Paws Nursery School

An open-plan nursery and outdoor play that turns snails, logs and water into learning give Paws Nursery School its character. Based at Hayley Green in Warfield, Bracknell, it welcomes children aged two to five. The emphasis is on children making choices, practising independence and learning through conversations with adults, rather than simply completing activities set for them.

At its 24 June 2026 inspection, Ofsted awarded Strong standard for curriculum and teaching and inclusion, with safeguarding standards met. Those judgements sit alongside concrete examples of children investigating living things, tackling physical challenges and developing language through play.

Morning, afternoon and full-day attendance can be combined within a term-time model. That makes Paws relevant to families seeking preschool education around the school calendar, with a choice of shorter or longer days.

Learning and Activities

The spacious open-plan unit has designated activity areas, allowing children to choose what interests them while staff extend their learning. Regular observations help adults shape activities around individual development. The practical value is flexibility: a child's interest can become the starting point for teaching, rather than an interruption to it.

Paws works within the Early Years Foundation Stage, which brings learning, development and care together through play and purposeful activities. Here, that means children exploring curriculum areas while practising cooperation, communication and independence. The framework is the foundation of the nursery's work; the detail lies in how adults use children's play.

In June 2026, a discovery of a snail prompted questions about living creatures and how to look after them. Water play became a counting activity, with frogs on lily pads used to explore what happens when another is added. These examples show how everyday discoveries can carry both language and mathematical learning.

Stories, poems and songs also featured in June 2026. Adults introduced vocabulary through conversation and modelled language that children then used themselves, including children learning English as an additional language. Early literacy and mathematics were woven into preparation for moving on to school.

Outdoor and Community Life

The June 2026 outdoor examples were hands-on. Children collaborated to move logs and work out how to reach ropes hanging from branches, with adult help. Climbing equipment gave them opportunities to test their physical abilities while practising how to judge risk.

A mud kitchen provided another kind of investigation: children mixed potions together and explored their ideas through shared play. An outside tap also supported independence, as older children collected water for themselves. These are useful details for parents who want outdoor activity to involve problem-solving and responsibility as well as movement.

Relationships and Communication

In June 2026, staff adjusted their responses to individual children, offering reassurance or changing an activity when needed. Daily routines included practical steps towards self-care, such as younger children helping with dressing after a nappy change. Adults also taught children to seek another child's permission before tickling, making respect for personal boundaries a concrete part of nursery life.

Pre-start visits may form part of joining, and families receive a Handbook for Parents.

Inclusion and Wellbeing

At the June 2026 inspection, Ofsted found that children with SEND received effective, individually tailored support, including visual prompts and help from their key person, while identifying further development of work to remove learning barriers as the next step. This is a positive assessment with an ongoing improvement priority, rather than a reason to assume every child's support will look the same.

June 2026 practice included cooperation with external professionals, communication strategies and arrangements to help children with SEND prepare for school. Staff used knowledge of individual children to adapt provision, and families could be directed towards additional services.

Health routines were taught explicitly in June 2026: handwashing around meals and toileting, conversations about healthy food, and reminders about drinking enough in hot weather. In June 2026, families provided packed lunches, with staff encouraging healthy choices.

Sessions and Attendance

Paws Nursery School is at Hayley Green, Warfield, Bracknell, RG42 6BS. It usually runs for 39 weeks across three terms, broadly following the local school calendar, and closes for school holidays.

Morning sessions run from 9am to noon, and afternoon sessions from 12.30pm to 3.30pm. Lunch Club is an optional, separately charged midday session from noon to 12.30pm: it bridges the two sessions for a full day from 9am to 3.30pm. Families can also combine a morning with Lunch Club until 12.30pm, or begin at noon before the afternoon session. Half-day attendance is another option.

Enquiries use the ENQUIRE HERE button on the homepage or contact tab. The joining arrangements include parent information and, where appropriate, pre-start visits. This gives families a defined enquiry route and an opportunity to discuss how a child will begin.

Funding and Paid Extras

Funded childcare is accepted for children aged three and over and for eligible two-year-olds, alongside privately paid sessions. Funding operates over 38 weeks rather than the usual 39-week nursery year; attendance beyond the funded period is charged if families choose those additional days. Morning and afternoon sessions qualify for funding, while Lunch Club does not.

Fees are paid in advance each term, and current prices come in the nursery's written quotation. For children not receiving nursery grant, withdrawal or a reduction in sessions requires a term's written notice, or payment in lieu under the relevant terms. The registration charge is currently waived.

• A school-calendar arrangement. The usual nursery year spans 39 weeks, with funding covering 38. Families needing holiday childcare should factor the school-holiday closure into their plans, and distinguish funded attendance from any additional paid days.
• The midday bridge. Lunch Club connects morning and afternoon attendance but is separately charged and outside nursery grant funding. Consider whether a shorter session, an extended morning or afternoon, or the full-day combination best matches your routine.
• Individual support. June 2026 brought positive inclusion findings alongside a next step to develop the removal of learning barriers further. At a visit, discuss how key-person support and visual prompts would be adapted to your child's needs.

Paws suits families seeking morning or afternoon preschool sessions, as well as those wanting a full school day assembled around Lunch Club. Its open-plan layout supports children's choices, while the June 2026 examples give substance to the outdoor learning: counting in water play, investigating a snail and solving practical challenges with logs and ropes.

The term-time calendar and separately paid midday bridge are central to the decision. For families comfortable with that arrangement, Paws offers a clear combination of play-led learning, independence and individual support, backed by a recent positive inspection assessment and a specific priority for further development.