Clarence House Chatteris

Three garden spaces give Clarence House Chatteris much of its character: babies have their own garden, alongside the main garden and a natural learning garden. A converted house on Bridge Street provides the indoor setting. The combination gives families a useful picture of the nursery: domestic in scale and appearance, with outdoor play taking several forms rather than relying on one shared space.

Children aged 3 to 60 months attend. At its July 2021 inspection, Ofsted rated the nursery Good, judged safeguarding effective and found that children with special educational needs and/or disabilities received good support. Those are dated judgements, and later safety-related regulatory findings also matter to the overall picture.

Attendance includes full days, hourly bookings and shorter funded-only patterns, with both term-time and stretched funding options.

Learning and Activities

The early years foundation stage provides the framework for children's learning, development and care, with play supporting learning across the day. Here, current additions include Monkeynastix, an extra activity intended to develop coordination, balance, teamwork and physical skills. That gives movement a specific place alongside indoor and outdoor play.

Superstar Sports, Gardener Green Fingers, Little Bakers, School Readiness and Sensory Science are included as standard activities. Their inclusion matters when comparing the core session with additional activities: these sit within the usual offer, while Monkeynastix is presented as an extra.

In July 2021, toddlers explored everyday care through washing dolls and brushing their teeth; older children made ice cream and watched ingredients change from liquid to solid. Cooking also brought numbers into practical use through weighing. These examples show the kinds of hands-on experiences children had at that time, rather than a timetable of current sessions.

Outdoor and Community Life

The baby garden, natural learning garden and main garden give outdoor provision different settings. An all-weather play surface supports physical play, while the climbing frame and mud kitchen offer contrasting ways to use the space. Indoors, a digital table adds another resource to the children's activities.

In July 2021, children searched for insects using bug bingo sheets and compared stone sizes in the toddler garden. Construction play also gave children opportunities to count bricks. The garden was therefore used for observation and mathematics as well as movement. For families who value outdoor learning, the important detail is how staff use these spaces, not simply that a garden exists.

In July 2021, babies sought reassurance from familiar adults and shared books with them. Staff used a sand timer to help children wait for a turn, giving a concrete cue when sharing became difficult. These observations describe relationships and everyday routines at that point; they should not be mistaken for a current staffing snapshot.

Communication also had practical content in July 2021. Parents received updates about learning, ideas for activities at home and books to borrow. Staff worked with families and other professionals when children needed additional support, and liaised with schools over transitions. However, information exchange with other early-years settings attended by the same children was inconsistent. Strengthening those partnerships was the improvement action, with direct relevance to families splitting attendance between providers.

Safety history deserves clear treatment: following a child accessing the kitchen and hiding in a tumble dryer in July 2022, Ofsted's August 2022 regulatory outcome recorded corrective action, while its October 2025 outcome identified a further requirement failure and recorded improved risk assessment procedures. Both outcomes describe action taken to put matters right. The later document does not establish all the concerns originally raised as findings, and neither outcome should be read as an unresolved restriction.

Meals and snacks are included in sessions, including funded sessions. This makes food part of the attendance package rather than a separate food charge.

Sessions and Attendance

Opening hours are 7.30am to 6pm, Monday to Friday. The address is Oakdale, Bridge Street, Chatteris, PE16 6RN. The nursery operates across the year, closing for bank holidays and a week at Christmas.

A full-day session runs from 8.30am to 5.30pm; a full-week booking uses that same daily window. Other attendance is priced by the hour, and breakfast is included with an Early Start session. The distinction between opening hours and the full-day booking matters: the standard full day does not occupy the entire opening window.

Funded-only examples include mornings from 9am to noon, afternoons from 1pm to 4pm and term-time days from 9am to 3pm. Stretched examples include 9.30am to 3pm, with other combinations using shorter mornings or afternoons. These are example patterns rather than a promise that every combination suits every entitlement.

Funding and Paid Extras

Eligible families can use 15 or 30 hours of funding. Term-time funding covers 38 weeks; stretched delivery spreads the entitlement over 51 weeks, using 11 or 22 hours each week respectively. Funded hours can be used from Monday to Friday within the 7.30am to 6pm opening window, subject to a maximum of 10 funded hours per day.

Additional attendance beyond the entitlement is privately paid, with funded hours deducted from booked sessions. Funded sessions carry no compulsory extras or top-up charges, and their meals and snacks are free. Current prices come in the nursery's written quotation.

A non-refundable registration charge and a refundable deposit apply except to children attending funded-only sessions. A monthly administration charge applies to the first chargeable invoice, with funded-only attendance exempt when nothing is payable. For a start more than two months after registration, an optional holding arrangement reserves the place, subject to its refund and non-attendance terms.

Getting There

Bridge Street is close to the A142 and A141, with routes towards March, Ely and surrounding villages. Parking supports collection and drop-off.

Children moving on from preschool tend to attend Kingsfield Primary School, Manea Primary School or Glebelands Primary School. This describes destinations rather than an admissions advantage: nursery attendance does not guarantee a school place.

• Safety procedures. The August 2022 and October 2025 outcomes both recorded corrective action after safety-related failures. At a visit, discuss how access to hazardous areas and risk assessments work in daily practice.
• Shared attendance. Information exchange with other settings was the July 2021 improvement action. Families using more than one provider should explore how achievements, interests and care routines are now shared.
• The whole booked day. Standard full days run from 8.30am to 5.30pm within longer opening hours. Match the actual booking to working hours, and discuss the Early Start option if breakfast attendance matters.
• Baby care essentials. With a separate baby garden and admission from 3 months, ask how settling and sleep routines are arranged for your child.

Clarence House Chatteris suits families considering full-day or hourly attendance, as well as those seeking shorter funded mornings, afternoons or term-time days. Its gardens, mud kitchen and included named activities give the offer substance beyond the booking options. The July 2021 Good judgement is a useful historical benchmark; the repeated safety-related findings make current procedures an important part of the decision. For families combining nursery with another setting, communication between providers deserves equal attention.