Colourbox Montessori School & Forest School, Newmarket

A woodland classroom, a pyramid bird-hide and gardens opening directly from every nursery room give Colourbox Newmarket an unusually outdoor character. Its Country Club brings meadow and woodland into the nursery day, while indoors, children choose accessible materials and practise doing things for themselves. The connection between those spaces matters: outdoor exploration is part of daily learning rather than a separate destination.

At its August 2025 inspection, Ofsted rated the nursery Outstanding and found that its carefully planned education helped children make excellent progress. The practical examples behind that judgement are useful: children investigated wildlife, tackled everyday tasks independently and used conversation to develop their ideas. There is substance beneath the grade.

The nursery on Exning Road, Newmarket, CB8 0EB accepts children from six months to five years and has 83 places in total. Babies, toddlers and older children have different room environments, spread across two areas connected by a short path. That layout gives families something concrete to weigh alongside the educational approach: which part of the nursery their child will use, and how indoor and outdoor experiences fit together.

Rooms and Ages

The Nest combines sensory exploration and space to practise walking with a sheltered garden reserved for babies, while familiar home routines help shape the youngest children's care. Its direct garden access means fresh air does not depend on moving babies through the older children's rooms. Shade and shelter also make the outdoor space useful for quieter moments, including sleep.

Active toddlers use The Garden Room, where choosing an activity and putting it away sit alongside practical independence, with a mini bridge, tunnel and wheeled vehicles outside. The welly-boot frame gives a small everyday task its own practical solution. Rather than treating independence as an abstract aim, the room gives children manageable things to attempt.

The Ocean Room addresses the energy and experimentation of two-year-olds through reachable shelves, construction, puzzles and sensory materials, with climbing and a sand area in its garden. Its resources connect physical exploration with early ideas about shape, weight and size. There are also opportunities to pause for stories when children need a quieter spell.

In the World Room, children select orderly Montessori materials, including Sandpaper letters and Golden Beads, while the garden supports balancing, digging and movement. Letters and the decimal system are introduced through objects children can handle, giving concrete form to ideas that would otherwise be abstract. Adults protect concentration during an activity the child has chosen.

Learning and Activities

The Early Years Foundation Stage sets the framework for children's learning, development and care: the day brings together play, communication, physical activity and growing independence. Montessori adds a particular way of organising that learning, with accessible materials, children's own choices and time to concentrate. It sits alongside the framework rather than replacing it.

The Montessori Work Cycle in The Garden Room means children select something to do and return it when finished. That simple sequence gives choice a clear boundary. In the World Room, the arrangement of materials lets children get what they need themselves, while the emphasis on uninterrupted activity allows them to stay with something that interests them.

In August 2025, younger children explored different representations of farm animals after showing an interest in toy animals. Older children examined slugs outdoors and discussed their movement and appearance. These examples show how an initial interest became a longer investigation, rather than ending with the first question or discovery.

Language also grew out of ordinary experiences in August 2025. Staff paired signs with spoken words at meals, and a beach tray prompted discussion about smooth shells. The useful point for families is the connection between something a child can see or handle and words that help them explain it.

Outdoor and Community Life

Country Club is the on-site Forest School, combining outdoor exploration with practical activities such as cooking, tool use and learning to judge risks. Meadow, mature woodland and a bird-hide provide different settings for observing nature. A castle roundhouse, beach and farm areas add further starting points for play, while growing plants and building dens bring children into active contact with their surroundings.

In August 2025, woodland role-play developed into discussion of a butterfly's life cycle. The same month's activities included a climbing wall, where older children learned to use helmets and remain with an adult. These were physical challenges with explicit safety habits attached, giving children opportunities to attempt something demanding with support.

Community experiences in August 2025 included watching performances at a local primary school and learning about food from other cultures. Those experiences broadened the subjects children could talk about beyond their own nursery routines.

