Montagu Square Day Nursery

A mud kitchen, covered spaces for younger children and a progression from Ladybirds to Butterflies give Montagu Square Day Nursery a clear character: hands-on play, growing independence and different spaces for different stages. This Eynesbury setting accepts children aged two months to five years.

At its March 2023 inspection, Ofsted rated the nursery Good and judged safeguarding effective. Sensory play, storytelling and everyday independence shaped children's learning in that period.

Current arrangements include paid and funded childcare, with full-day and shorter School Day bookings. The garden and age-banded rooms give families concrete reasons to consider the setting; the dated teaching and information-sharing concerns deserve equal attention.

Rooms and Ages

Ladybirds, for children aged 1–18 months, combines sensory and creative play with music and speech, supporting movement, early communication and relationships in a calmly arranged baby space.

Dragonflies, covering 18–24 months, builds independence through conversation, books and creative activities, giving children opportunities to practise doing more for themselves.

Busy Bees, for 24–36 months, brings maths and literacy into activities alongside learning routines, recognising boundaries and becoming more independent.

Butterflies, for 36–60 months, uses play across seven areas of development within a more classroom-like preschool space, helping children prepare for their next stage.

Learning and Activities

The early years foundation stage is the framework for children's learning, development and care here. In parent language, that means play and everyday experiences serve learning as well as keeping children occupied: conversation develops language, movement builds physical skills, and shared activities give children practice with others.

In March 2023, babies scooped and stirred rice and snow, while older babies experimented with water, tea bags and chocolate powder during pretend tea parties. These were simple materials with a purpose: manipulating spoons exercised small hand movements, while pretend play gave children something to talk about. Toddlers supplied their own stories as they looked through books. Reading was woven through the day.

During the same period, staff expanded children's vocabulary in conversation and encouraged them to explain their drawings. There was also a limitation: some practitioners were unclear about whether the next learning steps suited the individual child, and some expected too much understanding from older children. The improvement request was for professional development that would strengthen teaching knowledge and skills. Activity choice and teaching precision are separate considerations.

Outdoor and Community Life

Younger children have two covered, enclosed areas for free movement outdoors. Beyond these, the garden contains a mud kitchen, a sensory playhouse, trikes and cars, plus a natural exploration corner where children can investigate textures and watch growth.

In March 2023, children used bicycles and tackled a garden obstacle course. Environmental habits also extended indoors: rooms had compost bins and recycling areas, with books used to explain their purpose where appropriate to children's ages. Caring for the surroundings was made tangible through everyday actions.

The nursery maintains links with local schools to help children prepare for moving on. That is transition work: helping the next stage feel more familiar, rather than an admissions advantage.

Relationships and Communication

In March 2023, babies sought familiar staff for comfort and sometimes fell asleep while being held. Staff knew children's interests and personalities, giving relationships a practical role in how they supported play and settling.

Communication in that period included spoken updates about the day and written daily diaries for younger children. Parents also received food menus and guidance on toilet training and childhood illnesses, and discussed their children's development with staff. Older children borrowed books to share at home. This connected family life with nursery experiences through specific information and activities.

Independence extended beyond learning tasks. In March 2023, self-care stations let children get drinks, attend to their noses and clean their hands, while older children practised toileting, dressing and clearing plates. These small responsibilities gave children repeated opportunities to manage familiar needs.

Inclusion and Wellbeing

At the March 2023 inspection, Ofsted found that the special educational needs coordinator worked with families and other professionals to arrange targeted support for children with SEND. Current staffing includes a deputy manager with SENDCO training and Mental Health First Aider training, alongside Child Protection Officer and Designated Safeguarding Lead roles.

A sensory garden room provides another space for play and exploration. In March 2023, preschool children also used books and props to recognise and manage feelings, while staff helped children take turns and deal with small disagreements. Emotional development was addressed through familiar situations and resources.

The information-sharing weakness matters for children attending more than one setting: in March 2023, there was no reciprocal exchange with their other childcare providers. School-transition links existed, but coordination with another nursery or childcare setting needed separate work.

Sessions and Attendance

The address is Montagu Square, Eynesbury, St. Neots, PE19 2TL. Opening hours are 8am–6pm, Monday to Friday. Bookings include Full Day from 8am–6pm, another Full Day option ending at 5pm, and School Day from 8am–3.30pm.

Funded hours fit those session patterns; care is not sold by the hour. Hours beyond a child's funded allocation are charged separately.

Care runs across the year. Bank holidays are closures for which normal charges apply; additional Christmas closures vary annually, are communicated ahead of time and are not charged. Sickness and holidays do not attract exchanges, refunds or credits. Permanent alterations to a booking pattern require one calendar month's notice, so a changing work schedule has a contractual consequence as well as a practical one.

Enquiries can be made through the Enquire Now route, by telephone on 01480 475522 or by email to office@montagu-square.co.uk. A late collection charge applies after the agreed session ends.

Funding and Paid Extras

The nursery offers 15-hour and 30-hour funded entitlements: these cover universal funding for three- and four-year-olds, eligible two-year-olds, and eligible working families from the term after a child reaches nine months. Funding allocated for 38 weeks is stretched across 52 weeks, spreading it through the nursery's year-round care rather than retaining the term-time weekly allocation.

Meals are prepared daily by nursery chefs using a three-week menu cycle, with individual dietary requirements, preferences and allergies accommodated. Paid sessions include food and consumables, whereas on days using funded hours, meals, snacks and consumables carry separate voluntary charges, with families able to supply their own under the nursery's policies.

A non-refundable deposit secures a booking and a registration charge falls due when the placement starts; both are waived for fully funded places. Monthly invoices are issued on the third and payment is due within two weeks. Current prices come in the nursery's written quotation, with the fees and funding terms explaining how the different arrangements work.

• Teaching matched to the child. In March 2023, some next learning steps lacked a clear connection to individual development, and expectations of older children could be too high. At a visit, ask how staff now choose and review the next steps for a child in the relevant room.
• Care shared between settings. Reciprocal information-sharing with other childcare providers needed improvement in March 2023. Families using two settings should discuss how care and learning information will pass between them.
• Funding across the year. Entitlements are stretched, sessions have fixed patterns and funded-day food and consumables have voluntary separate charges. Compare the whole booking and the choices about supplying items when considering the written quotation.
• The youngest children's settling. Ladybirds emphasises relationships, sensory play and early communication. Ask how a baby's settling period and key-person arrangements would work alongside their usual comfort and sleep routines.

Montagu Square suits families seeking either a full-day booking or a shorter School Day, with age-banded rooms and outdoor resources that give children practical things to explore. The mud kitchen, protected spaces for younger children and sensory garden room add substance to that offer.

The March 2023 Good judgement provides a dated quality reference. Teaching precision and coordination with other childcare settings remain the specific points to discuss, while the stretched funding and different treatment of paid and funded sessions deserve a careful comparison against the family's intended booking.