Daisy Chain Montessori Nursery

Self-correcting Montessori materials, vegetables grown in the garden and football with T10 give Daisy Chain Montessori Nursery a recognisable character. Montessori learning here means children choosing activities, experimenting and tackling tasks for themselves, with materials that help them recognise mistakes. Forest School adds practical outdoor exploration, including den-making, nature walks and identifying wildlife. These are concrete additions to the nursery day, rather than a philosophy left on the page.

At its 19 December 2022 inspection, Ofsted rated the nursery Good, judged safeguarding effective and found that children with special educational needs and/or disabilities received strong support and that children made good progress. That is a dated assessment, not a verdict on every aspect of today's provision.

Based at St Lukes Hall in South Park, Reigate, the nursery has capacity for 40 children aged 24 to 59 months. Its routine accommodates day, afternoon and extended-day attendance.

Learning and Activities

The Early Years Foundation Stage provides the framework for learning through play, covering communication, physical development and relationships alongside experiences with numbers, books, materials and the wider world. It is the common foundation for early-years provision. Montessori is the additional approach here: children use tangible materials to explore ideas, make choices and try things independently.

Self-correcting equipment gives that approach a practical expression. A child can work on an activity and recognise an error through the material itself, rather than relying on an adult to supply the answer. The emphasis is on doing and discovering, with children using their senses to explore concepts. This suits families who value opportunities for children to attempt tasks themselves.

The daily routine mixes activities led by adults with play children choose. Circle Time brings together a welcome song, shared news and show-and-tell; songs and stories feature again later in the day. Indoor play alternates with time outside, so the timetable makes room for movement as well as quieter concentration.

In December 2022, younger children explored musical instruments and acted out familiar experiences in the home corner. Older children took responsibility as the daily helper, prepared lunch tables and helped younger children. Making purple play dough also gave children an opportunity to remember ingredients and discuss what they were doing. These examples show how ordinary nursery tasks were used for language, independence and shared activity.

T10 runs football on Friday mornings, while Thursday mornings bring Jinglebugs Songs and Rhyme Time. Participation is by choice, and both activities are free during school term time. Their different emphasis gives children opportunities for organised movement and musical participation alongside their usual play.

Outdoor and Community Life

The garden supports water play, planting and vegetable growing, with children helping to water the plants. This gives them something to care for over time, rather than treating outdoor play solely as a break from indoors. Forest School extends the outdoor approach through activities such as building shelters together, exploring nature and making crafts outside.

Regular Fire Brigade visits include the chance to explore a real fire engine. Police visits add another connection with people working in the community, while parents and grandparents come in to read. These encounters bring different voices and experiences into the children's day. They also give families a direct role in nursery life.

Relationships and Communication

Each child has a key person who works with parents to shape learning around the child's needs and interests. Discussions about development are accompanied by ideas for learning at home. The useful feature is the connection between the two settings: parents can contribute what they know about their child, while the key person can explain the experiences being planned at nursery.

In December 2022, flexible settling arrangements and family gatherings helped children become comfortable with nursery life. Children had close relationships across the staff team. For families considering a start, that dated picture offers a useful basis for discussing how settling now works, rather than assuming one fixed approach suits every child.

Inclusion and Wellbeing

Children who speak English as an additional language have opportunities to use their first language during play, alongside support for English. This makes home language part of their learning experience. Parents can also discuss concerns about development with the key person, keeping communication attached to the individual child.

In December 2022, staff helped children understand taking turns by discussing the feelings of both children involved. Younger children practised handling tongs, while older children used ladles to serve lunch. These were practical opportunities to develop hand control and self-care, with independence embedded in everyday routines.

After lunch, the nursery provides a quieter period, and younger children can sleep with staff supervision. The daily timetable places this between outdoor play and the afternoon's activities. Rest therefore has an identified place in the day alongside more active experiences.

Sessions and Attendance

Daisy Chain's address is St Lukes Hall, New North Road, Reigate, Surrey RH2 8LZ. It opens throughout the year, with opening hours of 7.30am to 6pm every day.

Day, afternoon and extended-day children are identified in the routine. The timetable places a younger children's collection point after lunch, followed by quiet time and sleep; extended-day children have tea later in the afternoon. These are features of the daily rhythm, rather than session start and finish times.

An enquiry form, telephone and email provide contact routes. Viewings can be arranged with the nursery. For comparing costs, use a current written quotation that separates attendance from any additional charges.

Funding and Paid Extras

In December 2022, the nursery provided funded early education for two-, three- and four-year-olds. T10 football and Jinglebugs song-and-rhyme sessions are free during school term time for children who choose to participate. Their term-time condition matters when comparing the activities included in different parts of the year.

• Teaching precision. At the December 2022 inspection, Ofsted asked for more purposeful staff supervision and training, and clearer planning of what individual children should learn next. Ask how those changes are reflected in a child's current learning plan.
• Outdoor provision. Forest School includes practical exploration, den-making and outdoor crafts, while the garden supports vegetable growing. A viewing is an opportunity to discuss how these experiences fit the routine for your child's age.
• Attendance and funding. The routine distinguishes day, afternoon and extended-day attendance, and the nursery provided funded early education in December 2022. Which current booking and funding arrangements would cover your chosen attendance, including food and non-food consumables?

Daisy Chain suits families interested in Montessori activities, practical outdoor learning and participation from parents and community visitors. Its day, afternoon and extended-day arrangements serve different attendance needs. The December 2022 assessment gives a positive starting point, but the requests for sharper teaching plans and more focused staff support deserve a direct discussion. The strongest reasons to consider it are concrete: independent tasks, garden growing, T10 football and Jinglebugs music.