Chestnut Nursery Schools, Cottenham

Stories gave learning its shape at Cottenham in July 2023: vegetables became props for imaginative play, while a tale about switching off the sun sparked toddlers’ interest in space. That connection between books and practical exploration is the strongest thread in this nursery’s inspection account. Ofsted rated the setting Outstanding on 20 July 2023.

On Lambs Lane in Cottenham, Cambridge, the nursery has 51 places in total and accepts children aged 3 to 59 months. Its current character includes a Wellbeing Garden and a group-wide Forest School ethos, linking learning indoors with experiences outside. Full-day, morning and afternoon bookings offer different ways to organise attendance.

Learning and Activities

The early years foundation stage is the framework for children’s learning, development and care: here, its practical meaning is learning through play, conversation and everyday tasks. In July 2023, stories supplied starting points that staff developed into activities, rather than keeping books separate from the rest of the day.

Oliver’s Vegetables connected older children’s reading with real vegetables in pretend play and conversations about healthy food. The Boy Who Switched Off the Sun prompted toddlers to explore rockets and space, with adults introducing unfamiliar vocabulary along the way. These examples show how one story could lead into language, discovery and imaginative play.

Number work was equally practical in July 2023. Children compared the weight of produce, while pretend pizzas made from dough introduced counting and fractions. The objects mattered: children could handle, divide and compare things rather than encountering mathematical ideas only as spoken instructions.

Independence also had a physical setting. In July 2023, resources were arranged so children could select materials themselves, and playrooms supported shared activities. Babies explored materials in activity trays. Older children prepared fruit kebabs, practising careful cutting and threading, so an everyday food activity also gave them a task requiring concentration and persistence.

Outdoor and Community Life

The Wellbeing Garden provides an outdoor feature alongside the nursery’s indoor spaces. Cottenham also uses Chestnut’s group-wide Forest School ethos, with learning experiences spanning both environments. This is an approach to the nursery day, rather than a separately specified attendance option.

In July 2023, visiting animals included geckos, snakes and tarantulas. Children learnt about the creatures through direct encounters, adding a different starting point for conversations about the wider world. The interest lay in meeting the animals themselves, rather than simply seeing pictures of them.

Relationships and Communication

In July 2023, adults helped children put feelings into words through stories, discussion and pretend situations. Clear expectations also shaped the day, with advance warnings before activities ended. For a young child, that combination makes emotions discussable and changes of activity more predictable.

Practical independence extended to meals in July 2023: babies and toddlers collected their drinks and fed themselves, while older children used cutlery and helped clear and wash their plates. These were opportunities to take part in ordinary routines, with support from adults.

Families could join stay-and-play sessions, open days and Father’s day breakfasts in July 2023. These occasions gave parents a way to participate in nursery life. Today, Parent Zone carries invoices and communications, and families need an email address to use it; the payment arrangements therefore depend on parents being able to receive digital messages.

Inclusion and Wellbeing

At the July 2023 inspection, Ofsted found safeguarding effective and praised SEND support that combined individual programmes, specialist staff training, cooperation with families and other professionals, and additional funding used for children’s needs. Those are concrete mechanisms behind the dated judgement, rather than a general promise about support.

In July 2023, school preparation included taking children to see their future classrooms and meet teachers. That made the next setting more familiar before the move. Designated safeguarding lead roles also form part of the current staff structure.

Sessions and Attendance

A Full Day runs from 7.30am to 6.30pm. The Morning Session finishes at 1pm after a 7.30am start; the Afternoon Session begins at 1pm and ends at 6.30pm. Half-day sessions are also offered. These are booking patterns, giving families a choice between a whole day and attendance during one part of it.

Opening hours are 7.30am to 6.30pm, Monday to Friday. The nursery operates for 51 weeks, excluding bank holidays and inset days. Enquiries can go through the contact form, by email to Cottenham@chestnut-nursery.com or by telephone on 01954 250744.

Sessions cannot be exchanged. Private arrangements require one month’s written notice to end attendance or change sessions; funded contracts specify four weeks’ written notice to terminate. Fees remain payable during closure days and children’s sickness or holidays, so the financial commitment extends beyond days actually attended.

Getting There

The address is Lambs Lane, Cottenham, Cambridge CB24 8TA. Bus connections include routes 110 and 8 citi, and Cambridge is the nearest station.

Funding and Paid Extras

Funded childcare includes 9–23-month-old funding, disadvantaged two-year-old funding, the working-parent entitlement for two-year-olds, universal funding for three- and four-year-olds, and extended funding for eligible three- and four-year-olds. Additional attendance outside the entitlement is privately paid; the funded terms set a maximum session length of 10 hours.

Meals are included in private session prices, with the food supplied depending on the session; during funded attendance, lunch and tea are separately charged choices, with suitable food from home required if families decline them, while children attending a disadvantaged funded place do not have to pay for meals.

Funded-only attendance carries neither a deposit nor a registration charge. A deposit applies when children also attend privately paid hours, with repayment governed by the contract terms. Trips and other additional services are optional and agreed with families beforehand, with charges applying if children participate.

Payments are collected monthly in advance by direct debit. Tax-free childcare payments and childcare vouchers are also accepted. Families should obtain current prices in the nursery’s written quotation; the Cottenham fees page sets out the charge structure.

• Funded attendance and longer days. The funded terms cap sessions at 10 hours, while Full Day bookings run from 7.30am to 6.30pm. Discuss how a proposed booking separates funded entitlement from private attendance and meal choices.
• Fixed sessions. Sessions cannot be swapped, and written notice applies to changes or departure. Families whose working days vary should weigh that rule against the morning, afternoon and full-day choices.
• The youngest children. Children can start from 3 months. At a visit, ask how settling, sleep and the baby group’s daily arrangements would work for your child.

Cottenham suits families seeking either full-day attendance or morning and afternoon sessions, with a choice of funded and privately paid childcare. Its July 2023 examples give the Outstanding judgement substance: stories led into practical exploration, feelings were discussed, and everyday routines gave children responsibilities. The Wellbeing Garden and indoor-outdoor ethos add to its character. The decision hinges on whether the fixed booking rules and funded-hours structure fit family life as well as the learning approach does.