Kindred Hauxton Nursery and Pre-school

An outdoor classroom and a garden children can move into freely give Kindred Hauxton Nursery and Pre-school its clearest character. Outdoor learning runs through the day rather than being confined to a separate activity: children can choose between indoor and garden play, with activities carried across both spaces. For families who value time outside, that is a substantial part of the offer.

At its 5 December 2024 inspection, Ofsted rated the nursery Good and judged safeguarding effective. The setting has capacity for 49 children, accepting ages from 3 months to 5 years, at 33 High Street, Hauxton, Cambridge, CB22 5HW. Full-day and half-day bookings sit alongside all-year and term-time attendance options.

The practical appeal is matched by an emphasis on helping children manage everyday tasks. In December 2024, children practised serving food, pouring drinks and clearing plates, with younger children supported to feed themselves. These small responsibilities give children opportunities to take part in their own care.

Learning and Activities

The early years foundation stage provides the framework for children's learning, development and care. In parent language, this means learning through play and everyday experiences, including conversation, physical activity and growing independence. At Hauxton, the current daily routine combines activities led by adults with play children direct themselves.

Forest School adds guided learning in natural surroundings. Alongside it, gardening, cooking and yoga broaden the kinds of experiences children can try. The garden's free-flow access matters here: children have a choice about where to play, while the outdoor classroom gives learning a further space beyond the building.

At the December 2024 inspection, Ofsted found that staff used conversation to extend children's language, but sometimes failed to carry planned learning through effectively, allowing children's attention to fade. The improvement point was about making teaching intentions work more consistently in practice. Interesting resources alone were not enough.

Examples from December 2024 make that distinction concrete. Water poured through a drainpipe helped younger children explore how to move toy sharks; older children used scissors on herbs, practising hand control. Dinosaur play prompted conversations about volcanoes. These were opportunities to connect an absorbing activity with a specific piece of learning.

Outdoor and Community Life

Inside and outside activities are designed to correspond, so choosing the garden need not mean leaving the day's learning behind. The outdoor classroom strengthens that arrangement. It is a useful feature for children who prefer moving between spaces rather than remaining with one indoor activity.

In December 2024, daily outdoor play included bikes, wooden construction blocks and water poured through funnels. Children also practised preparing themselves for outside, finding waterproof clothing or putting on wellies. Outdoor time therefore involved both physical play and the practical business of getting ready for it.

Relationships and Communication

Settling begins with a keyworker meeting and an All About Me book, which gathers details of a child's preferences and routine. The first session lasts 30 minutes; a second, hour-long session introduces separation, followed by a full morning or afternoon. Extra settling time can be added when a child needs it. The sequence gives families a gradual route from sharing information to trying a substantial part of the nursery day.

In December 2024, staff learned about children before their start and adjusted settling around familiar routines. Singing and physical comfort helped children who were new to the setting. Those observations give substance to the gradual settling arrangement: it was accompanied by attention to how individual children responded.

Communication continues through the Kindred Satchel App, carrying a parent newsletter, alongside weekly information about enrichment activities. Family events also take place during the year. These give parents ways to follow nursery life beyond a conversation at collection, including knowing which activities children have been trying.

Inclusion and Wellbeing

A SENCO role provides a point of contact for special educational needs, and a designated safeguarding lead role is also in place. Families discussing an individual child's needs have identified responsibilities to work with, rather than relying solely on informal conversations.

The daily routine includes sleep or quiet time for children who need it. In December 2024, staff responded gently when children became upset, helping them understand their feelings and find another activity. That is a concrete example of how emotional support worked during play.

An on-site chef prepares meals each day from an accredited menu. Breakfast, lunch and dinner are part of the routine, with snacks between meals, making food part of the nursery day rather than something families must organise separately for private-fee attendance.

Sessions and Attendance

Opening hours are 8am to 6pm, Monday to Friday, across 51 weeks. Full-day sessions run from 8am to 6pm; half days can be booked from 8am to 1pm or from 1pm to 6pm. A 38-week term-time option sits alongside all-year attendance, so families can choose between different calendar patterns as well as different lengths of day.

For all-year bookings, fees are spread into regular monthly payments. Term-time charges are calculated weekly and invoiced monthly, with the bill varying according to attendance. Bank holidays and a week at Christmas are closures to build into family childcare plans.

There is no registration charge or deposit, but a prepayment is required and credited against the first full invoice. Current prices come in the nursery's written quotation. This distinction matters when budgeting for the start: the initial payment is an advance towards childcare rather than a separate registration cost.

Getting There

The address is 33 High Street, Hauxton, Cambridge, CB22 5HW. A private on-site car park gives families a dedicated place to park for collection and drop-off.

Funding and Paid Extras

Funded childcare includes the 30-hour entitlement for eligible working families and the 15-hour entitlement for children aged 3 to 5, starting from the term after their third birthday. Families can use term-time attendance or an all-year arrangement that stretches funding across the nursery's opening weeks; the latter spreads the entitlement rather than providing the headline weekly hours throughout the year.

Private fees include meals and snacks, plus nappies, wipes, milk and formula. Funded sessions carry separate food, non-food consumables and activity charges, so the funded-hours position differs from the private-fee package. Families wishing to decline consumables alongside funded hours must notify the nursery in writing and follow its Nursery Consumables Policy.

• Teaching consistency. The December 2024 improvement point concerned staff carrying planned learning through more reliably. During a visit, ask how practitioners now keep an activity connected to what they intend children to learn.
• Starting gradually. Settling moves from a short keyworker meeting to separation and then a morning or afternoon, with extensions possible. Discuss how that sequence will fit your child's routines and your intended start date.
• Funding and the calendar. The choice between 38-week attendance and funding stretched across the year affects both childcare coverage and the bill. Request a written quotation for your chosen pattern, separating private hours, food, non-food items and activities.

Hauxton suits families seeking either full-day or morning and afternoon half-day care, with a further choice between term-time and all-year attendance. Its strongest practical feature is the connection between indoor play, a freely accessible garden and an outdoor classroom. Forest School gives that outdoor emphasis a guided learning element too.

The December 2024 Good judgement sits alongside a specific teaching improvement point, which deserves attention when choosing the setting. Gradual settling and regular parent communication add useful structure around the child's day. The decision is whether that outdoor emphasis, attendance pattern and charge structure fit your family.