Madcaps

A pirate ship in the Sand Garden, chickens beside the play space and children making their own snacks give Madcaps a recognisable character. Independence is built into ordinary tasks: choosing equipment, handling food and getting dressed. The nursery sits within Market Deeping CP School in Market Deeping, with preschool provision alongside an out-of-school club.

At its March 2025 inspection, Ofsted rated Madcaps Good and judged safeguarding effective, while identifying inconsistent responses to preschool behaviour as the area requiring improvement. That gives parents a clear balance: a positive overall assessment with a specific question about how adults help children understand the consequences of their actions.

There are 62 places in total across the setting, rather than a preschool group of that size. In March 2025, children attending were aged 2 to 11. Term-time preschool sessions and longer attendance with wraparound care serve different family routines, while holiday bookings are handled separately.

Rooms and Ages

Butterflies and Caterpillars are named nursery rooms, within a setting that combines early-years care with provision for older children. Weekly Roar Stars sessions use footballs and other sports equipment in the school hall, giving children another setting for physical activity.

Inside, a dining room, kitchen, construction area and craft area provide different places for eating, making and building. The layout also includes a long corridor used for activities and separate toilet blocks for the age groups. These are practical distinctions in a building shared by children at different stages, rather than evidence of a particular room size or staffing arrangement.

Learning and Activities

The EYFS guides children's learning through play, supporting communication, physical development and social confidence alongside early mathematics, literacy and creative work. Madcaps adds concrete experiences to that shared framework. Its Independent Learners approach helps children choose resources, use safety knives and scissors, manage their clothing and seek help from other children. The emphasis is on doing things, with adults demonstrating and supporting before stepping back.

Picture instructions help children make individual cakes using a microwave with adult supervision. Everyday responsibilities extend to pouring drinks, finding cutlery and clearing plates. These tasks give children repeated opportunities to make choices and complete a sequence, rather than treating preparation for school solely as practising letters or numbers.

In March 2025, children exercised their fingers through manipulating dough and assembling painted chick pictures with small decorative pieces. Outdoor stepping activities brought counting into movement, while water play introduced number language. The connection matters: early writing and mathematics were being practised through physical play and conversation, rather than reserved for a separate formal lesson.

Seasonal learning includes bread making around Harvest and watching caterpillars develop before releasing butterflies in summer. Those experiences connect food and living things with changes children can observe. Roar Stars adds weekly sports activities in the school hall. The nursery day therefore combines practical independence, seasonal exploration and organised physical activity.

Outdoor and Community Life

Two gardens give outdoor play different textures. Sand and free play occupy one space; trees and natural materials shape the forest garden. Children can use the gardens throughout the day, with opportunities for den making, climbing, scooters and balance bikes. The Sand Garden includes a pirate ship and a double slide with a tunnel, providing physical features around which children can invent games.

Fern and Willow, the forest garden's two characters, appear among its trees or structures to prompt interest in the outdoors. Chickens live beside the sand play space, while a bug hotel and composting activities make caring for living things tangible. Vegetable growing links the garden with cooking, and food peelings return to the garden as compost. These are experiences children can take part in, rather than environmental ideas discussed only in the abstract.

Community experiences reach beyond the premises. Visits include the library, local cafés and Waterside garden centre, with the latter used at seasonal points to see displays, plants and animals. In March 2025, children also travelled by bus and bought fruit at the market. Such outings extend the everyday experiences available to children and give staff real situations around which to build conversation.

Relationships and Communication

Each child has a key person who acts as the family's contact for conversations about development or concerns. Parents' days provide another opportunity to discuss progress, and families can share achievements from home using My Achievements at Home slips. This gives parents a way to contribute what their child does outside nursery, alongside staff's observations during attendance.

Family participation also has a practical side. Mothers' Day activities bring relatives into making things with children, while Fathers' Day includes football on the school field with Roar Stars. Book events invite parents to read a favourite story. These offer different ways to join children's nursery experiences, rather than relying entirely on scheduled progress discussions.

Inclusion and Wellbeing

A SENCO role sits within the team, and the premises are on one level with doorways suitable for wheelchair access. A sensory area provides equipment for children who benefit from that kind of experience. Support can include individual adjustments and one-to-one care where appropriate, with parents involved in deciding what a child needs.

