Rectory Garden Montessori School

An acre of garden gives Rectory Garden Montessori School its strongest physical identity. In Melton, near Woodbridge, the building sits beside open countryside, with wildlife adding interest to the surroundings. Inside the educational offer, Montessori learning connects ideas with practical experiences; outside, gardening and Forest school recur weekly. This is a nursery where the grounds have a clear place in the week.

At its June 2022 inspection, Ofsted judged the provision Good and safeguarding effective, while asking for more consistent support for younger children’s hygiene.

The ACORN room serves children aged 1 to 2.5 years, while the OAK ROOM takes children from 2.5 years to school age. Morning and full-day attendance are offered, with a minimum of two sessions across two different days each week.

Rooms and Ages

The ACORN room combines its younger age group with weekly gardening and Forest school, an approach centred on learning outdoors.

For the OAK ROOM, weekly curriculum activities include ballet and Acro, plus sport led by Xtra Time sports development, alongside gardening and Forest school.

Moving between rooms is gradual. The transition procedure sets 30 months as the earliest age for entering the older group, but readiness also matters: children first spend time there playing and sharing meals, with their existing key person helping them become familiar with the next group. Parents take part in planning the change.

Learning and Activities

The early years foundation stage provides the framework for children’s learning, development and care: in everyday terms, it brings communication, play, physical development and growing independence into the nursery day. Montessori is the approach added here. Its concrete contribution is to connect abstract ideas with experiences children can handle and explore, giving practical activity a purpose beyond simply keeping children occupied.

In June 2022, children explored water with pipettes, an activity that exercised the small muscles used for writing. Floating and sinking experiments invited them to make predictions, compare materials and record what happened using tally marks. These examples show how physical exploration and early thinking skills were brought together, with tally charts helping children understand that marks have meaning.

Language also ran through ordinary activities in June 2022. Staff expanded young children’s single-word contributions into longer phrases, while older children explored letter sounds through familiar names. Songs and rhymes were part of each day.

Outdoor and Community Life

The acre of garden and surrounding countryside give the outdoor offer a substantial setting. Weekly gardening brings children into contact with growing things, while Forest school establishes a recurring outdoor activity for both age groups.

In June 2022, outdoor play also involved wheeled toys, balancing on planks and tyres, and throwing beanbags towards containers. The activities called on different movements, including balancing, riding and aiming. The grounds supported physical practice as well as exploration.

Relationships and Communication

Every child has a key person, whose role includes following their interests, supporting development and encouraging independence. That gives families a particular practitioner around whom to build the relationship, rather than treating communication as a responsibility shared anonymously across the team.

Settling follows a three-stage approach: a familiar adult stays close initially, the child develops confidence with the key person, and separation grows as that relationship becomes secure. The manager and key person agree the plan with parents and revisit it after each session. For younger children, the initial sessions involve the parent staying throughout; later separation develops according to the child’s response.

The procedure also addresses difficulties directly. Distress prompts discussion about triggers and a return to an earlier stage of settling, rather than simply extending separation. Families should allow time to participate: parental involvement forms part of the arrangement, and the procedure allows another close relative to help where taking part is difficult.

For children learning English as an additional language, settling can include an interpreter for induction and a small vocabulary of familiar words supplied by the family. Parents are encouraged to use the child’s home language during the settling period. This gives the key person a practical starting point for understanding the child, rather than expecting English alone to carry the early relationship.

Inclusion and Wellbeing

The SEND procedure sets out a route from initial observations to agreed support. A key person raises concerns with parents and the SENCO or manager; more complex needs can lead to an action plan and external referrals. Plans specify the support, resources and people involved, with parents agreeing a review at least once a term. This makes the next steps concrete and gives families a point at which to evaluate them.

Medical needs can be incorporated through a health care plan alongside the support plan. Where core resources cannot meet a child’s needs, the procedure provides for an application for additional local authority funding. These are support mechanisms, rather than a promise that any particular arrangement or funding award will follow.

At the June 2022 inspection, Ofsted found that staff worked with families and professionals to support children needing additional help, with extra funding used for individual support and learning resources. In June 2022, that support combined individual help with learning resources.

The team includes Montessori diploma holders, SENCO roles and a Forest school leader. Those roles connect the stated learning approach, outdoor activities and additional-needs procedures with identifiable responsibilities within the staff structure.

Sessions and Attendance

The address is Old Church Road, Melton, Woodbridge, IP13 6DH. Opening hours are 8am to 4pm, Monday to Friday. Morning and full-day sessions are offered, and attendance must cover at least two sessions on separate days each week. That minimum matters for families considering a single weekly visit.

Fees are worked out from weekly attendance and the number of weeks in the term. Late payment attracts a surcharge. Families can request a visit through the contact form or contact the nursery by telephone or email; current prices should come in a written quotation covering the intended attendance pattern.

Funding and Paid Extras

Eligible families can access up to 15 or 30 funded hours per week, delivered over 38 weeks on a term-time basis. The funding information covers eligible children from nine months to four years, while the nursery’s room offer starts at one year. The entitlement’s age range should therefore be read separately from the setting’s accepted starting age.

For morning and full-day sessions, snacks are included in the fee, while children attending over lunch bring a packed lunch; the nursery asks for this to be nut-free. Water and milk are supplied throughout the day. This is a mixed food arrangement: some food is included, but lunch remains a family responsibility.

The terms and fees page brings together the attendance minimum, funding structure and payment terms. A quotation tied to the chosen pattern helps families assess the paid attendance alongside funded entitlement.

• Younger children’s hygiene. In June 2022, support for younger children’s handwashing and related routines was inconsistent. During a visit, ask how practitioners now help the youngest children build those habits.
• Time for settling. Parents participate in the early settling sessions, with separation increasing as the child becomes comfortable. Families with fixed work commitments will need to plan who can take part.
• Starting age and funding. Rooms begin at one year, although the funding entitlement described extends to eligible children from nine months. Families should base their plans on the nursery’s room ages, and ask how funded attendance and non-food consumables would be handled for their chosen sessions.
• Lunch arrangements. Children staying through lunch bring their own food, and the nursery requests nut-free packed lunches. Families managing allergies should confirm current food-handling practice before starting.

Rectory Garden suits families looking for Montessori learning with regular outdoor activity, whether they want morning attendance or full-day sessions. The acre of garden, weekly gardening and Forest school make the outdoor offer concrete; the older room adds movement and sport to that pattern.

Its key-person arrangement and detailed settling procedure give parents a clear role in the early weeks. The June 2022 hygiene improvement point deserves a direct conversation, especially for families choosing the younger room. With that question addressed, the main decision is how the room offer, parental settling involvement and minimum attendance fit the child and family.