Burgh Wood Montessori Nursery School

Weekly woodland learning and visits to Banstead Manor Care Home give Burgh Wood Montessori Nursery School a life beyond its nursery premises. In Banstead, the emphasis combines children choosing their own activities with practical learning alongside others. Montessori here means opportunities to make choices, handle materials and develop interests with guidance from practitioners. Independence has a concrete place in the day.

At its July 2024 inspection, Ofsted rated the nursery Outstanding and found safeguarding effective. The detail behind that judgement included imaginative play organised by children themselves, conversations that extended their ideas and support adapted to individual children during challenging activities. These are useful examples of how adults can guide learning while leaving children room to take the initiative.

Burgh Wood accepts children aged two to five. Its purpose-built premises include a substantial garden and a forest school area, giving outdoor activity a physical base alongside the indoor learning spaces. Full-day, morning and afternoon bookings provide different ways to use the nursery; the calendar includes selected holiday weeks as well as term time.

Learning and Activities

The Early Years Foundation Stage sets the shared requirements for children's learning and care. Children practise language, movement and social skills alongside early literacy, mathematics and exploration through play. Burgh Wood's Montessori approach sits alongside this common foundation.

Free-flow play areas let children pursue interests with their peers, guided by practitioners within a structured environment. Montessori sensory materials encourage exploration through the senses. Children choose activities; adults plan and respond to their needs.

Next Steps builds individual learning plans around interests identified with children and parents. Observations of achievements and learning styles inform activities, connecting a child's curiosity with what practitioners plan next.

In July 2024, children invented a birthday celebration, dressed in costumes and organised the game together. Adults encouraged discussion about developing it further, extending imagination, conversation and cooperation. Planting carrots also prompted children to explore seeds, learn about their care and connect the activity with wall pictures. Discussion turned gardening into learning about growth over time.

Outdoor and Community Life

Burgh Wood Bear Forest School provides weekly term-time outdoor exploration for children aged three to school age. Den-building, tree climbing and seasonal blackberry dye-making give children practical experiences; gathered leaves and cones become woodland displays or materials for the nursery's nature table.

Wednesday sessions run from 9am to noon, with first-come-first-served sign-up, parental consent and suitable clothing required. Families need to fit this separately booked activity around their attendance pattern.

Weekly visits to Banstead Manor Care Home bring children and residents together for shared activities, adding regular contact across generations to the nursery week.

Relationships and Communication

Each child has an assigned key person, giving families a particular practitioner connected to their child's learning and care. A home visit forms part of the induction process, alongside settling-in provision. That creates an opportunity to begin the relationship before nursery attendance starts, with the child's familiar surroundings as the starting point.

The Blossom Educational Parent App allows information to travel both ways: practitioners share observations with families, and parents contribute experiences from home. Those contributions help build the child's learning journey. An interest or achievement observed at home can therefore inform activities at nursery.

In July 2024, parental information shaped activities around children's interests. Families shared cultural traditions through stories and food, giving children personal connections to different beliefs and customs.

Behaviour routines that July included group discussions of rules and reminders between children during play. Adults helped children manage their responses, combining shared expectations with individual support.

Inclusion and Wellbeing

At the July 2024 inspection, Ofsted found that communication between parents, staff and other agencies supported children with SEND, while information about individual interests and learning priorities helped staff tailor their support. The emphasis was on knowing the child and coordinating the adults involved, rather than treating additional needs as a separate part of nursery life.

Current arrangements include a SENCO role and designated safeguarding lead roles. The registration form gathers information about medical conditions, allergies, dietary requirements, additional needs and support from other agencies. These are concrete routes for sharing information that affects a child's care; the form also provides for a family collection password when someone else collects the child.

Preparation for primary school includes work with primary teachers. It sits alongside individual learning and the nursery's attention to independence, rather than implying an admissions advantage. Families choosing Burgh Wood for the preschool years can weigh this transition work alongside the practical fit of its attendance patterns.

Sessions and Attendance

Burgh Wood is at 40 Brighton Road, Banstead, Surrey, SM7 1BT. Enquiries can be made by telephone on 01737 356105 or through the contact form. The nursery opens Monday to Friday, from 7.45am to 5.45pm.

Parents can combine five booking options. Full Day runs from 7.45am to 5.45pm; Full Morning from 7.45am to 12.30pm; and Full Afternoon from 12.30pm to 5.45pm. Core Morning starts later, at 8.45am, and ends at 12.30pm, while Core Afternoon runs from 12.30pm to 4pm. These are separate session choices, so a family seeking shorter attendance has alternatives to the full opening day.

The 45-week year includes half terms, the first Easter holiday week and the first two summer holiday weeks. August, the second Easter holiday week, Christmas and bank holidays are closed. Families have some holiday cover alongside planned breaks.

Registration requires a nursery registration form, a parent or guardian agreement and a birth certificate or passport copy. A non-refundable deposit forms part of the new-starter arrangements and includes uniform items and settling-in provision.

Funding and Paid Extras

Funded childcare is offered to eligible families, including Working Parents Entitlement, Universal Childcare and Free Early Education for Two year olds (FEET). The funding arrangements describe entitlement over 38 weeks. Private sessions are also offered, allowing families to combine funded attendance with additional paid time.

For eligible families using 15-hour Working Parents, Universal or FEET funding, the entitlement rates apply to the first five Core sessions each week, with Standard rates applying to further sessions. That condition matters when comparing a desired weekly pattern with the funded portion of attendance. Current prices come in the nursery's written quotation; the sessions and fees page sets out the booking structure.

Meals are included in the session prices shown for both Standard and funded attendance: Full Day includes breakfast, lunch and tea, Full Morning includes breakfast and lunch, Core Morning includes lunch, and Full Afternoon includes tea. The meal arrangement therefore depends on the selected session.

• Holiday cover. The 45-week year includes half terms and selected Easter and summer weeks, but August and other holiday periods are closed. Match the calendar to the weeks your family needs care.
• Wednesday woodland sessions. Burgh Wood Bear Forest School is for children aged three and over, with consent, suitable clothing and first-come-first-served booking. Discuss how this fits the attendance pattern you are considering.
• Settling and care supplies. The induction includes a home visit and settling-in provision. At a visit, discuss the settling schedule for your child.
• Funded session combinations. The 15-hour rate condition distinguishes the first five Core sessions from additional sessions. Request a written quotation for your intended combination so the funded and private portions are clear.

Burgh Wood suits families seeking Montessori-inspired learning with practical outdoor experiences and regular contact beyond the nursery. Its woodland sessions, care-home visits and individual Next Steps planning give that character substance. The Outstanding judgement from July 2024 provides a strong inspection position, with concrete examples of children's independence and adults adapting activities around them.

The attendance choices suit families seeking mornings or afternoons as well as those needing full days. The main practical decision is how those sessions and the 45-week calendar fit family life, with the age threshold and separate arrangements for Forest School also worth weighing.