TippyToes Stantonbury Nursery

A farmhouse, an apple orchard and a woodland garden give TippyToes Stantonbury Nursery a clear character: children have space to explore natural materials, move outdoors and develop independence. The setting at Stantonbury Park Farm in Great Linford cares for children from 3 months to 5 years, with capacity for 63 children overall. For parents weighing the youngest age group, the Crawling Caterpillars room has a stated maximum of nine babies.

At its January 2023 inspection, Ofsted rated the nursery Good and judged safeguarding effective, while identifying improvements in adults’ questioning, children’s thinking time and the precision of staff development. That gives families a positive dated assessment with specific teaching questions to pursue, rather than an unqualified endorsement.

Four named age groups take children from early sensory exploration towards preschool independence. Separate sleeping space for the youngest children, home-cooked food and parent access to an online learning journal add practical substance to the farmhouse setting. Morning sessions, afternoon sessions and full days provide different attendance options, subject to a minimum weekly booking.

Rooms and Ages

Crawling Caterpillars, for babies aged 3 to 14 months and capped at nine, combines garden views and natural light with treasure baskets, soft rugs and a cushioned quiet area, while supporting early movement and learning to feed themselves.

Little Lambs, for 14 months to 2 years and accommodating up to 14 babies, uses two rooms for play, shared meals and creative activities, with stories, music and group games helping children practise social participation.

Cheeky Monkeys, for children aged 2 to 3 years and with a maximum of 18 children, overlooks the garden and includes spaces for baking, messy play, sensory exploration and quiet time, with an emphasis on making choices and developing communication.

Roaring Lions, for ages 3 to 5 years, occupies two rooms accommodating up to 26 children, combining role play, group conversations and creative work with practical preparation for school, including dressing, personal hygiene and early letter formation.

These are room limits, rather than promises about how many children attend together each day. The youngest room’s cap is a useful starting point for parents comparing baby provision; the older groups’ arrangements show how the farmhouse is divided into spaces with different purposes.

Learning and Activities

The Early Years Foundation Stage provides the shared early-years framework: children develop language, physical skills and social understanding through play, alongside early experiences of books, numbers, creativity and the world around them. Here, that includes experimenting with materials, building, solving problems and making independent choices. Adult-led activities sit alongside children’s own interests.

Reggio Emilia inspiration adds an emphasis on children directing their exploration, strong relationships and natural or reclaimed resources. Bark, shells and pine cones can become materials for comparing shapes, exploring textures or making artwork; loose parts such as corks, keys and wooden pallets leave room for children to decide what an object might become. The practical value is open-ended play rather than a resource with only one intended use.

Additional experiences include an age-appropriate yoga class delivered by a local teacher for some older children. A travelling reptile roadshow has also visited. These additions sit alongside everyday play; neither a weekly schedule nor participation by every child is implied.

In January 2023, babies explored oats with their hands, toddlers investigated sea creatures held in ice, and older children mixed cinnamon into dough. Adults introduced words connected with what children were doing. Those examples show how sensory activity and conversation worked together at that time, while the improvement priorities highlight the importance of allowing children space to think and reply.

Outdoor and Community Life

The gardens provide several different kinds of activity. A climbing and soft play zone offers physical challenges, while vegetable patches and a nature area with birdboxes and a bughouse give children living things to notice. The woodland garden includes a mud kitchen, a house and a sensory path, extending imaginative play beyond indoor rooms.

An apple orchard sits at the front of the setting. Together, these features make the outdoor offer more than a lawn with equipment: children can investigate textures, play with natural resources and follow their curiosity about plants and small creatures. In January 2023, outdoor play also extended indoor experiences, including pretend ice-cream making with dough and moving rice between containers.

Relationships and Communication

Settling is built around the key person relationship. Parents initially spend time alongside their child, then have an opportunity to step out of the room while staying nearby. This staged arrangement gives the child time to form new relationships and gives staff a chance to understand familiar routines, interests and family circumstances.

The key person takes responsibility for getting to know the child, discussing progress and raising concerns with parents. Daily handovers summarise the day; babies also have a written sheet covering activities, feeding, diet and nappy changes. That gives families practical information about care as well as a conversation about learning.

The Learning Book is an online journal containing observations, photographs and videos, with space for parents to contribute comments and images from home. Progress Evenings take place twice a year and bring parents together with the key person to discuss a written account of development and agree next steps. Communication therefore has several routes, rather than depending entirely on a hurried collection conversation.

