shapes learning through play; experiences may include stories, creative activities, messy exploration and early communication. These experiences connect children's language, relationships and understanding of their surroundings with what they actually do during the day.

CherryTown's curriculum adds an emphasis on communication, curiosity, resilience and awareness of oneself. Children's interests and parents' ideas help shape activities. Expressing a need, talking about a feeling or investigating something outdoors therefore belongs within the learning, rather than being separate from it. Activities may also explore mindfulness and movement.

In May 2024, snack time became an opportunity for conversation and practical independence: children examined an apple, poured milk for themselves and discussed animals that produce milk. It is a useful example of learning threaded through an ordinary routine. Children were encouraged to contribute ideas, rather than simply receive information.

The same May 2024 account identified occasions when the layout of materials and space prevented every interested child from taking part fully. This is a specific limitation, not a reason to dismiss the curriculum. It makes the organisation of shared activities an important part of judging how the day works.

Relationships give the care its substance. In May 2024, key people knew the children well, and staff comforted younger children waking from sleep. Kindness was modelled in adult interactions, while praise recognised children being considerate towards one another. For a parent of a young baby, the response to waking and needing comfort is a more useful detail than a broad promise about happiness.

At the May 2024 inspection, Ofsted found safeguarding effective and SEND support good, with individual help, a SENCo seeking specialist advice and language support for children learning English alongside another language. The practical mechanism was support shaped around the child, with outside professionals involved when needed.

Communication also had a clear role in May 2024: families received daily updates, staff sought parental feedback, and partnership helped children settle into nursery and supported development at home. Current communication keeps families involved in routines and progress. The value is continuity between home and childcare, especially where a child's needs or habits are changing.

Behaviour expectations were less consistent in May 2024. Staff sometimes gave an instruction, such as putting toys away, but did not maintain the encouragement needed to help children complete it. Families should weigh that specific point alongside the warm relationships, rather than assume one cancels out the other.

Meals are prepared fresh in the nursery each day, and chefs accommodate weaning stages through menus and agreement forms. The group menu's allergy approach allows for ingredients changing with stock, requires adjustments for children's dietary needs and aims to avoid nuts and peanuts; that aim should not be treated as an absolute guarantee.

Sessions and Attendance

The address is 67 Branksome Hill Road, College Town, Sandhurst, GU47 0QF. Opening hours are 7.30am to 6pm, Monday to Friday, across 51 weeks, with public holidays and a week at Christmas excluded.

Full Day bookings run from 8am to 6pm; Morning runs from 8am to 1pm, and Afternoon from 1pm to 6pm. A Full Week follows the 8am to 6pm pattern from Monday to Friday, while Early Start adds 7.30am to 8am. The early opening is therefore an addition to the standard session, a useful distinction when planning work hours.

The weekly minimum is two full days or four morning/afternoon sessions, including a Monday or Friday. Permanent session changes and cancellations require one calendar month's notice. These terms reward planning: a family using shorter sessions still needs a regular weekly commitment, and changing that pattern requires advance notice.

Tour booking and an enquiry route are available. Onsite Parking and the Buggy Store support different travel arrangements, with the latter providing a place to leave a buggy during the day.

Funding and Paid Extras

For eligible children aged nine months to four years, CherryTown offers the early education entitlements of 15 or 30 hours per week for 38 weeks. It also accepts 2 Help funding. Its standard arrangement stretches entitlement over the operating year. Funded hours can stand alone or be combined with privately paid sessions; additional hours attract a charge, and current prices come in the nursery's written quotation.

Private-session fees are all-inclusive, including meals and consumables. During funded hours, food, consumables and enrichment are charged separately through the optional Essentials Package, which families can decline before term begins. Consumables include wipes, nappies, nappy bags, cream and suncream. Opting out can involve supplying alternatives or taking responsibility for collecting and disposing of consumables, depending on the nursery's policy.

The Enrichment Programme is the extra-experience element of that package. Possible activities include gardening, cooking, celebration days and sessions inspired by Forest School, alongside graduation events and visits from local specialists. These are possibilities within the programme, rather than a promised timetable of recurring sessions.

A registration charge and a deposit apply, both waived for fully funded places; the deposit is credited against the final invoice. Payments are monthly in advance. Bank-holiday closures remain chargeable, and sickness or holidays do not attract replacement sessions, refunds or credits.

• A fixed weekly commitment. Two full days or four morning/afternoon sessions must include Monday or Friday. Compare that requirement with the actual days your family needs, rather than choosing on session length alone.
• Participation and behaviour. May 2024 improvement points concerned space for everyone wanting to join activities and consistent follow-through on instructions. During a tour, ask how shared activities are organised and how staff reinforce routines now.
• Funded-hour extras. The Essentials Package is optional, with an opt-out deadline before term starts and possible responsibilities for supplying alternatives. Decide whether the package or the alternative arrangements fit your household.
• Allergies and weaning. The group menu aims to avoid nuts and peanuts but allows for changes in ingredients. Confirm the current arrangements for your child's allergy or weaning needs before agreeing their food plan.

CherryTown suits families choosing either full-day attendance or a regular pattern of morning and afternoon sessions, especially those who value a large garden and age-organised indoor spaces. Its communication-led curriculum gives a clear purpose to play: children practise expressing themselves, exploring and understanding their relationships.

The May 2024 picture combines caring interactions with two concrete improvement points. The practical trade-off is equally clear: several session patterns are offered, but minimum bookings, notice terms and the treatment of funded extras shape how flexible the arrangement will feel. Families comfortable with those terms have a setting whose outdoor space and everyday learning provide useful substance behind the overall judgement.