Woven Montessori Nursery and Preschool

Child-sized furniture and materials children can use independently give Woven Montessori Nursery and Preschool a clear educational identity. Its Henley-on-Thames setting combines Montessori, with its emphasis on practical independence and carefully arranged resources, with Reggio Emilia, which gives children an active part in shaping their learning. The distinction that matters for parents is between that educational ambition and the consistency of everyday care.

At its January 2026 inspection, Ofsted judged achievement, behaviour and routines, welfare and wellbeing, curriculum and teaching, inclusion, and leadership and governance to need attention, while safeguarding standards were met. That is a substantial set of concerns, rather than a narrow weakness in one area.

Woven accepts children aged one to five and has 60 places in total. It opens on weekdays and operates across 50 weeks of the year.

Learning and Activities

The EYFS covers children's communication, physical development, emotional development and later learning in areas such as literacy and maths. At Woven, Montessori and Reggio Emilia sit alongside that framework. They describe how learning is organised, rather than replacing the requirements for children's education and care.

Montessori materials have designated places and purposes, with chairs, tables and shelves scaled to children. Practical tasks, creative materials and resources for looking after the room are intended to let children do things themselves. Reggio Emilia adds learning shaped by children's interests, with adults guiding and documenting it. These are useful principles for families who value independence and children's own ideas, but the daily execution matters as much as the approach's name.

The curriculum also organises learning around Wonder, Own Voice, Value, Explore and Nurture. These strands connect curiosity with communication, respect for others, hands-on exploration and emotional wellbeing. The curriculum page sets out those connections. The practical question is whether children experience them consistently throughout the day.

Weekly music sessions combine movement and music, while weekly yoga is offered to all children. STEM, meaning Science Technology Engineering and Maths, includes hands-on experiments such as making lava lamps; monthly cooking activities connect with children's interests or learning topics. These additions give children different ways to explore beyond the classroom materials.

Rooms and Ages

A free-flow, mixed-age arrangement is part of Woven's approach. In January 2026, however, the youngest children's large, open space and furniture layout did not adequately support comfort or early walking. Resources for pulling up to stand were present, but opportunities to practise walking were harder to use. For a child beginning to move independently, the arrangement of the room is a practical care issue as well as an educational one.

During January 2026, preschool children used Montessori materials to explore quantities and number recognition, and took part in stories and outdoor play. Younger children enjoyed water activities, songs and rhymes. Participation was uneven: some children drifted between activities with only short exchanges with adults, and staff sometimes completed tasks children could have attempted themselves.

Relationships and Communication

In January 2026, settling included preliminary visits and gathering information about favourite toys and routines at home. Familiar attendees were generally comfortable with staff, and some newcomers were developing relationships with their key person. Older children played together and practised sharing and taking turns. These were useful foundations, but several babies sometimes began or visited together, leaving multiple children distressed at the same time.

Comfort was individual in some respects. During January 2026, staff accommodated babies' sleep and bottle routines and made familiar comforters accessible. Yet loud music sometimes added to the noise when babies were crying, and the open layout did little to make the space feel manageable. Parents of younger children should give the sound level and organisation of settling particular weight.

Routines also affected children's experience in January 2026. Some younger children waited for lunch with little conversation or activity, whereas preschool staff used gestures and straightforward instructions to help children understand what came next. Staff and parents worked together on behaviour so that expectations at home and nursery could be consistent.

Inclusion and Wellbeing

At the January 2026 inspection, Ofsted found that additional needs were recognised but support and adult interaction were inconsistent, with visual communication strategies still being established, although vocabulary activities supported some children's development. Recognising a need and reliably responding to it are different things; families whose child needs extra help should consider both.

During January 2026, observations and assessments helped staff identify gaps in development. A visual board helped toddlers understand the next activity, and further communication pictures were planned for preschool. Staff were seeking specialist advice, but some children needing support still spent time disengaged. The important issue was consistent use of support throughout the day.

Hygiene routines in January 2026 included monitoring nappy changes, handwashing and protective clothing for food service and changing. Children ate healthy meals, and staff understood dietary requirements and followed procedures for them.

Leadership concerns in January 2026 included staff turnover, uneven understanding of responsibilities and an overseas recruitment-check gap. A risk assessment prevented staff with incomplete suitability checks from being alone with children. An improvement plan had recently been created, and required actions carried a deadline of 13 February 2026: strengthen teaching knowledge, reorganise the youngest children's environment, and improve staff understanding of routines and responsibilities.

Sessions and Attendance

Opening hours are 8.30am to 5pm, Monday to Friday, across 50 weeks annually, excluding bank holidays and training days. Those hours describe the operating window. The annual pattern also includes Easter and Christmas breaks, so families should account for closures when comparing childcare with their working year.

Getting There

The address is United Reformed Church, 44-46 Reading Road, Henley-on-Thames, RG9 1AG. The nursery also uses the Christ Church Centre name for this Reading Road address.

A contact form accepts enquiries and requests to see the nursery and meet staff. Visits can be arranged through that route.

Funding and Paid Extras

Funded childcare is offered, with 15-hour and 30-hour entitlements described for eligible families. Funding is stretched across the nursery's 50-week operating year rather than confined to the 38-week term-time allocation; entitlement depends on the child's age and the family's circumstances.

An agreed childcare plan can still involve a monthly payment alongside funding. Families should obtain a current written quotation that separates funded hours from paid childcare, because the overall attendance plan determines the financial commitment.

• The youngest children's day. January 2026 concerns covered noise, an open room layout, early walking and waiting during routines. On a visit, ask to see how the baby space and lunchtime organisation now address those specific issues.
• Support that reaches the child. In January 2026, staff knew children's additional needs, but visual aids and regular adult interaction were inconsistent. Ask how support is carried through ordinary activities and how its effect is reviewed with parents.
• Improvement in practice. Teaching, the youngest children's environment and staff responsibilities were subject to actions due on 13 February 2026. Ask for concrete examples of changes against those actions, including how leaders monitor daily practice.
• Your attendance and cost plan. The nursery operates across 50 weeks and stretches funding over that period. Before committing, ask for a written plan covering the booking pattern, closures and treatment of meals and consumables alongside funded hours.

Woven suits families interested in Montessori independence, Reggio Emilia's child-led learning and an attendance year extending beyond school terms. Music, yoga, experiments and cooking add variety to that educational offer.

The January 2026 findings deserve equal weight. Concerns reached teaching, inclusion, routines and the youngest children's comfort, so choosing this nursery calls for convincing examples of how those parts of the day have changed. The educational approach gives parents a reason to look; consistent care must carry the decision.