Jane's House Montessori

A sheltered mud kitchen, practical Montessori materials and a day built around choosing activities give Jane's House Montessori its character. Based at Wash Common Community Centre in Newbury, this preschool combines hands-on indoor learning with daily outdoor access. Independence is a practical part of the offer: children choose materials, practise managing their clothing and take part in familiar routines.

At its October 2021 inspection, Ofsted rated the provision Good overall, with stronger opportunities for independent exploration outdoors than indoors and school partnerships needing further development. That dated judgement is useful context for families considering the current Montessori approach, rather than a reason to overlook the improvement points.

There are 24 places in total. Children can start at two and a quarter and remain until they leave for school, or through the term containing their fifth birthday. Morning and extended sessions provide two different lengths of preschool day.

Learning and Activities

Montessori here means choosing purposeful activities within a prepared environment, with practitioners observing children's interests and introducing suitable materials. Children can continue working with an activity for as long as they need. That arrangement gives sustained attention room to develop, rather than making every child move between activities together.

The Early Years Foundation Stage supplies the areas of learning and development, including language, physical development and mathematics; the Montessori curriculum works alongside it through practical, sensory, creative and language activities. The distinction matters: Montessori shapes the experiences and materials, while the foundation stage sets the educational framework. The Montessori approach explains how individual observation guides the next activity.

Free-choice work can be individual or in small groups, led either by children or adults. Circle time brings stories, songs and shared news together with Grace and Courtesy lessons, part of the group routine. Extended afternoons add book themes that change by term, alongside Bananas Yoga and Magical Montessori sessions as afternoon activities. These give the longer session its own content, rather than simply extending the morning timetable.

In October 2021, children explored early mathematics by estimating the soil needed to fill a bucket, then trying their predictions. Older children also explored letters through marks in sand. Those examples show how practical activity connected with early number and literacy learning at that time.

There was a limitation indoors in October 2021: some children waited for an adult to offer an idea or help them begin. The improvement request concerned giving children more scope to investigate materials and develop their own thinking. For parents attracted by self-directed learning, that is a useful point to revisit during a tour.

Outdoor and Community Life

Daily outdoor access is part of the current routine. The sheltered mud kitchen, outdoor cabin, swings and climbing areas give the space several different uses, from making and experimenting to movement. Outdoor play has its own place in the morning, while access to the garden varies with the season.

In October 2021, children rode scooters and bicycles around a track, using a timer to share turns. They also used real hammers and made patterns in a pumpkin with small pegs. These were concrete opportunities to practise coordination, persistence and sharing, with adults helping children manage risk. They describe the inspection-era experience rather than a promise that those particular activities run today.

Relationships and Communication

Settling follows the child rather than a fixed expectation of immediate separation. Parents may stay for an hour during the first session, and staff work with them on the transition. Magical Montessori classes offer a way to become familiar with the preschool hall and materials before starting. For a child new to group care, familiarity can make the change less abrupt.

Each child has a key teacher. My Montessori Child is the online learning journal: staff record activities and observations, parents have protected access to shared photographs and information, and the key teacher uses the observations to plan what comes next. Verbal feedback and meetings supplement the journal. This gives families both a record to revisit and a person with whom to discuss it.

Inclusion and Wellbeing

At the October 2021 inspection, Ofsted found safeguarding effective and children with special educational needs and/or disabilities making good progress, with support involving professionals such as speech and language therapists. Those are dated findings, not a general assurance about every child's experience now.

Current staffing arrangements include a deputy designated safeguarding lead, a SENCO and an emotional literacy support assistant, while staff hold paediatric first-aid certification. These identify responsibilities and support mechanisms. They give families specific roles to discuss when a child needs additional help.

Children do not need to be toilet trained before joining. Staff support them as they become ready, and families supply nappies, wipes and spare clothes in a named bag. Clothing that children can manage themselves, indoor shoes and wellington boots also support participation in the daily routine; nursery-logo clothing is optional.

Support for the move to primary school forms part of the current parent partnership. In October 2021, relationships with schools and other childcare settings were less developed, and strengthening those connections was an improvement priority. The practical issue is continuity between settings: sharing what helps a child learn and settle.

Sessions and Attendance

The Morning Session runs from 9.15am to 1.15pm; the Extended Session finishes at 2.45pm after the same start time. Term-time opening hours are 9.15am to 2.45pm, Monday to Thursday. The preschool generally follows West Berkshire term dates, so its calendar fits a term-time pattern rather than year-round attendance.

Enrolment starts with an application form. Submission does not secure a place: the preschool discusses requirements and adds the child's name to its waiting list until a place becomes available. A non-refundable registration charge is then required to secure the place. Contact is also available by email or through the contact form.

Getting There

The address is Wash Common Community Centre, Glendale Avenue, Wash Common, Newbury RG14 6TL. The preschool uses the community-centre setting for its Montessori classroom and outdoor play spaces.

Funding and Paid Extras

The preschool accepts 15 and 30-hour funding for three- and four-year-olds, with funding described over 38 weeks. Additional hours are charged separately. Funded sessions carry a Montessori/Consumables Quality Supplement covering a daily snack charge and sundries; nappies and wipes come from home, so the non-food consumables arrangement combines charged items with parent-supplied items.

Fees are payable termly in advance, and leaving or reducing weekly attendance requires written notice of half a term; otherwise the corresponding fees remain payable. Absence, including holidays during term, does not bring a refund. Current prices come in the nursery's written quotation, with the charge structure explained on its fees and funding page.

• Independent learning indoors. The October 2021 improvement point concerned children waiting for adult direction during indoor activities. On a visit, ask how children now select, investigate and extend their work independently.
• Continuity into school. Strengthening links with schools and other early-years settings was another October 2021 priority. Ask how transition information is shared and how staff coordinate with a child's next setting.
• Funding across the week. Both 15 and 30-hour funding are accepted, while the fees terms also describe a maximum of 15 hours weekly over 38 weeks. Ask for a written explanation of how the chosen entitlement fits the Monday-to-Thursday sessions and supplement.
• Changes to attendance. Reducing sessions or leaving requires half a term's written notice, and term-time absence is not refunded. Families expecting changing work patterns should weigh that commitment before choosing their weekly pattern.

Jane's House Montessori suits families seeking a term-time preschool with either morning attendance or a longer extended session, and an emphasis on choosing materials and practising everyday independence. The outdoor cabin and mud kitchen add physical substance to that offer, while the key teacher and My Montessori Child journal provide clear routes for communication.

The October 2021 judgement was positive, but independent indoor learning and coordination with schools remain the useful questions arising from it. Families comfortable with the session lengths and notice terms have a concrete basis on which to assess the fit.