Walkers Private Day Nursery

A former school building, free movement between indoor and outdoor play, and signing woven into the day give Walkers Private Day Nursery its character. In Moreton in Marsh’s Old Town, this is a setting where children’s interests help shape activities, with a key person supporting each child’s learning and relationship with their family.

Walkers has capacity for 24 children, accepting ages from 18 months to five years. At its November 2023 inspection, Ofsted rated it Good and found safeguarding effective. That judgement comes with a specific improvement point about giving older and more able children greater challenge, which matters when choosing provision for a child already confident with familiar activities.

Morning and afternoon bookings are offered, alongside longer days and stretched funded arrangements. The practical attraction is choice: families can use a shorter session or combine funding with additional privately paid time.

Learning and Activities

The Early Years Foundation Stage provides the framework for learning through play, with experiences shaped around children’s development and preparation for school. At Walkers, free-flow play lets children choose between the outside and indoor learning spaces during the day. Their interests help determine what happens next, rather than every activity beginning with an adult’s instruction.

Individual learning stories connect those experiences to each child’s development. A booklet records achievements and is shared with the child and their parents, giving families something concrete to discuss beyond whether the day went well. The key person supports individual ways of learning and helps extend what a child can do.

Learn to Sign is a planned programme used by children and staff, with signing incorporated into everyday communication. It pairs visual information with spoken language, giving children another way to follow what is being communicated. This is an addition to the learning framework, rather than a replacement for it.

In November 2023, songs combined actions, signs and spoken words, allowing children to participate even when they did not know every lyric. Another activity encouraged older children to identify objects and notice matching initial sounds. These examples show how communication can be practised through shared play rather than isolated exercises.

The November 2023 improvement action called for staff development to strengthen the challenge offered to older and more able children, because activities and adult support were not consistently extended far enough. Families with a child who learns quickly should give this point proper weight alongside the nursery’s emphasis on child-led exploration.

Outdoor and Community Life

In November 2023, a seed discovered outside led to planting with soil and a pot, followed by conversation about earlier growing experiences. Pretend vehicles, a refuelling area and roads constructed from play bricks gave children opportunities to act out journeys and practise crossing safely. Indoors, dough cutters and rolling tools supported discussion about shapes and counting.

The physical setting also has a clear identity: Walkers occupies Moreton’s former school building at the end of a private driveway. Outdoor access is part of the daily play arrangement, rather than an activity confined to a single scheduled outing.

Relationships and Communication

Settling sessions are tailored to the child, and every child has a key person who works with their family. That gives the transition into nursery a particular adult connection, rather than leaving parents to establish relationships afresh with whoever happens to be nearby.

Learning-story booklets are supplemented by a monthly newsletter covering nursery topics. Parents, children and staff also contribute views through an annual review. These serve different purposes: the booklet follows an individual child, while the newsletter and review keep families involved in the wider running of the setting.

Inclusion and Wellbeing

In November 2023, key persons discussed additional support with families and other professionals when they recognised a need. Staff also gathered words from children’s home languages and information about family celebrations to include in nursery life. These are practical mechanisms for understanding a child’s circumstances, rather than a general promise that every need will be met in the same way.

Support for managing emotions was concrete. In November 2023, timers helped children share favourite toys, while a bell signalled an approaching change of activity. Older children were encouraged to include younger children in play, and staff helped children work through disagreements. The emphasis was on making expectations understandable and helping children participate.

Preparation for school also extended beyond letters. In November 2023, staff worked with local schools and helped children practise managing clothing, expressing ideas and recognising their names, alongside early work with sounds. That gives independence a place beside early literacy.

Sessions and Attendance

Walkers is at St David’s Walk, Church Street, Moreton in Marsh, GL56 0LT. Opening hours are 8am to 6pm on weekdays, across 50 weeks, with a two-week Christmas closure; bank holidays are also excluded.

The main morning booking runs from 8am to 2pm, and the afternoon from 2pm to 6pm, with extra hours bookable. Funding arrangements also include days running from 8am to 4pm or 6pm, and full-time attendance across five days.

Funded-only combinations have their own clock times: 10.10am to 2pm across three days, 10.35am to 4pm across two days, 12.35pm to 6pm across two days, or 2.10pm to 6pm across three days for the stretched 15-hour entitlement. A stretched 30-hour option runs from 10.25am to 6pm across three days. These are specific funding combinations, rather than interchangeable versions of the standard morning and afternoon sessions.

The Holiday Club caters for children aged four to 12 at the nursery during school holidays except Christmas. It offers 8am to 6pm, 8am to 2pm or 2pm to 6pm bookings, with additional hours alongside the shorter patterns. This may be useful for families arranging holiday care for an older sibling.

Enquiries can be made through the contact form, by telephone on 01608 651334 or by email at info@walkersprivatedaynursery.com.

Funding and Paid Extras

Walkers accepts 15 and 30 hr funding, spreading the entitlement across 50 weeks rather than delivering it solely over the 38-week funding year. The detailed attendance options assume a child starts accessing funding in September and receives their full entitlement; additional sessions and days are privately paid.

Morning snacks, lunch and afternoon snacks are provided, with food charged separately in the funded attendance options. Meal charges are optional, and families can supply packed meals instead. Current prices come in the nursery’s written quotation.

• Challenge for confident learners. The November 2023 improvement point concerned extending learning for older and more able children. During a visit, ask how staff now adapt familiar activities when a child is ready for more.
• The exact funded timetable. Stretched funding includes several start times and attendance combinations, with privately paid hours alongside some options. Compare the chosen pattern with work commitments, and ask what arrangements apply to non-food consumables.
• A useful visit. Appointments can be arranged, and spontaneous visits are welcomed, with shorter tours around lunch and rest periods. Arrange a time that allows you to discuss settling and see how indoor and outdoor play are organised.

Walkers suits families seeking morning or afternoon care as well as those needing longer days with funded and privately paid hours combined. Free-flow play, individual learning stories and Learn to Sign give the daily offer substance; tailored settling and a key person provide a clear starting point for family relationships.

The Good judgement from November 2023 supports the overall picture, but the challenge offered to older and more able children remains the key point to examine. For families choosing between a shorter session and a longer attendance pattern, both the learning approach and the precise funded timetable deserve attention.