Viking Adventurers

A converted caretaker’s house for babies and younger children, plus a separate preschool building beside the playing field, give Viking Adventurers a clear physical character. Based within the grounds of Wentworth Primary School in Maldon, it combines nursery and preschool provision with clubs for school-age children. The nursery garden can be divided between age groups, while the preschool has its own fenced outdoor area.

At its July 2024 inspection, Ofsted rated the provision Good, found safeguarding effective and recognised targeted support for children with special educational needs and/or disabilities (SEND), including cooperation with parents and other agencies. There are 20 places in total. That is whole-setting capacity, rather than the size of an individual room or group.

The nursery facilities cater for babies aged 0 to 2 and children aged 2 to 5; the separate preschool serves children from 3 years to school age. Preschool attendance can be a morning, an afternoon or a full day during term time.

Rooms and Ages

The baby accommodation occupies a former caretaker’s house that has been extended and modernised. Babies aged 0 to 2 have an exploration room beside a space for resting and eating, with outdoor space readily accessible. Keeping these functions close together gives care routines a clear place alongside play.

For children aged 2 to 5, the upstairs accommodation includes child-sized toilet facilities and connected rooms; an extension adds floor space, accessible toilet facilities and direct garden access. The enclosed garden can serve different ages separately or be used as a single space. These are useful differences to examine when choosing between the nursery accommodation and the separate preschool building.

Learning and Activities

The Early Years Foundation Stage provides the basis for learning and care: children learn through play, with adults extending their experiences and helping them develop new skills. In preschool, children choose some activities themselves, while practitioners introduce others with particular learning goals. The nursery’s older children also have adult-led activities alongside exploration and play, with school preparation becoming an emphasis in their final year.

In July 2024, conversations turned practical experiences into learning. Children investigated what happened when objects displaced water and discussed evaporation in sunshine; animal discussions introduced vocabulary about tusks, humps and hydration. Familiar stories gave children opportunities to anticipate the next part. These examples connect language with things children can examine, remember and talk about.

The July 2024 inspection identified two improvements: staff needed a clearer understanding of how to translate curriculum intentions into activities, and older or more able children needed greater challenge. Those points qualify the positive examples. Lively interactions matter, but activities also need a clear purpose and enough scope for children ready to take their learning further.

Outdoor and Community Life

The preschool occupies a refurbished demountable building at the rear of the school, beside its playing field, with a fenced garden of its own. In July 2024, children used a mud kitchen for shared exploration and practised counting through jumps across numbered stepping stones. Movement, investigation and conversation formed part of the learning observed in July 2024.

For school-age children, the Holiday Club includes creative work, music, sport and indoor and outdoor games. Sports coaches, themed days and local trips add variety, with the latter two carrying an additional charge. The themed days and local trips vary between holidays, so they are a separate consideration from the preschool day.

Relationships and Communication

Daily conversations at handover and open evenings give preschool parents opportunities to discuss progress and next steps with their child’s key person. Tapestry, an online learning journal with secure home access, provides another route: parents can respond to observations and share experiences from home. Communication can therefore continue beyond the brief exchange at the end of a session.

In July 2024, parents gave staff information about how their child was learning and developing when they joined preschool. Practitioners used these details alongside their observations to decide what children should learn next. Parents could also borrow books from a lending library and join stay-and-play sessions. Flexible settling arrangements were used where families needed them, rather than treating every child’s start in the same way.

Inclusion and Wellbeing

In July 2024, staff discussed support strategies with parents and outside agencies, and leaders considered how additional funding could benefit individual children. The manager also held the special educational needs coordinator role. For families seeking support, these are concrete mechanisms to discuss alongside their child’s particular needs.

Independence featured in everyday routines at that time: children poured drinks and tried using tongs for fruit, with encouragement to persevere. The nursery’s baby accommodation also places resting and eating beside the exploration room, making the physical arrangement relevant to families weighing sleep and care routines.

Preschool transition work includes story sessions and seasonal performances with local schools, especially during the summer term, as well as opportunities for school staff to meet children. These activities help make the next setting familiar. Attending Viking Adventurers does not guarantee a Reception place; families still apply through the local authority.

Sessions and Attendance

Viking Adventurers is based at Wentworth Primary School, Viking Road, Maldon, CM9 6JN. The contact address also uses 15 Viking Road. The nursery’s opening hours are 8am to 5pm, Monday to Friday; the school-age clubs have their own attendance windows.

Term-time preschool mornings run from 8.50am to 11.50am, afternoons from 11.50am to 2.50pm, and full-day sessions from 8.50am to 2.50pm. The baby nursery provides full-day care. These are different services, so the preschool timetable should not be treated as the nursery’s timetable.

Breakfast Club runs from 7.30am to 8.45am, while After School Club runs from 3.10pm to 6pm. Holiday Club offers full-day sessions from 8am to 5pm and half-day sessions, both on request, and a Short Day Care option consisting of any 6 hours within the opening window, subject to planned trips. An early start at 7.30am depends on uptake.

Enquiries can be made through the contact form, by email or by telephone. Preschool and club application forms provide separate joining routes for the different services.

Funding and Paid Extras

In July 2024, funded early education was provided for children aged two, three and four. Current prices come in the nursery’s written quotation. Holiday Club themed days and local trips carry an additional charge, which families should factor into the cost of those particular bookings.

Attendance here does not guarantee a Reception place at Wentworth Primary School. Families still need to use the local authority admissions process.

• Two early-years settings on one site. Babies and younger children use the converted house, while preschool has a separate building. During a visit, ask which accommodation your child would use and how moves between the services are managed.
• Purpose and challenge in learning. The July 2024 improvement points concerned activity planning and stretching older or more able children. Ask how practitioners now plan the next level of learning for a child who has mastered an activity.
• Funding and the complete quotation. Funded early education formed part of the July 2024 offer. Before booking, ask which current entitlements and attendance patterns apply, and how meals and non-food consumables are handled within the quotation.

Viking Adventurers suits families seeking term-time preschool mornings, afternoons or full days, as well as those considering nursery care for a younger child and school-age clubs for an older sibling. The separate buildings and enclosed gardens give the services clear physical identities, while Tapestry and school transition activities make parent communication and the next stage tangible.

The July 2024 strengths sit alongside specific work on curriculum planning and greater challenge. Those are useful questions for a visit, especially for families choosing provision for an older preschool child.