The Marmalade Cat Day Nursery

A wooden outdoor classroom, vegetables grown for cooking and a nature garden give The Marmalade Cat Day Nursery a clear outdoor character. At the Old School House in Tring, children can investigate insects, tend plants and use sheltered space through the seasons. These are practical experiences with things to touch, change and care for.

The nursery has 40 places in total and welcomes children from 3 months to rising 5 years. Babies, toddlers and preschool children have their own rooms: Kittens, Cats and Tigers. A quiet sleep room with cots gives babies a dedicated place to rest, while the older rooms also make arrangements for children who need a nap.

At its December 2022 inspection, Ofsted rated the nursery Good overall. That is a dated judgement, with useful detail behind it: children explored sensory materials, stories supported their play and staff used home visits to help newcomers settle. Half-day, school-hours, full-day, term-time and wraparound care form the attendance offer; the booking conditions deserve close attention.

Rooms and Ages

Kittens combines play and outdoor time with routines for sleeping and nappy changes, with activities planned around each baby's development and a key worker working alongside parents. Cats mixes activities initiated by children with those led by adults, including colour and shape exploration in rice, imaginative play and opportunities to make decisions. Tigers puts independent life skills alongside early number and sound awareness through games, with children choosing activities and joining group discussions about their interests.

The EYFS informs the preschool curriculum: here, that means exploring numbers and sounds through games, talking together and developing everyday independence. Its practical expression matters more than the label. Children use tongs to help themselves to salad, pour drinks and clear food from their plates, giving useful tasks a place in the day.

Learning and Activities

Play has several different textures here. Babies can experiment with filling and emptying, make sounds with instruments and explore materials such as custard, paint, sand and water. Toddlers have construction resources, pretend domestic play, stories and music, alongside opportunities to dig and pour outside. Quiet activities and sleep sit within the routines too, so a busy day includes opportunities to pause.

In December 2022, babies explored sensory objects and sought familiar adults; toddlers selected songs from a bag. Preschool postal play involved cards and counting pretend coins, while a colour story extended toddlers' discussion of toy trains. Learning grew from play.

Current activities include cooking, planting, music and movement. Regular cooking sessions involve preparing fruit and vegetables and making foods such as pizzas and buns. Preschool plans also include yoga poses, signing with Makaton during songs and using playdough in a dough disco. Each gives children something concrete to practise, whether handling ingredients, moving their bodies or communicating through signs.

Outdoor and Community Life

The outdoor area has rubber surfacing that absorbs impact, equipment for active play and a purpose-built wooden outdoor classroom that supplies shade and shelter. A log-pile and bug-hotels provide places to investigate small creatures. Planting is hands-on: children help with watering, weeding and harvesting, and the produce can become something to taste or cook.

Preschool children use the sandpit, plant seeds and watch tadpoles grow; climbing equipment and trikes support movement. Toddlers transport materials, scoop and pour in the mud kitchen. Outdoor learning spans physical play and caring for living things.

Trips include Tring Zoological museum, nature walks and local attractions. Older preschool children have a planned Whipsnade Zoo visit before graduation; toddlers take regular local trips, including park visits to use play equipment.

Events give families further ways to take part. World book day invites children to dress as a favourite book character. Halloween includes a stay and play event, while Christmas brings a preschool show and themed stay and play sessions for the other rooms. The Pre school sports day/ graduation day combines sporting activities with a ceremony for children moving on to school.

Relationships and Communication

Each child has a key worker throughout nursery, giving parents a contact for routines and learning. In Kittens, planning follows each baby's development.

The FAMLY app shares updates, events and children's experiences with parents and grandparents. Parents evening adds development discussions with the key worker.

In December 2022, settling included home visits tailored to each child; newcomers settled readily and developed affectionate relationships with staff.

Inclusion and Wellbeing

At the December 2022 inspection, Ofsted found safeguarding effective and children with special educational needs and/or disabilities making rapid progress, supported by prompt, targeted help, visual resources and Makaton signing. These findings belong to that inspection date. The current team includes a SENCO lead role, with training linked to liaising with families and arranging appropriate support.

Rest continues beyond the baby sleep room. Toddlers can nap or enjoy puzzles and stories; preschool children have quiet time and can sleep when tired. Families whose children still nap have options across the rooms.

A nursery chef prepares meals from scratch in the kitchen each day, using a weekly food planner and catering for dietary requirements. The nursery has a nut-free policy and checks allergies and individual food needs; families affected by allergies should discuss current practice during their visit.

Sessions and Attendance

The address is Old School House, Gammel Terrace, Tring, HP23 4JH. Opening hours are 8am to 6pm from Monday to Thursday and 9am to 3pm on Friday. A charged extension allows an early morning or late collection of 30 minutes on either side of the day. The shorter Friday window is a significant planning detail for working families.

The attendance options include full days, half days, school hours, term-time care and wraparound care. A 9am to 3pm day also appears in the fee structure. The current enrolment condition is a minimum of two full days per week, so the shorter patterns need to be considered alongside that requirement rather than assumed to replace it.

The nursery operates across the year, closing for bank holidays and one week at Christmas. Visits can be arranged by telephone or email, and an application folder supplies the arrangements and terms before an application is returned. A registration charge applies when submitting that application. Preschool uniform is compulsory, with a polo shirt and sweatshirt; children can wear their own bottoms and shoes.

Funding and Paid Extras

Two-year funding is offered, and funding from 9 months is subject to availability. Working-family funded childcare hours are also supported. The nursery education grant offers 24 funded places subject to availability, with a termly intake beginning in the term after the child's third birthday; places are allocated first come, first served and can be booked one term ahead.

For privately paid care, the fee includes drinks, snacks, meals and daily activities. For working-family funded hours, food is charged separately for the hours used; the nursery education grant arrangements offer meals and extra hours outside the entitlement without making those services a condition of access. Parents using that free entitlement do not pay a deposit.

The nursery fees page sets out the charge structure. For current prices, ask the nursery for a quotation.

• Shorter sessions and the booking minimum. Half-day, school-hours and term-time care sit alongside a requirement for two full days each week. During a visit, discuss how your preferred pattern works with that minimum and the shorter Friday opening hours.
• Independence in everyday care. In December 2022, staff sometimes intervened before children had a chance to manage tasks themselves, and developing independence was the improvement requested. Ask how practitioners now balance help with time for children to try.
• Funded hours and additional items. Food is charged separately on working-family funded hours, while the grant arrangements separate extra services from access to the entitlement. Ask one practical question about what your proposed package includes, including nappies and other consumables.
• Preschool preparation. Uniform is compulsory, and World book day includes dressing as a book character. The graduation event and planned Whipsnade Zoo trip also form part of the preschool experience, giving families practical commitments to consider alongside the learning activities.

The Marmalade Cat suits families interested in gardening, wildlife, cooking and play that builds everyday skills. Its outdoor classroom, baby sleep space and separate rooms give that offer physical substance. Full-day and school-hours care, together with half-day and term-time options, serve different routines, although the two-full-day minimum needs to fit the family's plan.

The December 2022 Good judgement supports its inspection-era quality. The independence recommendation deserves attention alongside today's self-service routines. Hands-on learning, rest and family communication give the nursery a clear identity.