St Mary's Nursery Camberley

A purpose-built eco-building, a log cabin and outdoor play that continues through the weather give St Mary's Nursery Camberley a clear character. Its setting in Watchett's Recreation Ground makes the outdoors part of the nursery day, rather than an occasional change of scenery. Children can move between indoor and outdoor learning for much of the day, with open-ended materials that leave room for their own ideas.

At its April 2024 inspection, Ofsted judged the nursery Outstanding and found safeguarding effective. Across the whole nursery, capacity is 40 children and the accepted age range is two to five.

A Christian ethos sits alongside an explicit welcome to families of different religions, cultures and backgrounds. Morning, afternoon and full-day attendance are offered during term time. The strongest practical fit is therefore for families seeking a play-led nursery education within the school-term calendar, with substantial outdoor learning and an individual key-person relationship.

Rooms and Ages

Acorns serves ages two to three, with a maximum of 12 children per session. Oaks serves ages three to four, with a maximum of 28. These are room caps, not daily attendance figures; Acorns' smaller limit gives parents a useful comparison when choosing a first group setting.

Learning and Activities

The Early Years Foundation Stage (EYFS) provides the shared framework: play across seven areas of learning supports children's development. St Mary's uses in-the-moment planning, building activities around interests as they emerge rather than fixed topics.

Elements of Reggio Emilia and The Curiosity Approach inform natural surroundings and materials children can use in different ways. Alongside the EYFS, these provide starting points for exploration, with practitioners joining play to extend children's thinking.

In April 2024, interest in a stick led to garden exploration, reading and painting stick figures. Children also constructed with real tools and worked out how to transport garden materials. Everyday interests became opportunities for language and problem-solving.

Outdoor and Community Life

A nature club and log cabin sit within the outdoor learning space. Children move between indoors and outdoors for most of the day, in all weathers. Daily outdoor learning calls for a named coat and puddle suit.

In April 2024, children watched tadpoles in a pond they had helped create and recorded insects they found. Rope-pulling equipment addressed a need to develop upper-body strength. Visits from dental and nursing professionals, church walks and visiting church storytellers connected learning with other people's work and experiences.

Summer 2026 brought a garden wormery and new Tonka Trucks. The Book Shed on the decking also offered families books to borrow and return, extending shared reading beyond nursery.

Relationships and Communication

A key person is assigned before settling begins, with a plan agreed with parents and timed around that practitioner's attendance where possible. A back-up practitioner is identified where possible and builds familiarity gradually. Families have a clear contact as their child adjusts to separation.

The key person maintains developmental records, completes the progress check at age two and discusses progress with families. Developmental concerns involve parents and the manager or SENCO. Minor accident updates are sent promptly through Tapestry.

Inclusion and Wellbeing

At the April 2024 inspection, Ofsted found exceptionally effective support for children with SEND and those learning English as an additional language, including specialist help, additional funding and communication approaches tailored with families. Current arrangements include early identification of potential additional needs. Behaviour support involves parents, the key person and SENCO, with action plans reviewed and external support considered when needed.

The Thrive approach helps children recognise and manage feelings, using calm spaces, pictures, puppets and books. Adults help children understand conflicts and find solutions; the behaviour policy rejects leaving children alone as punishment.

Toilet training is not an entry requirement. Key persons or back-up practitioners support changing and work with parents on toilet learning, allowing self-care to develop during nursery attendance.

Individual Health Care Plans describe support for long-term conditions, agreed with parents and relevant healthcare professionals. Medication must be prescribed, in date and for the current condition. Administration requires written parental consent and dose records, with individual staff training where medical knowledge is needed.

Sessions and Attendance

The address is Watchett's Recreation Ground, Park Road, Camberley, Surrey GU15 2SR. Opening hours are 8.45am to 2.45pm, Monday to Friday, during term time only, for a maximum of 38 weeks each year. Families needing care during school holidays will need an arrangement that covers those closures.

The full day runs from 8.45am to 2.45pm and the morning session from 8.45am to 11.45am. Afternoon attendance starts at 11.45am; the summer 2026 newsletter gives finishing options of 2.15pm or 2.45pm. The minimum booking is 15 sessions per week.

Places are allocated in order of application. A deposit accompanies the completed registration form and is returned during the first half term after the child starts; it is not refunded if the child does not join. Enquiries can be made through the contact form, by telephone on 01276 581309 or by email to office@stmarysnurserycamberley.co.uk. Current prices come in the nursery's written quotation.

School Club was offered in summer 2026 to children attending full days who were due to start school that September. In April 2024, school preparation included rhyming games and thinking about what to pack for school. These activities address the change in routines and expectations involved in moving on.

Funding and Paid Extras

Funded childcare includes a minimum of 15 hours FEET funding, the 15 hours Free Early Years Entitlement and the Working Parent Entitlement from age two. Attendance is term-time. Additional sessions beyond funded hours attract the standard session charge unless covered by the Working Parent Entitlement; funding and privately paid attendance therefore need to be considered together when choosing a pattern.

Parents supply packed lunches, dairy-free or gluten-free snacks where required, and may contribute fruit, vegetables or breadsticks for shared snacks; the nursery supplies milk and water. Its allergy policy prohibits nuts, and families are asked to keep lunchboxes and sun cream free of nut ingredients.

Nappies and wipes, when needed, come from home, as does sun cream. The summer 2026 instructions require cream to be applied before attendance; children needing a top-up apply it themselves with staff supervision. That is a practical consideration for children who still need help with personal care.

The disabled parking bay outside the nursery is reserved for those who need it. The summer 2026 newsletter reminded families that users of the neighbouring rugby and football club also need access to those spaces.

• Term-time rhythm. The nursery operates for a maximum of 38 weeks and closes during school holidays. Its 2.45pm closing time also needs to fit the family's working and collection arrangements.
• Minimum booking. The minimum is 15 sessions per week. Ask how this applies to the morning, afternoon and full-day patterns before choosing attendance.
• Outdoor self-care and allergies. Daily outdoor learning calls for a coat and puddle suit, and the sun-cream instructions involve children managing supervised top-ups. Allergy-affected families should confirm current practice, including packed lunches and the restriction on nut ingredients in sun cream.
• Settling into Acorns. The younger environment has a maximum of 12 children per session, and settling is planned around a key-person relationship. Parents must view the nursery with their child before completing the registration form. Discuss how the settling plan and back-up relationship would work for your child.

St Mary's suits families seeking morning or afternoon nursery education, as well as those choosing a full day within a term-time timetable. Its outdoor space, responsive planning and clear settling arrangements provide a coherent offer: children have room to pursue interests, while adults plan the learning and care around them.

The April 2024 Outstanding judgement adds weight to that choice, especially alongside the detailed findings on inclusion. The main decisions are practical ones: holiday cover, an early afternoon finish, packed lunches and children's participation in outdoor self-care. For families whose routines fit those requirements, the eco-building, garden learning and individual relationships make this a compelling option.