College Fields Montessori Nursery School

Montessori shelves, a mud kitchen and a covered outdoor classroom give College Fields Montessori Nursery School a clear character: practical learning with plenty of room for children to make choices. Set within the grounds of Marlborough College in Marlborough, it has capacity for 24 children aged two to five. Independence is a recurring theme, from choosing an activity to pouring water and helping prepare the snack table.

At its September 2025 inspection, Ofsted rated the nursery Good and found safeguarding effective, with curriculum planning supporting children's progress, including children with special educational needs and/or disabilities. Two improvements remained: recognising opportunities to extend learning and when to give children more time to explore their ideas, and explaining clearly and consistently why rules matter. Those points matter alongside the strengths.

Attendance is term time, with morning, afternoon and full-day patterns and a minimum booking of two days a week.

Learning and Activities

The Early Years Foundation Stage sits alongside Montessori here: children practise communication through stories and conversation, explore numbers through equipment, and develop physical skills through garden play. Montessori adds a concrete way of organising those experiences, with materials children can select from shelves and practical tasks that invite them to do things for themselves.

College Fields Continuous Curriculum brings together Practical Life, Sensorial Exploration and other areas of learning. Practical Life develops everyday skills through purposeful tasks; Sensorial Exploration uses materials to help children distinguish and organise physical qualities. Mathematical equipment gives children tangible experiences of quantities and numbers, while phonics introduces connections between letters and sounds.

Choice has a place within a recognisable routine. Children begin with activities selected from the shelves, followed by Montessori work and an adult-guided activity. A group discussion brings children together around a theme or news from home. Leaves, shells, photographs and favourite toys can prompt conversation.

Activities led by adults can involve cooking, craft, drama, movement or music, linked to a half-term theme. Children can also choose to paint or draw. The nursery says it keeps timings flexible so children can continue an absorbing activity, with staff guiding them through the day.

In September 2025, seasonal creative work included using feathers, conkers and leaves, alongside painting and making things from reused materials. Stories connected with themes such as growing vegetables and health, with cushions providing a place to settle and listen. Songs and group conversations introduced new vocabulary. Adult involvement varied, however: some staff developed children's ideas through questions, while others missed opportunities to take learning further.

Outdoor and Community Life

The garden contains a water table, sand pit and mud kitchen, with a tractor and balance bikes adding movement to the outdoor choices. Under cover, children can use a blackboard or take part in small-group activities. The nursery aims to use the garden across different weather conditions, so suitable outdoor clothing is part of preparing for the day.

In September 2025, outdoor activities included balancing on beams, climbing ladders, digging and building dens. Books and chalk also supported garden play. Cultural experiences drew on families' contributions: one example involved parents sharing Greek music while children tried Greek food.

The Quiet Game closes the morning with a short period of shared listening and relaxation.

Relationships and Communication

Settling support includes messages and photographs for parents, with the nursery saying it will call a parent back if a child has had enough. Children are helped to become familiar with the routine before starting.

Work is kept in a workbook that families can look through, making children's developing skills visible over time. A progress check at age two is sent to parents, followed by a summary in the final summer term that is also shared with the child's chosen school.

In September 2025, key persons maintained contact with families through photographs, emails and updates about learning and next steps. Guidance covered home learning, eating routines and toilet training. Practical independence was also evident in children's use of water stations, utensils and everyday self-care tasks.

Inclusion and Wellbeing

The inclusion process begins with getting to know a child's interests and discussing any developmental or behavioural concerns with parents. With parental permission, the nursery can seek advice from an Inclusion Officer, followed by communication about progress at each session.

Staff training includes Montessori practice, allergy awareness, behaviour management and special educational needs, and the team has paediatric first-aid training.

Toilet learning follows the family's lead, with easy-to-manage clothing encouraged and spare clothes requested during training. Parents supply nappies and any preferred rash cream; the nursery supplies wipes and nappy sacks.

Parents provide packed lunches, while nursery snacks include fruit, crackers and cream cheese; dairy-free and gluten-free alternatives can be provided. The nursery asks families to discuss allergies throughout their child's attendance and to check before sending nuts or peanut butter.

Sessions and Attendance

The address is College Fields, Marlborough, SN8 1UA. Opening hours are 8.30am to 4pm, Monday to Friday, during term time, with bank-holiday closures. Children can begin from age two, subject to availability, and the minimum booking is two days per week.

Full-day, morning and afternoon sessions are offered, alongside extended attendance. Early drop-off and late collection are separately charged additions.

Extra sessions can be booked casually, but they and early or late additions must be arranged and paid for in advance. Swapping an existing session is permitted in emergencies or at the nursery's discretion.

Holiday-club sessions for children aged two to eight are sometimes offered and can be booked in advance. Enrolment involves an application form, and enquiries can be made by telephone, email or contact form.

Funding and Paid Extras

Government-funded entitlement of up to 15 or 30 hours is accepted according to eligibility, during term time between 9am and 3pm. Extended periods fall outside those funded hours and are charged separately. Private additional hours are also offered.

For funded attendance, the nursery requests voluntary payments for snacks and for festivities, parties, gifts and activities beyond the Early Years Foundation Stage. Lunch remains a packed meal from home, and parents supply nappies and preferred creams while wipes and nappy sacks are supplied by the nursery. Krazy Kanga is an optional Friday activity with a voluntary payment; its content is a useful visit question.

For current prices, ask the nursery for a quotation.

The nursery describes Preshute Primary and St Marys Infants as its main feeder schools. Attending the nursery does not guarantee a place at Preshute Primary. Attending the nursery does not guarantee a place at St Marys Infants.

• Adult interaction and explanations. In September 2025, staff varied in how effectively they extended children's thinking, and explanations of rules were inconsistent. During a visit, explore how practitioners decide when to intervene and how they explain expectations during routines.
• Extended attendance. Extended attendance and late collection have different stated finishes. Agree the precise collection arrangement before making a booking that depends on the later finish.
• Term-time planning. Attendance requires at least two days each week, and holiday-club sessions are sometimes offered separately. Consider how the regular pattern fits your family's school-holiday arrangements.
• Food and Friday activities. Lunch comes from home, and the nursery asks families to discuss allergies and check before packing nuts. Allergy-affected families should confirm current practice; a visit is also the place to ask what the optional Krazy Kanga activity involves.

College Fields suits families seeking morning, afternoon or full-day attendance within a term-time pattern, with Montessori materials and everyday independence shaping the experience. The garden's mud kitchen, covered classroom and bikes give the approach a substantial outdoor dimension. Workbooks and school-bound summaries add continuity for parents following their child's development.

The September 2025 Good judgement provides a positive assessment, balanced by specific work needed on adult interaction and explanations of rules. For a family comfortable providing lunch and arranging holiday care, the strongest appeal is the combination of purposeful practical tasks, child choice and a predictable daily rhythm.