Rectory Lane Nursery

Signs, stories and learning through play give Rectory Lane Nursery its character. Based at Easthampstead Community Centre in Bracknell, it combines opportunities for children to choose their own activities with adult-led learning shaped around their interests. It has capacity for 24 children in total.

At its November 2025 inspection, Ofsted judged behaviour and routines, welfare and wellbeing, and inclusion to be Strong standard, with achievement, curriculum and teaching, and leadership and governance at Expected standard; safeguarding standards were met. The practical detail beneath those judgements matters: children had close relationships with their key persons, while participation in group learning needed more consistent attention.

Attendance is mornings only during term time, with privately paid sessions ending at either midday or 1pm. This is a setting to weigh against the shape of your working day.

Learning and Activities

The Early Years Foundation Stage (EYFS) guides learning here: children select activities, learn through play and take part in adult-led experiences planned around their interests and needs. Self-selection gives children a say in how they spend their time, while planned activities provide opportunities for staff to extend their learning.

Makaton adds signs and symbols to speech to help communication. Children encounter these visual clues during stories, songs and ordinary routines, with all children involved in learning them. For families, this means communication support is part of shared activities, with opportunities to practise the same signs at home.

Jolly Phonics supplies actions for the weekly introduction to letter names and sounds during story time. This gives families a concrete picture of early reading preparation: spoken sounds, letters and accompanying movements feature in the nursery week.

In November 2025, children explored shapes, listened for differences between sounds and recalled a story with staff. Some needed additional help with naming shapes. These examples show how language, listening and early mathematics featured in activities, with support adjusted to the child.

Group participation deserves attention. In November 2025, quieter children were sometimes overlooked during stories, and leaders did not consistently recognise when teaching was ineffective for some children. The next steps were to improve interaction with every child during group activities and evaluate whether longer activities and differentiated teaching supported everyone. For a child who is reluctant to speak in a group, that is a useful point to explore.

Outdoor and Community Life

Outdoor play takes place in all weather, so suitable coats and spare clothing belong in the nursery bag. The outside area has little natural shade; families are asked to supply a summer hat and apply sun cream before the morning session.

In November 2025, outdoor activities gave children practice in making choices, developing physical skills and judging risks. Outdoor learning therefore had a practical role in independence as well as movement.

Relationships and Communication

Keyworkers provide the main point of contact, backed by a Staff Buddy System when a child's usual keyworker is unavailable. This gives parents another member of staff through whom to pass information, keeping communication going when the familiar contact cannot speak to them.

Kinderly holds each child's online learning journey, including photographs of activities. Through Parents as Partners, families are invited to add photographs and comments about learning at home. That makes communication a two-way exchange: parents can see nursery experiences and contribute details that staff would otherwise miss.

Home visits and individual starting dates form part of the arrangements for new children. Staff training includes paediatric first aid and Makaton, and the team includes SENCO, safeguarding lead and SEN support roles.

Inclusion and Wellbeing

At the November 2025 inspection, Ofsted found that children's needs were assessed promptly, support was reviewed and adjusted, and leaders worked with families and specialists; early years pupil premium funding supported small-group language work. The practical emphasis was on identifying a need and adapting the response, rather than relying on the same support for every child.

In November 2025, staff used visual prompts, divided difficult tasks into smaller steps and offered small-group activities. Key persons also noticed changes in children's behaviour or wellbeing. These are useful examples of how support operated at that time, alongside the need for more consistent attention to quieter children in shared activities.

Sessions and Attendance

The address is Easthampstead Community Centre, Rectory Lane, Bracknell, RG12 7BH. Opening hours are 9am to 1pm, Monday to Friday, during term time, across 38 weeks each year.

For privately paid attendance, the two session lengths are 9am to midday and 9am to 1pm. Both require a minimum of two sessions each week. The earlier finish suits a shorter morning; the later finish extends attendance by keeping the child at nursery until 1pm. Neither pattern covers an afternoon working commitment.

Visits can be arranged by telephone, and joining starts through an enquiry or application form. Written notice of six school weeks is required when leaving; the Autumn-term notice reminder states that missing the deadline results in an invoice for the following term.

Funding and Paid Extras

The nursery offers two year old funding and three and four year olds with 20 hours funding, within its term-time operation. Private sessions are also offered. Families comparing these routes should keep the session length and weekly minimum for privately paid attendance in view.

There is an optional one-off contribution for a memory stick containing photographs and videos from the child's time at nursery. Parents apply sun cream at home before attendance. Uniform is optional, so logo clothing is a choice for families.

For current prices, ask the nursery for a quotation.

• Quieter children in groups. The November 2025 findings identified inconsistent inclusion during story time and a need to evaluate teaching more closely. During a visit, ask how staff now draw quieter children into shared activities and assess whether an activity is working for them.
• Morning attendance. Privately paid sessions end at midday or 1pm and require at least two sessions weekly. Match these finish times and term-time operation to your childcare needs.
• Sun protection. The outdoor area has little natural shade, and parents apply sun cream before attendance. Ask how protection is managed throughout outdoor play, including for a child with sensitive skin.
• Leaving arrangements. Six school weeks of written notice are required. Build that lead time into a move to another setting or the end of nursery attendance.

Rectory Lane suits families seeking a shorter morning session or a morning extending to 1pm during term time. Makaton, weekly Jolly Phonics activities and Kinderly give its learning and communication arrangements a recognisable shape. In November 2025, children had close key-person relationships and tailored support, while staff needed to involve every child more consistently in group learning.