Co-op Childcare Tadworth

Nature trails, a wilderness walk and broad lawns give Co-op Childcare Tadworth a clear outdoor identity. Its setting within The Children’s Trust grounds also brings regular contact with children who have disabilities and additional needs, making interaction across different needs part of nursery life rather than simply a classroom topic.

At its October 2021 inspection, Ofsted rated the nursery Good overall and found safeguarding effective. That is a dated judgement, separate from the current activities and arrangements described below. Today, the nursery accepts children from 3 months to 60 months.

Full days, mornings, afternoons and a shorter School Day provide different ways to organise attendance. The grounds are the strongest reason to look closely; the choice of sessions adds practical appeal.

Learning and Activities

The EYFS is the required framework for children’s learning, development and care: in everyday terms, play supports communication, movement, relationships and growing independence. Alongside it, the group-wide Pioneering Pathway provides a named approach to children’s learning experiences, while Healthy Minds, Healthy Bodies brings together movement, food learning, toothbrushing and understanding feelings.

Boogie Mites, part of that group-wide approach, involves dancing. Mini Medics introduces first aid, and care-home visits sit within the group-wide emphasis on social responsibility. These give the broader approach concrete activities, although Tadworth’s own grounds and interactions with children with additional needs are the more recognisable features of this branch.

In October 2021, children combined songs with musical instruments and number learning. Books also prompted exploration: children brought favourites from home and used tablets to photograph illustrations. Pens, paint and clipboards supported early mark-making, connecting enjoyable activity with preparation for writing.

For babies, an October 2021 example shows how resources were adjusted to their interests. After mobile children tried climbing chairs, staff introduced a low slide that allowed crawling, climbing and sliding. The useful point is the response to what children were trying to do, rather than an activity chosen solely by adults.

Outdoor and Community Life

Direct access to nature trails, the wilderness walk and lawns makes the outdoor offer more substantial than a single enclosed play space. Children can explore different parts of the grounds as part of their everyday experience. For families who value time outdoors, this is the clearest feature separating Tadworth from a nursery whose outdoor day centres on one garden.

In October 2021, the garden contained a gentle slope used for cycling, small dens, old tyres and low trees for climbing. Nature walks through the grounds included practice in crossing roads safely. These examples show outdoor movement and practical safety learning sharing the same space.

An Eco Green Flag award was recorded in October 2021, alongside growing food and learning about recycling. Children picked and ate tomatoes and raspberries they had cultivated. Environmental learning had a tangible result: something they could grow, harvest and taste.

Relationships and Communication

Head Start is the group-wide settling approach, combining personalised care, work with parents and a dedicated Key Person. That gives families a clear relationship to build as their child starts nursery, rather than making settling solely about becoming familiar with a room.

In October 2021, staff responded to children seeking comfort and helped older children manage sharing. A large egg timer gave children a practical way to organise turns with bikes. Parents also received guidance about behaviour and feeding babies with allergies, connecting care at nursery with challenges at home.

Children’s and parents’ ideas influenced activities in October 2021. Grandparents’ days followed a child’s wish to bring their nanny to nursery. It is a useful example of family involvement taking a form children could understand and enjoy.

Inclusion and Wellbeing

At the October 2021 inspection, Ofsted found that the two special educational needs coordinators worked effectively with staff, parents and other agencies on support plans, with local authority funding used for individual help. This describes the support arrangements at that time.

Regular interaction with peers who have disabilities and additional needs is part of the current Tadworth experience. For parents, that offers a concrete social dimension to inclusion: children spend time together, rather than learning about difference only through discussion.

Millie’s Mark identifies paediatric first aid training across the current team. It is a specific training arrangement; the dated safeguarding judgement belongs separately to the inspection position above.

Sessions and Attendance

The nursery is at The Children’s Trust, Tadworth Court, Tadworth, Surrey KT20 5RU. Opening hours are 7.30am to 6.30pm, Monday to Friday, across the year, with closures for bank holidays and training days.

A Full Day runs from 7.30am to 6.30pm. Morning attendance runs from 7.30am to 1pm, Afternoon from 1pm to 6.30pm, and the School Day from 9am to 3pm. These are separate booking choices: a shorter daytime pattern does not require taking the whole opening window.

New-parent enquiries can be made on 0800 954 0669 or by emailing info@littlepioneers.coop. Current prices come in the nursery’s written quotation. Charges continue during bank holidays and absences caused by illness or family holidays, so the cost of a pattern needs to be considered alongside the days actually attended.

Funding and Paid Extras

Funded childcare and privately paid sessions are offered. Breakfast, lunch and tea are charged separately across sessions; for children taking a fully funded place, those meal charges are voluntary and can be removed on request. Families using funding therefore have a different meal-charge condition from those buying ordinary paid sessions.

The session choice and charge structure should be considered together. A morning, afternoon or School Day has a different attendance window from a Full Day, while the meal charges depend on the meals taken. A written quotation provides the practical basis for comparing those choices.

• Learning outdoors. Tadworth has nature trails, a wilderness walk and lawns within The Children’s Trust grounds. During a visit, ask how children of your child’s age use those spaces through the seasons.
• Language and staff development. In October 2021, improvement priorities were closer observation of staff practice to guide coaching, and more opportunities for children to use home languages during play. Ask how these are addressed in daily practice, especially if your child speaks more than one language.
• Attendance costs. Charges continue for bank holidays, sickness and holidays, while training days are closure days. Compare the written quotation with the attendance pattern your family needs, including the voluntary meal-charge condition for a fully funded place.

Tadworth suits families who want outdoor exploration and everyday contact with children with different needs, with a choice between mornings, afternoons, School Days and full days. The setting’s grounds give it a clear identity, while the October 2021 examples add substance to its account of play and care.

The practical decision is whether those surroundings and social experiences fit your child, and whether the chosen session pattern works for your household. The dated improvement priorities make language support and staff coaching useful topics for a visit.