Maybury Montessori

Montessori independence and a practical Caring Code give Maybury Montessori its character: children explore at their own pace while learning to listen, act gently and put feelings into words. Based at Old Woking Community Centre in Woking, it welcomes children from six months to five years and has capacity for 40 children. The emphasis is on growing independence rather than pressure or comparison.

At its September 2023 inspection, Ofsted rated the nursery Good, found safeguarding effective and judged that children made good progress from their starting points. That positive assessment sits alongside specific work needed on planning children's next learning steps and helping them express themselves. Morning, afternoon and full-day bookings give families different attendance patterns.

Learning and Activities

The Early Years Foundation Stage (EYFS) provides the framework for children's learning, development and care, with play and creative activities helping them practise communication, movement and social skills. Montessori sits alongside it here, encouraging independence and sustained concentration while children explore at a pace suited to them. Daily observations help staff understand individual interests and needs, rather than treating everyone as ready for the same challenge.

Montessori materials share the learning environment with practical creative activities. Storytelling and role play give children ways to explore ideas and feelings; art, movement and music add other forms of expression. These are concrete ways to connect the curriculum's emphasis on independence with imagination and problem-solving. The curriculum page explains how the approaches sit together.

In September 2023, preschool children used mirrors to study their faces before drawing them, talking about how expressions changed with different feelings. Other children practised pedalling tricycles with adult guidance and encouragement to keep trying. The examples connect learning to something children can see or do: recognising an expression, coordinating a movement or persisting with a new skill.

Physical activity also formed part of the day in September 2023. Children chased friends and steered ride-on bicycles around one another. Alongside movement, these experiences gave them practice in judging space and responding to other children.

The Caring Code makes everyday expectations explicit. Be Kind and Gentle concerns empathy; Listen Well asks children to pay attention and respond thoughtfully; Use your words encourages them to communicate feelings and work through problems. It gives families a clear picture of the behaviour staff seek to develop. Separately charged activities include Boogie Pumps, Weekicks and Tiny Tunes.

Short introductory sessions are recommended before a child's main attendance begins. These give children time to become familiar with staff, routines and their surroundings, with sessions arranged together with families. Moves between age groups depend on a child's readiness, allowing the next stage to follow their development rather than simply a fixed timetable.

Before offering a place, the nursery gathers information about medical needs, additional support and family circumstances. Its admissions policy provides for reasonable adjustments and, where needed, involvement from health visitors or local support services. This makes the initial conversation useful: care arrangements can take account of a child's needs before attendance starts.

In September 2023, babies received reassurance and cuddles after waking, while younger or less confident children received attention to their emotional wellbeing. Independence developed through ordinary routines too: babies practised using spoons, toddlers drank from cups, and preschool children managed their personal needs. These small steps connect comfort with growing confidence in doing things for themselves.

Ofsted also identified in September 2023 that planning needed to target children's next learning steps more accurately, especially younger children's speaking skills, and that staff needed more consistent ways to help children communicate their wishes, needs and ideas. The distinction matters: hearing adults model vocabulary is useful, but children also need effective help to make themselves understood.

Sessions and Attendance

The address is Old Woking Community Centre, Sundridge Road, Woking, GU22 9AT. Opening hours are 8am to 6pm, Monday to Friday, across 51 weeks of the year, with a Christmas closure lasting one week.

Three booking patterns are offered: the AM Session runs from 8am to 12.30pm, the PM Session from 1.30pm to 6pm, and the Full Day from 8am to 6pm. The morning and afternoon patterns have different finishing and starting points, so a half-day booking should be chosen around the actual session rather than the whole opening window.

Joining begins with a completed application form. Families using government funding also sign a Local Authority Parental Contract setting out the funded attendance. Tours can be booked through the nursery's contact route. The waiting-list policy gives priority to children moving between age groups and existing families seeking extra sessions or sibling places, alongside booking and intended start dates.

Funding and Paid Extras

Both paid childcare and funded attendance are offered. For 15 hours funding, the minimum booking is three full days or five half-day sessions each week; for 30 hours funding, it is four full days weekly. These attendance commitments are central to judging whether the arrangement fits a family's routine.

Food is charged separately from session fees. Boogie Pumps, Weekicks and Tiny Tunes carry separate activity charges; current prices come in the nursery's written quotation. The fees and funding page sets out the attendance and payment terms.

Billing is monthly in advance and calculated across 51 weeks, with no charge for the Christmas closure. Fees still apply during bank holidays, inset days, sickness and unplanned absences; a holiday food reduction requires one month's notice.

The deposit is credited against the final month's fees if one month's written notice is given. The funded-attendance terms separately require a full term's notice to retain the deposit or transfer unused hours, and a non-refundable administration charge applies to children receiving Early Education Entitlement. Families should weigh those conditions alongside the weekly booking commitment.

• Funded attendance commitment. The minimum is three full days or five half-days for 15 hours funding, and four full days for 30 hours. Consider the whole booking pattern and separate food charges when assessing the arrangement.
• Communication in practice. September 2023 brought specific recommendations about speaking and expressing needs. During a visit, ask how staff now support a child who struggles to make themselves understood and how observations shape their next activities.
• Notice and deposit conditions. The general deposit terms use one month's written notice, while funded-attendance terms require a full term. Establish which condition applies to the booking before committing.

Maybury Montessori suits families seeking Montessori-led exploration, clear everyday behaviour expectations and a choice between morning, afternoon and full-day attendance. Creative activities and readiness-led age-group transitions give that approach practical substance. The September 2023 Good judgement provides a dated quality assessment; its communication and planning recommendations remain useful questions for a visit. For funded attendance, the minimum weekly booking and notice conditions deserve as much attention as the learning approach.