Kiddies' Cabin Day Nursery

A purpose-built log cabin, two outdoor play areas and a baby room capped at nine children give Kiddies' Cabin Day Nursery a clear identity. On the St Marks Hospital site in Maidenhead, it combines a single-storey building with separate rooms for successive stages of early childhood. For parents weighing the youngest children's surroundings, the Poppy Room's stated maximum is a useful starting point.

At its March 2023 inspection, Ofsted rated the nursery Good overall and found that children made exceptional progress. These findings describe the educational experience at that visit.

The nursery has capacity for 63 children, with a current age range of 10 to 60 months. Families do not need to work for Berkshire Healthcare NHS Foundation Trust to attend. Full-day attendance has a minimum booking of two days each week.

Rooms and Ages

Four rooms divide the nursery into age groups. Poppy Room covers 10 to 15 months and holds a maximum of nine children; Daisy Room takes children from around 14 or 15 months to two years and holds 12. Separating these stages gives parents a more specific picture of baby provision than the whole nursery's capacity alone.

Buttercup Room is for two- to three-year-olds and holds 18 children, while Bluebell Room takes children from three years until the end of August after their fourth birthday and holds 24. These are room capacities, rather than a promise about the number attending on any particular day. Room age bands can be adjusted, and parents are consulted before a move.

The accessible single-storey log cabin has a room leader for each age group, giving families a point of contact within their child's room.

Learning and Activities

The Early Years Foundation Stage guides learning through play, with staff supporting children as they explore and choose activities. This is the required early-years framework; the useful detail here is how individual learning is followed. Each child's development records bring together observations, photographs, artwork and milestones, and the key carer reviews them monthly to decide what to work on next.

In March 2023, babies experimented with stacking rings in size order, toddlers tried out ways of constructing pretend buildings, and preschool children organised a make-believe picnic, dividing food fairly between friends. These examples show learning embedded in play: comparing size, solving a practical problem and considering other children all had a place in the day.

Storytelling also extended into movement. In March 2023, an external dance teacher led preschool children through Snow White and the Seven Dwarves, using changes in music and movement to explore the story's emotions. It was a concrete example of connecting books with expression, rather than keeping stories confined to listening time.

Outdoor and Community Life

Two outdoor play areas provide open space for exploration, and children go outside at least twice daily. Families supply seasonal clothing, including a summer sun hat and boots, warm clothes and a winter hat in colder weather. Outdoor play is therefore part of the routine across the seasons, with practical preparation from home.

In March 2023, outdoor activities included tricycles, hoops and imaginative movement inspired by insects. Children helped friends join in by demonstrating how to jump and pretend to fly. The examples combine physical practice with cooperation: the garden was used for shared ideas as well as energetic play.

Relationships and Communication

A child's key carer maintains confidential development records, which parents can view and discuss at a meeting. Parents are invited to contribute their own ideas about the next steps in learning, and parents' evenings take place twice yearly. That creates both an ongoing record and scheduled opportunities to talk through progress.

Settling follows guidance from parents about their child. Nursery routines organise parts of the day such as meals, while children retain opportunities to initiate play. For a family starting childcare, this makes information about familiar routines useful to the staff who will support the transition.

In March 2023, babies fetched drinks for themselves, toddlers practised using forks, and older children served lunch and cleared leftovers. Staff shared these approaches with parents for use at home. The practical value is continuity: everyday independence can develop through familiar tasks in both places.

When children move into school, the nursery can share relevant information needed to support their transition. This concerns continuity of care and learning, rather than any advantage in securing admission.

Inclusion and Wellbeing

At the March 2023 inspection, Ofsted found safeguarding effective and described staff adapting teaching through their knowledge of individual children, supported by assessments and conversations with parents. Regular safeguarding training and attention to hazards formed part of that dated judgement.

In March 2023, staff had received training from a speech and language therapist to support interventions for children with delayed speech. This is a specific example of professional input into staff practice, rather than a general promise about the support any child will receive.

The Physical Activity and Nutrition Coordinator (PANCo) qualification concerns promoting positive nutrition and physical activity in early-years settings; the nursery's manager and deputy gained it in March 2022. Its relevance is to wellbeing work, although the March 2023 improvement priorities still included more accurate toothbrushing guidance and clearer teaching about healthy food and drink choices.

Meals are cooked afresh in the nursery's own kitchen, with menus informed by an NHS dietician and arrangements for individual dietary needs. The baby-food arrangement is age-dependent: snacks and afternoon tea are introduced from 10 months, nursery lunch from 12 months, and parents supply food before those introductions.

Sessions and Attendance

Opening hours are 7.30am to 6pm, Monday to Friday. The nursery operates for 51 weeks each year, closing over Christmas and New Year and on bank holidays. This is care across the year, so families need to allow for those closure periods when planning their working arrangements.

Full-day sessions last 10 hours, with a minimum attendance of two days a week. The opening window and the booked session length are different measures. The nursery's application form is the joining route, and its general contact number is 0118 9044637.

Getting There

The cabin sits within the grounds of St Marks Hospital, 112 St Marks Road, Maidenhead, Berkshire, SL6 6DU.

Funding and Paid Extras

Funded childcare is offered, including the 30 hours free childcare entitlement. Private attendance is also offered. Eligibility and the way funding fits into a family's booking should be treated separately from the nursery's opening hours.

Group-wide billing arrangements used here spread fees into equal monthly payments, with invoices issued towards the month's end and payment due by the 10th of the following month. A deposit equivalent to a month's fees is requested when a place is offered; childcare vouchers and Tax Free Childcare cannot be used for that deposit. Families obtain current prices through the nursery's written quotation.

Employment affects the fee category. A parent working for Berkshire Healthcare NHS Foundation Trust qualifies the family for the BHFT rate, subject to employment evidence; parents outside the listed employment categories use the NON NHS rate. The nursery fees page explains this structure.

• The youngest children's room. Poppy Room has a maximum of nine children, and room moves involve consultation with parents. On a visit, discuss how settling and the move towards Daisy Room would work for your child.
• The weekly commitment. Attendance starts at two full days a week, each lasting 10 hours. Consider whether that pattern fits your work and your child's routine before applying.
• Health teaching. In March 2023, improvement priorities covered toothbrushing guidance and children's understanding of healthy eating and drinking. Ask how these lessons now form part of everyday care.
• Funding and the total bill. The nursery offers 30 hours free childcare alongside paid attendance, with employment-based fee categories and an age-dependent baby-food arrangement. Request a written breakdown covering funded hours, additional hours, meals and non-food consumables.

Kiddies' Cabin suits families seeking a regular pattern of full days across the year, whether attending on selected weekdays or more frequently. Its small youngest-room cap, separate age-group rooms and outdoor routine give parents concrete reasons to consider it. Monthly development reviews and twice-yearly parents' evenings add useful structure to communication.

The March 2023 educational findings are a strength, balanced by health-teaching improvements and the commitment of two full days each week.