White Waltham Nursery School

A cricket-club pavilion and space for countryside walks give White Waltham Nursery School a clear identity. Based at White Waltham Cricket Club on the outskirts of Maidenhead, it offers outdoor space; in December 2021, children explored their own ideas through play. The physical setting is its strongest practical draw: outdoor space is part of the offer, rather than an occasional destination.

The nursery's overall judgement in December 2021 was Good. That judgement is a dated assessment, and the detail beneath it matters: children experimented with construction, played alongside friends and practised doing things for themselves. Those examples help explain the nursery's character more usefully than the grade alone.

Children aged 24 to 60 months are accepted. Attendance choices include all-day, morning and afternoon sessions during term time, making this a setting to consider for families whose childcare needs follow the school calendar.

Learning and Activities

The early years foundation stage sets the requirements for children's learning, development and care. Here, its inspection-era examples included learning through play: exploring colour, comparing quantities and tackling practical problems with other children. Children chose what to explore and gathered materials to put their ideas into practice.

In December 2021, children chose resources to make vehicle tunnels and joined sections of guttering into a car run. These were opportunities to test an idea, adjust a construction and work alongside a friend. Sand and water play brought quantity into everyday conversation, while painting encouraged children to identify colours. Familiar routines also became material for imaginative play.

That December, children followed their interests and made choices about their activities. Adults assessed their learning, but planning needed greater precision to extend speech and vocabulary. This is a useful distinction for parents: an engaging activity and a carefully planned next step in language development are separate parts of the nursery day.

Outdoor and Community Life

White Waltham Cricket Club provides the pavilion setting, with outdoor space and opportunities to walk through the surrounding countryside. For families who value time outside, the attraction is concrete: the nursery's surroundings give outdoor activity a place in its identity.

In December 2021, physical play included scooters, balance bicycles and climbing equipment. Children also fastened materials with pegs to make an outdoor den, bringing smaller hand movements into the same play environment. Taking turns on the climbing frame gave them a practical reason to follow a shared rule. Outdoor play was therefore about construction and cooperation as well as movement.

At the December 2021 inspection, Ofsted found safeguarding effective and children with special educational needs and/or disabilities making good progress through support involving other agencies, while identifying more precise planning for speech and vocabulary as the improvement priority. These findings belong to that assessment; they should be read with its date in mind.

Current staff roles include a safeguarding lead and a SENCO. Staff have paediatric emergency first-aid training and Disclosure and Barring Service checks. These are concrete arrangements for care and support, while the dated inspection judgement provides the assessment of safeguarding effectiveness.

In December 2021, staff exchanged assessments with parents and invited their accounts of development at home. This made communication a two-way process: what a child did outside nursery could contribute to the picture of their learning. Staff also took time to get to know families, giving those conversations a personal basis.

Preparation for school took a practical form that December. Children practised putting on coats, opening lunch packaging and requesting help when needed. Choosing a drink at snack time gave them another small decision to make independently. These examples concern everyday readiness, with adults supporting children to attempt manageable tasks for themselves.

Sessions and Attendance

The address is White Waltham Cricket Club, White Waltham, Maidenhead, SL6 3SH. Opening hours are 9am to 4pm, Monday to Friday, during term time; the nursery closes for school holidays.

All Day, AM Only and PM Only are the session choices, with a Lunch Club option alongside the morning and afternoon selections. Families can submit a session enquiry specifying weekdays and their preferred starting date. The distinction between the opening window and the chosen session matters when organising a working day.

Funding and Paid Extras

Funded childcare includes funding for two-year-olds subject to eligibility, universal childcare funding of 15 hours for three- and four-year-olds, and extended childcare funding of up to 30 hours subject to eligibility. Attendance is term-time only. Funding eligibility and the nursery's session choices are separate considerations when putting together a childcare pattern.

Private childcare is also offered. Childcare vouchers and tax-free childcare are accepted, and current prices come in the nursery's written quotation. The fees and funding page sets out the funding categories and payment arrangements.

• School-holiday cover. This is a term-time nursery that closes during school holidays. Families needing childcare throughout the year will need a separate holiday arrangement.
• Language development. More precise planning to extend speech and vocabulary was the December 2021 improvement priority. On a visit, ask how an activity is adapted to a child's next language step.
• Session and lunch arrangements. Morning, afternoon and all-day choices sit alongside Lunch Club. Ask for the exact session boundaries and how meals and consumables are handled within your chosen funding or payment arrangement.

White Waltham Nursery School suits families seeking morning or afternoon attendance as well as all-day care within a term-time calendar. The cricket-club pavilion, outdoor space and countryside walks give it a recognisable setting. Its December 2021 Good judgement provides a useful assessment, with language planning the specific point to explore. For parents choosing it, the central decision is whether this outdoor setting and school-holiday closure fit their child's day and the family's working pattern.