Buckles And Bows Pre-School Nursery

A converted Summerhouse gives Buckles And Bows Pre-School Nursery a quiet counterpoint to its outdoor play: the Sensory Room uses bubble light tubes, textured materials and subdued colours for small-group activities and time to settle. This Addlestone setting combines a purpose-built classroom in school grounds with a parent-volunteer committee and a practical emphasis on learning through stories, making and movement.

Children join from two years to school age, and the nursery has 26 places in total. At its November 2021 inspection, Ofsted rated the provision Good overall and behaviour and attitudes Outstanding. That judgement is dated; its strongest practical detail was children cooperating, sharing resources and finding solutions together.

Morning, afternoon and full-day attendance are offered, subject to age conditions.

Rooms and Ages

The purpose-built classroom sits within Holy Family Catholic Primary School's grounds, with outdoor space. Buckles and Bows is not a Catholic nursery.

The Sensory Room combines small-group learning and quiet time with blue and green decoration, bubble light tubes, soft play shapes, textured mats and bricks, and stories chosen for sound and facial movement. The room also provides space to practise self-regulation when excitement becomes difficult to manage.

Learning and Activities

The EYFS provides the framework for children's learning and care, connecting play with language, physical development, relationships, early literacy, mathematics and exploration. Here, children have planned activities inside and outside, opportunities to choose their own play, and adult-guided group work. Older children receive more guided learning.

Books become starting points for practical investigation. In February 2026, The Three Little Pigs activities included designing houses, comparing wet and dry sand for building, and testing constructions with a fan. Retelling and acting out the story sat alongside those experiments. A familiar tale supplied a reason to make predictions and explain what happened.

March 2026's 3 Billy Goats Gruff theme connected bridge-building with discussions about kindness and ways to change the story. Children could use blocks of different sizes, make a raft or boat, and act with props. The story linked construction, conversation and imaginative play.

Movement also has a clear place. Yoga, dance and obstacle courses sit alongside finger gym activities involving squeezing, twisting and pinching. Books and writing materials are distributed around the nursery, while the art trolley lets children select materials for their own creations. Musical instruments are accessible daily. These arrangements give children choices about how to express an idea, with physical practice woven into play.

Outdoor and Community Life

The mud kitchen brings mathematics outside through counting natural materials such as leaves and cones. Story activities also use the mud kitchen: March 2026's goat theme included making troll soup. Outdoor play is part of the learning offer, rather than a separate break from it.

In November 2021, children collected water from a water butt and searched the garden for ingredients for imaginary potions. When cutting twigs proved difficult, they changed their method and used scissors on petals instead. Children were testing and adapting their methods.

Seasonal activities extend the calendar. The 2026/27 programme includes weather-dependent Autumn walk outings, Halloween themed Mufti day, Christmas Nativity and Easter Party & Easter Bonnet Parade. Some celebrations replace ordinary sessions, so they affect attendance as well as the nursery's social life.

Relationships and Communication

A key person approach is set out in the inclusion policy, with observations and assessments used to understand individual needs. Parent meetings and shared experiences also form part of the curriculum's family communication arrangements. The emphasis is on connecting what children do at nursery with their interests and experiences at home.

In November 2021, children managed everyday tasks such as changing their shoes and washing their hands with little adult direction. During shared construction play, older children explained how to use tools to younger children and welcomed others into their activity. These were practical exercises in independence and inclusion.

Inclusion and Wellbeing

The team includes a SENCO role and a learning support assistant, while the inclusion policy describes SEND Support Plans, collaboration with Speech and Language Therapists, and reviews agreed with parents. Its assess, plan, do and review cycle gives support a structure: identify a need, choose an outcome, put support into practice and revisit it. Plans are reviewed half termly, allowing the next steps to change as a child's needs change.

At the November 2021 inspection, Ofsted found safeguarding effective and that children with SEND received additional help, with progress monitored and referrals made promptly when needed. Those findings belong to that visit. Current arrangements include a designated safeguarding lead role; the Sensory Room also supplies a quieter space for small-group work and regulation.

Health enters the learning through practical activities. February 2026's Healthy Foods / Cooking theme included preparing fruit and vegetables with child-safe knives, making pitta pizzas and blending smoothies. A glitter experiment explored germs. These activities connect discussion about food and hygiene with actions children can try themselves.

Sessions and Attendance

Sessions run Monday to Friday during term time. The Morning Session is 9am to noon; the Afternoon Session runs from 12.45pm to 3.15pm. Between them, a lunchtime session runs from noon to 12.45pm. The lunchtime session can count towards funded attendance.

Two-year-olds may attend either a morning or an afternoon session in a day. Full-day attendance starts only in the term after a child turns three. Flexible attendance patterns are considered where they preserve continuity for the child and setting.

The term calendar includes half-term breaks and event-related changes to the usual day. Christmas Party ends at noon, while Easter Party & Easter Bonnet Parade replaces normal sessions and also finishes at noon.

Getting There

The address is Grounds of Holy Family School, Ongar Hill, Addlestone, KT15 1BP. Enquiries go to the administrator through admin@bucklesandbows.org.uk or 07596 936341.

Buckles and Bows describes a close relationship with Holy Family Catholic Primary School. Attendance at the nursery does not guarantee a Reception place; families still use the local authority admissions process for a state-school application. School preparation includes activities about what school might be like: June 2025's Growing up / Going to school theme paired that discussion with practising putting on shoes independently.

Funding and Paid Extras

Funded childcare includes up to 15 hours of Free Early Education (FEE) from the term after a child's third birthday, FEET funded attendance and the extended 30-hour entitlement for eligible working families. Provision follows the term-time calendar. Lunch sessions can count towards the 15 funded hours; eligibility and the nursery's age rules still govern a child's attendance pattern.

Private hours are charged when children do not qualify for funding or need attendance beyond their funded entitlement, and snacks carry a separate session charge. Current prices come in the nursery's written quotation; the sessions and fees page explains the attendance and charge structure.

Parent involvement has a practical expectation here. Volunteer parents form the committee, and the fundraising team organises events in which parents are expected to participate. Fundraising supports replacement equipment, parties and outings.

• Age changes the booking options. Two-year-olds attend one morning or afternoon session per day, and full days begin in the term after the third birthday. Discuss a proposed pattern at a visit, including how it will change as your child gets older.
• Communication deserves attention. In November 2021, improvement priorities were fuller participation in small-group discussions and more opportunities to hear and use home languages. Ask how practitioners now involve quieter children and incorporate the languages used by your family.
• Lunch and personal supplies. Lunch sessions can use funded hours, while snacks have a separate charge. What should your child bring for lunch and personal care, and how will any dietary needs be handled?
• Calendar and parent participation. Celebration days can replace normal sessions or finish at noon, and families are expected to support fundraising events. Consider both the altered childcare hours and the time you can contribute.

Buckles and Bows suits families seeking term-time morning or afternoon sessions, with a full-day option once the age condition is met. Story-led practical activities, outdoor learning and the Sensory Room give the offer substance. The November 2021 communication priorities temper that picture. Parents who value an active role in nursery life may also find the volunteer committee and fundraising expectations a good fit.