Mini Munchkins Montessori Nursery

A tree house with a slide, hands-on Montessori materials and a gradual start give Mini Munchkins Montessori Nursery a clear character: independence is something children practise, indoors and outside. Based at Cedrus House in Datchet, it accepts children from 3 months to 5 years. Its purpose-built premises include air conditioning and an outdoor area for climbing, planting and play.

At its February 2025 inspection, Ofsted rated the nursery Good and found safeguarding effective, with a sequenced curriculum supporting good progress across children's learning. That judgement came with two important improvement points: more consistent responses to children's behaviour and earlier identification of learning gaps, followed by timely additional support.

Attendance patterns include full days, mornings, afternoons and flexible sessions.

Learning and Activities

The Early Years Foundation Stage (EYFS) covers children's learning and development, including communication, movement, relationships, literacy and mathematics. Here, Montessori provides the teaching approach alongside that framework: children use materials and practical activities, with freedom to learn at their own pace and guidance from practitioners. The EYFS is the shared foundation; Montessori gives this nursery's activities their particular shape.

Activities of Everyday Living develops practical independence, taking turns and organising a task. Sensorial introduces concepts through touch, sound and other direct experiences, helping children explore colour, shape and size before moving towards more abstract learning. Children learn through things they can handle and do.

For mathematics, children work with physical quantities and connect them to numbers. Language work draws on drama, songs, stories and rhymes, then links the sounds in words to letters when children are ready. An extended I Spy game encourages listening for those sounds. Whole-word recognition also has a place for words that do not follow the phonetic pattern.

Science and cultural activities broaden that practical work. Children explore floating and sinking, use magnets and magnifying equipment, and learn about weather, plants and animals. Discussions about children's backgrounds, customs and celebrations bring their own experiences into learning. French lessons, or another language other than English, use conversation and rhymes to build vocabulary. These details are explained further in the curriculum overview.

In February 2025, children spent sustained periods absorbed in activities, while practitioners introduced vocabulary through play. Books were part of that daily experience: younger children handled them and requested stories, while shared discussion helped children connect ideas. Older children also practised practical responsibility by clearing their meal dishes and preparing tables for activities. Independence had an everyday application.

Outdoor and Community Life

The outdoor space has a tree house and slide, equipment for rope and rock climbing, wooden toys and a sand tray for pouring and measuring. A mud kitchen adds another setting for practical play, while the growing area is used for fruit, vegetables and flowers. The separate free-flow outdoor area gives outdoor activity a place alongside the indoor environment.

In February 2025, babies practised climbing with close adult supervision, and outdoor play gave children opportunities to develop movement skills. The emphasis was on confident movement.

Relationships and Communication

A key person supports each child's introduction to nursery. Up to three settling sessions are free, usually taking place during the final week before the month a child starts. The first is brief, with subsequent stays lengthened gradually. Children generally begin at the start of a month, although the settling arrangements recognise that some need longer to become comfortable.

Parents may need to remain for part or most of an early session, then spend progressively longer away as their child can manage it. They must remain reachable by telephone. Working families need to allow time for this gradual separation.

Admission forms are completed before settling begins, giving practitioners information about routines, preferences and care needs. In February 2025, staff used knowledge of children's home lives and familiar languages to support settling and everyday communication. Attention to foods children needed to avoid was also part of individual care.

The eyLog online learning journal records observations and a child's development electronically. It gives parents a way to follow learning beyond a conversation at collection. In February 2025, information-sharing with families included children's growing social skills and independence, connecting nursery experiences with changes parents could recognise at home.

Inclusion and Wellbeing

The SENCo and management involve parents in planning around children's strengths and needs, and work with the borough SEND team and specialists in speech and language, educational psychology and occupational therapy. At the February 2025 inspection, Ofsted found that SEND support was not yet fully effective because newer systems were not embedded, with delays in obtaining extra help, including funding. Families whose children need additional help should give the February 2025 delays particular attention.

Behaviour also needs that balanced reading. In February 2025, older children remembered the Golden Rules, the nursery's behaviour expectations, but staff responses to minor disagreements elsewhere were inconsistent. Some disputes happened again, leaving children uncertain about expectations. The improvement required was consistency across practitioners, rather than simply having rules in place.

A cook prepares fresh meals, taking dietary needs and preferences into account; hot lunch forms part of full-day and morning fees, while afternoon fees include a light tea. In February 2025, health learning included talking about food choices and practising tooth cleaning on model dentures, making care routines something children could understand and try.

Sessions and Attendance

The address is Cedrus House, 156 Horton Road, Datchet, SL3 9HJ. Full-day sessions run from 8am to 6pm, mornings from 8am to 1pm, and afternoons from 1pm to 6pm, Monday to Friday. Flexible sessions are also offered. Flexible attendance must preserve continuity and stability for children.

The nursery operates for 51 weeks, with a Christmas and New Year closure lasting one week, or five working days. Bank holidays are also closure days. Those breaks matter when matching nursery attendance to work commitments.

Visits can be arranged by telephone on 01753773724 or through the contact route. A viewing usually takes half an hour. Enrolment involves submitting a form and paying a non-refundable enrolment charge to join the waiting list; the admissions policy can consider siblings, time spent waiting and the nursery's ability to meet a child's individual needs. An offered place is followed by a deposit, refundable subject to withdrawal terms, and a confirmation setting out the start and settling arrangements.

Getting There

Free on-street parking is available on Horton Road and surrounding side roads. Car access includes M4 junction 5, Bath Road and Welley Road, while the nearby railway options are Datchet Railway Station and Sunnymede Railway Stations.

Funding and Paid Extras

Funded childcare is offered, including 15 or 30 hours per week for children aged 3 and 4 over 38 weeks, subject to the relevant eligibility requirements, and enrolment for funded 2-year-olds. Childcare vouchers are accepted. Request a current written quotation covering prices, attendance arrangements and payment terms.

Meals are included in the relevant session fee: lunch for mornings and full days, and light tea for afternoons. Parents supply nappies and wipes when their child is not toilet trained. Session fees also cover cookery, yoga, music and movement, language sessions, Physical Literacy and Mind Body and Breath sessions; these are included activities rather than separately priced additions.

• Additional support. February 2025 brought a clear concern about delays in securing extra help and funding for children with SEND. Ask how learning gaps are now identified and how support is requested promptly.
• Behaviour consistency. Staff responses to minor disagreements were uneven in February 2025. During a visit, ask how practitioners now apply the same expectations across children's activities.
• Settling time. The gradual start can require a parent to stay and remain contactable, with some children needing longer. Plan adult availability around the settling sessions as well as the eventual attendance pattern.
• Included activities. Physical Literacy and Mind Body and Breath sessions sit within the fee alongside cookery, yoga and language activities. Ask what those two sessions involve for your child's age.

Mini Munchkins suits families choosing between morning attendance, afternoon sessions and full days who want Montessori learning built around practical activity. The tree house, climbing equipment, mud kitchen and growing area give outdoor play substance, while the gradual settling process recognises that starting nursery is a transition for parents too.

The February 2025 Good judgement provides a positive foundation, qualified by the behaviour and SEND improvement points. Timely additional help and consistent staff responses are central considerations.