Relationships and Communication

For babies in The Nest, continuity begins with using the home routine as far as possible. Familiar patterns give staff a starting point for care during a child's first experience away from home. The room also emphasises relationships with adults and other children, alongside increasing confidence in choosing and trying activities.

Blossom, the group-wide online development platform used at Newmarket, sends daily highlights to parents and accepts observations from home. That makes communication reciprocal: families can contribute what their child is doing elsewhere, rather than simply receiving a nursery update. It also gives parents specific experiences to discuss with their child.

In August 2025, communication included daily conversations at handover and meetings with families. Graduation ceremonies and birthday gatherings brought parents into shared occasions. Everyday contact and longer discussions served different purposes, allowing immediate information and developmental questions to have their own space.

Inclusion and Wellbeing

At the August 2025 inspection, Ofsted found safeguarding effective and reported positive parental feedback about SEND support, including individual interventions, regular communication and children's progress. For a family considering additional support, those concrete mechanisms matter more than a general statement about inclusion.

In August 2025, staff allowed children to attempt putting on and taking off their shoes before helping. Children also selected equipment to clear up spills. These small tasks made independence part of care itself: adults supported an attempt rather than immediately doing the job for the child.

Nursery chefs prepare fresh meals, using seasonal ingredients and adapting menus to children's dietary needs where necessary. For babies, The Nest's shaded, sheltered garden also offers an outdoor sleep option, connecting rest with the room's quieter space.

Sessions and Attendance

Opening hours are 7.30am to 6pm, Monday to Friday. The nursery operates throughout the year and closes on bank holidays. That gives working families an opening window across the week, while the bank-holiday closure remains a practical part of planning care.

Newmarket has a direct telephone enquiry route on 01638 667787 and a nursery email address, managernewmarket@colourboxmontessori.co.uk. Visits can be arranged with the nursery. The room layout and linked sites make the visit useful for understanding where a child will spend their day, rather than judging the whole setting from one room.

Getting There

The main address is Exning Road, Newmarket, CB8 0EB; the parking entrance is at Lady Wolverton Pavilion, Adastral Close, CB8 0PX. A small car park at Adastral Close serves the baby and toddler area, and nursery parents can use spaces at Newmarket Leisure Centre between 8.00 and 8.30am, with access through the Newmarket Academy gate during that window.

Bicycles can be left inside the gates at either part of the nursery. The Guineas Bus Station is a 10 minute walk from the nursery, with the No. 11 serving Cambridge and the 311 serving Exning and Bury St. Edmunds.

Funding and Paid Extras

Funded sessions are offered for two-, three- and four-year-olds, and Employer Childcare Vouchers are accepted. Eligibility depends on the family's circumstances. The distinction matters when planning attendance: participation in funded childcare does not itself establish a particular family's entitlement.

• Two linked sites. The nursery occupies separate areas connected by a short path. On a visit, ask to see your child's room, its garden and the route used to reach Country Club so that the layout is clear.
• Independence in practice. Children choose materials, put activities away and attempt everyday tasks themselves. Consider how that approach fits your child's temperament and the support they need when trying something unfamiliar.
• The morning parking window. Leisure Centre parking and access through the Academy gate apply between 8.00 and 8.30am. Families using other times should plan around the Adastral Close entrance.
• Funded attendance costs. Funded sessions cover children aged two, three and four. Ask for a written quotation setting out your proposed attendance and the treatment of meals and non-food consumables.

Colourbox Newmarket suits families who want outdoor exploration and practical independence to shape their child's nursery experience. Country Club supplies the woodland setting; the rooms supply accessible materials and everyday opportunities to choose, attempt and concentrate. Babies have their own sheltered garden, while older children encounter more demanding materials and physical challenges.

The August 2025 Outstanding judgement gives weight to that educational picture. For parents, the strongest decision points are the Montessori way of working, direct garden access and the arrangement across two linked sites. The weekday opening window and operation throughout the year add practical value, with bank holidays requiring separate planning.