Inclusion and Wellbeing

Special Educational Needs and Disabilities Co-Ordinators support identification and assessment of additional needs, including recognising when Early Help may be appropriate. Staff work with parents, other professionals and outside agencies where needed, and the key person provides a route into that support. At the January 2023 inspection, Ofsted found that staff collaborated with families, the local authority and external agencies on individual care plans, and that children with SEND made good progress from their starting points.

A separate room for sleep and relaxation is shared by Crawling Caterpillars and Little Lambs according to individual needs; older groups also have opportunities to rest. Babies’ routines are adapted around parents’ wishes. Sleeping space is therefore planned separately from the youngest children’s busy play areas.

The cook prepares food in the nursery kitchen each day, using a four-week menu, and the nursery’s dietary policy covers allergies, intolerances, preferences and religious or cultural requirements. Meals and snacks are included in the session options, making food part of the attendance arrangement rather than a separate meal booking.

Each room has a senior practitioner working with its team, and the management structure includes a deputy and a third in charge. The cook has food safety and catering qualifications plus allergen training. Safeguarding arrangements include recruitment checks, staff induction, emergency evacuation practice and trained first aiders on site throughout opening hours; these are arrangements, while the dated safeguarding judgement belongs to the inspection.

Sessions and Attendance

Morning sessions run from 7.30am to 1pm; afternoon sessions run from 1.15pm to 6.30pm, with collection possible from 4.30pm. Full days have a 7.30am to 6.30pm window, within which families choose hours, subject to arriving by 9.30am and collecting no earlier than 4.30pm. School-hours attendance may be possible on request for preschool children.

The minimum booking is 15 hours a week, arranged as three morning or afternoon sessions, or one full day plus one half day. This is a material commitment for families seeking only occasional attendance. The nursery operates across the year, closing for bank holidays and two weeks at Christmas; monthly fees are calculated across 50 weeks, excluding that Christmas closure.

The opening timetable is 7.30am to 5.45pm from Monday to Thursday and 8am to 5.30pm on Friday. The difference between this timetable and the session windows needs attention before agreeing a booking.

Getting There

The address is Stantonbury Park Farm, Wolverton Road, Great Linford, Milton Keynes, MK14 5AT. A private car park is on site, giving families a dedicated parking option.

Enquiries can be made by telephone on 01908 222841 or by email at info@tippytoes.me.uk. An online enquiry form also accepts a preferred start date and contact details.

Funding and Paid Extras

Universal Government Funding is offered from the first term after a child’s third birthday, spread across the year as 11.5 funded hours a week. Extended Government Funding can add a further 11.5 hours weekly across the year for children attending at least 35 hours a week, provided parents meet the eligibility criteria and submit their eligibility code within the required timeframe. Additional funding may apply where families meet the council, HMRC and nursery attendance conditions.

Private childcare is also offered. Charges use a session or day basis for younger children, changing to hourly charging from the first term after the third birthday. Current prices should be obtained in the nursery’s written quotation.

A non-refundable registration charge applies when a place is confirmed. A deposit is also required, with its level depending on part-time or full-time attendance; it is credited against the final month’s fees if one month’s written notice has been given. Fees are payable in advance at the beginning of each month, so the quotation and notice terms matter alongside the chosen attendance pattern.

• Opening and session times. The opening timetable ends at 5.45pm Monday to Thursday and 5.30pm Friday, while the session options extend to 6.30pm. This conflict needs resolving for any family relying on later collection; use a booked visit to establish the hours that would apply to your agreement.
• Minimum attendance. A booking requires at least 15 hours weekly, with specified combinations of sessions or days. Families seeking a single short weekly session should weigh that commitment before joining.
• Teaching follow-through. January 2023 improvement priorities concerned questioning, time for children to formulate answers and more precisely targeted staff development. Ask how practitioners now build those changes into everyday activities.
• Care and additional costs. Meals and snacks form part of the session options, and the dietary policy covers individual requirements. For a child with an allergy, confirm current kitchen practice; also ask how nappies, wipes and other consumables would be supplied or charged within your proposed arrangement.

TippyToes suits families who value a farmhouse setting, substantial outdoor play and a gradual progression from baby care to preschool independence. It serves parents seeking morning or afternoon sessions as well as those booking full days, with a minimum attendance commitment that needs to fit family routines.

The strongest practical details are the capped baby room, separate sleep space and several channels for parent communication. Natural resources and the woodland garden give the learning approach tangible form. The Good judgement from January 2023 provides a dated quality assessment, while the teaching priorities and conflicting hours deserve attention when deciding whether this nursery fits the week ahead.