Koala Kidz, Old Buttery

Coats, balancing beams and bug hunts give Old Buttery's nursery day a practical emphasis: children learn by doing things for themselves. In March 2026, babies collected their shoes for outdoor play, toddlers tackled their coats and older children helped friends get dressed. These small tasks gave independence a place in ordinary routines, rather than reserving it for a planned activity.

At its 12 March 2026 inspection, Ofsted judged behaviour, attitudes and establishing routines to be Strong standard, the other evaluated areas to be Expected standard, and safeguarding standards to be met. That is a report card with separate judgements, rather than a single overall grade.

Koala Kidz, Old Buttery has capacity for 50 children aged 6 to 60 months, at 16 High Street in Willingham. The practical appeal is a day that connects conversation, physical play and increasing independence. There are also clear points to weigh: the March 2026 findings called for more consistent hygiene routines and better organisation and upkeep of outdoor resources.

Learning and Activities

The early years foundation stage sets the requirements for children's learning, development and care. In parent terms, the nursery day brings these together: conversation develops language, handling objects introduces mathematical ideas, and everyday tasks build self-care.

In March 2026, children's interests helped shape activities. Babies shared books, pointed to pictures and heard counting language; older children used information books alongside equipment for investigating creatures outdoors. Reading therefore had a practical purpose as well as a place in story time. Children could connect something they had discovered with information on a page.

Singing also involved participation. During March 2026, children selected objects from a bag to accompany familiar songs, with staff supporting vocabulary and taking turns. Toddlers experimented with balls and guttering to make ramps. Watching a ball travel down gave them something concrete to investigate, while sharing the equipment brought cooperation into the same activity.

Outdoor and Community Life

In March 2026, the garden was used daily. Wooden logs, trees and balancing equipment gave children different physical challenges, while looking beneath logs introduced opportunities to investigate living things. Staff supplied descriptive vocabulary during bug hunts, helping children put their discoveries into words.

Sand play connected hand movements with early mathematics. During March 2026, children filled containers and explored ideas about how much they held. Outdoor learning was substantial, but presentation and maintenance of equipment were uneven. The value for families lies in both parts of that picture: plenty of purposeful outdoor activity, alongside a specific need to make resources consistently ready for children's play.

Relationships and Communication

In March 2026, the key-person arrangement gave children a familiar adult to build a relationship with. Staff gathered information about home circumstances, interests and individual needs from families. This made communication useful to daily care, rather than simply an account of completed activities.

Babies' sleep routines were personalised in March 2026, with suitable sleeping spaces and regular checks while they rested. Mealtimes also offered opportunities for conversation: younger children talked about food and older children discussed pieces of fruit. The social side of eating formed part of the learning day.

Inclusion and Wellbeing

At the March 2026 inspection, Ofsted found that children progressed from their starting points and that support for children facing barriers included adapted routines, visual aids, targeted small-group work and collaboration with families, social workers and speech and language teams. Those are concrete mechanisms for support, rather than a general promise that one approach will suit every child.

During March 2026, picture cards helped children understand changes between activities. Sand timers supported turn-taking, and older children used visual aids to discuss feelings. These tools made expectations easier to understand and gave children ways to manage disagreements.

Self-care was less consistent. In March 2026, babies did not reliably wash their hands before snacks, and staff sometimes missed opportunities to encourage nose-wiping or explain its purpose. This matters because independence includes health habits as well as dressing and clearing up. The improvement needed was to make those habits a dependable part of the day.

Sessions and Attendance

The nursery opens Monday to Friday, from 07:30 to 18:00, and operates throughout the year apart from Bank Holidays. This opening window is useful for planning work and other commitments.

Getting There

The address is Old Buttery Nursery, 16 High Street, Willingham, Cambridge, CB24 5ES. Families can make an initial enquiry through the Old Buttery registration enquiry form. The nursery accepts children aged 6 to 60 months; its 50 places are the whole-setting capacity, rather than the size of an individual group.

• Hygiene habits. In March 2026, handwashing before baby-room snacks and support for nose-wiping needed greater consistency. Ask how these routines are now built into everyday care, especially for children beginning to manage their own needs.
• Outdoor resources. The March 2026 findings combined daily garden use with concerns about equipment organisation and maintenance. On a visit, look at how resources are prepared for play and how the nursery has addressed those points.
• Care for the youngest children. The accepted age range begins at 6 months, while the March 2026 observations included personalised baby sleep routines. How would the nursery organise sleep and everyday care for your child's particular routine?

Old Buttery suits families who value practical independence, conversation and outdoor exploration in a nursery operating across the year. Its March 2026 examples give that character substance: books supported investigations, dressing became a shared task, and familiar routines helped children participate.

The balance is clear. Behaviour and routines earned the strongest report-card judgement, while hygiene habits and outdoor resource management needed attention. For parents, those specific improvement points deserve as much weight as the appealing account of children's play.