Links with Portage, Health Visitors and specialist early-years services help connect nursery support with professional advice. Staff can assist with referral paperwork and contribute to EHCP applications, keeping parents involved in the process. At the March 2025 inspection, Ofsted found that staff recognised additional needs early and worked with families on support that helped children progress, but that preschool behaviour guidance did not consistently explain how one child's actions affected another.

Staff undertake safeguarding training, and the premises have locked gates with camera recognition of visitors. These describe arrangements; the dated safeguarding judgement is the assessment of their effectiveness. During March 2025, adults also helped children handle worms and ducklings gently, bringing care for other living things into ordinary play.

School preparation includes practising clothing changes during PE week, when children bring shorts, trainers and T-shirts, and using persona puppets dressed in school uniform to discuss worries. Familiarity and self-care are the practical aims. The work gives children opportunities to talk about change while rehearsing tasks they will need to manage themselves.

Sessions and Attendance

Preschool sessions run from 9am to 3pm during term time, with wraparound attendance from 7.30am to 6pm as another option. Families can keep the same bookings each week or submit monthly choices through the flexible booking system. That distinction matters for parents whose working days change: the booking arrangement allows a changing pattern as well as a regular one.

Holiday childcare is booked separately, with no commitment to school-holiday or bank-holiday bookings attached to the usual pattern. The out-of-school club opens from 7.30am to 6pm during school holidays and offers hourly booking. Term-time out-of-school provision runs from 7.30am to 9am and from 3.15pm to 6pm. These club arrangements sit alongside preschool care, rather than replacing its term-time pattern.

Getting There

The address is Market Deeping CP School, Willoughby Avenue, Market Deeping, Peterborough, PE6 8JE. Families are directed to use the Tesco School Car Park. Enquiries can be made by telephone, email or the contact form.

Funding and Paid Extras

Funded preschool attendance can use 15 or 30 hours, with hours spread across longer days; families using 15 hours can choose two whole days and a half day. Flexible bookings and private hours beyond the funded allocation are also offered. The childcare costs page sets out the structure, and families should obtain a current written quotation for their chosen pattern.

Activities, topics and snacks carry no additional charge within funded preschool attendance, except where a trip's costs need covering. Time outside the funded allocation is charged, including the early and late club sessions. Fees are reviewed in July and invoices are payable in advance, so the quotation and payment schedule matter together.

Parents normally supply lunch under healthy-eating guidance, while supplied lunches are charged separately, including during funded attendance; Thursday Independent Cooking is a separately charged lunch prepared by the children. Snacks are included within funded preschool hours, and an evening hot meal is offered to children staying later.

The nursery describes close links with Market Deeping CP School: after Easter, a school teaching assistant visits weekly, and children spend time in Reception before moving on. Attending Madcaps does not guarantee a Reception place; families still apply through the local authority admissions process. These links support familiarity with school life, rather than conferring an admissions advantage.

• Preschool behaviour guidance. In March 2025, adults did not consistently help children understand the effect of their behaviour on others. During a visit, ask how staff now handle disagreements over chairs or shared resources and explain expectations to children.
• Care for younger children. Tiny Treasures was planned as provision for babies and toddlers under 2. For a younger child, ask whether it is operating and how its age groups, settling arrangements and everyday care work.
• Your funded pattern. The choice includes longer days, flexible bookings and a two-day-plus-half-day arrangement for 15 funded hours. Request a written quotation covering your particular timetable, supplied meals and any trip charges.
• Preparing for Reception. Weekly visits from a school teaching assistant after Easter, together with children's Reception activities, create familiarity with Market Deeping CP School. Keep the local authority application separate from nursery attendance, and discuss how transition support will work if your child is moving elsewhere.

Madcaps suits families seeking either a term-time preschool day or longer attendance with wraparound care, including parents who need a changing monthly booking pattern. Its strongest character comes from practical independence, animal care and outdoor play: children prepare food, use gardens with different purposes and become familiar with the school setting through activities and transition work.

The March 2025 Good judgement supports that choice, with behaviour guidance the specific point to explore. For families who value hands-on learning and want school preparation centred on everyday confidence and self-care, there is substantial detail here on which to base a decision.