Finchampstead Day Nursery

Tree trunks, a sandpit and mud kitchens give Finchampstead Day Nursery's garden plenty of scope for imaginative play, while its purpose-built rooms keep younger children and preschool children in separate stages of provision. The setting occupies the site of Nine Mile Ride School in Wokingham and accepts children from 3 months to 5 years. Outdoor play is part of each day.

Ofsted rated the nursery Good on 30 July 2025, with vocabulary development and relationships between children and staff among its strengths. The same visit identified two areas needing attention: making the intended learning in activities clearer to staff, and extending the images and resources through which children encounter other cultures. Both matter when judging the substance behind an appealing activity programme.

Standard Day, Full Day and shorter funded sessions give families different attendance options, with paid extensions at either end of the day.

Rooms and Ages

The Nest accommodates babies and children below two and a half in a spacious room with an open layout and resources suited to their stage of development. Children move to Pre-School at around two and a half, where toys and activities support them through to starting school. This is a staged progression rather than one shared room for the entire age range.

Every child can use the garden daily. Trees provide settings for pretend adventures, the sandpit supports shaping and building, and mud kitchens add another setting for imaginative play. The outdoor space gives children different materials and settings to explore alongside their indoor activities.

Learning and Activities

The Early Years Foundation Stage (EYFS) sets the requirements for children's learning, development and care: here, activities are planned around children's next developmental steps, with play and exploration providing opportunities to practise them. Development Matters guides that planning. These are foundations for the nursery day, rather than extras unique to this setting.

Alongside them sits the group-wide Boogie Mites programme, which brings regular music and movement activities into nursery life. Its practical addition is a recurring opportunity to move and make music. Outdoor learning also includes bug hunts, measuring trees and building tents, giving children things to investigate and construct beyond the rooms.

In July 2025, staff introduced vocabulary during ordinary routines and play, using simple repeated words with babies and more specific language during preschool modelling activities. Toddlers explored books independently and reused familiar story phrases. Language learning therefore extended beyond a separate group activity into conversations and everyday experiences.

That month, the indoor layout also gave children space to make larger constructions and leave them standing during the day. Returning to a model allowed children to change their ideas rather than begin again each time. However, some staff needed a more precise understanding of what individual children should learn from each planned experience; attractive materials alone were not enough to make every learning intention clear.

Relationships and Communication

Settling support includes physical comfort, shared books and time talking or playing with staff. The group-wide care approach emphasises building familiar relationships and helping children find words for their feelings. For a child beginning nursery, those repeated interactions provide a recognisable connection alongside new rooms and routines.

Famly, the group's online recording system, gives parents access to observations and daily details such as food eaten and sleep. Progress meetings provide time for a fuller conversation, and an electronic Learning Journey containing observations and images is supplied when a child leaves for primary school. Daily information and longer-term developmental records serve different purposes: one helps families understand the day, the other preserves a picture of learning over time.

Inclusion and Wellbeing

At the July 2025 inspection, Ofsted found safeguarding arrangements effective and described responsive care, routines adapted to children's needs and support for growing independence. In that month, babies collected their drinks before outdoor play, older children persisted with putting on painting aprons, and story props helped children discuss emotions. These were practical examples of self-care and emotional learning rather than skills reserved for the preschool stage.

Cooks prepare food at the nursery each day, including snacks and meals, with menus introducing different tastes and textures. Most dietary needs and allergies can be accommodated through adjustments to dishes.

Sessions and Attendance

The address is 430 Finchampstead Road, Wokingham, RG40 3RB, and opening hours are 7.30am to 6pm, Monday to Friday. Care runs across the year, with closures on bank holidays and between Christmas and New Year. Families can contact the nursery directly by telephone or email, and arrange a visit.

Standard Day runs from 8am to 4pm; Full Day runs from 8am to 5.30pm. The booking choices are three, four or five days each week. An Early Start begins at 7.30am and a Late Finish extends care to 6pm, with a separate charge for each selected extension. Those additions matter for families whose working day extends beyond either core session.

Funding and Paid Extras

Funded entitlement is applied over 38 weeks, with up to six funded hours daily between 9am and 3pm, depending on eligibility. The arrangements distinguish 15 hours and 30 hours of entitlement: eligible children using 30 hours can receive up to six funded hours a day, while those using 15 hours receive between three and six. Funded session choices include 9am to 3pm, 9am to 1pm and 1pm to 4pm.

There is no charge for the funded entitlement itself; a voluntary contribution is requested separately for lunch and snacks. Paid wraparound hours include catering, activities and consumables within their fee, so those items do not attract separate charges during that paid care. Full session charges apply in the 14 non-funded weeks, while funded-week charges cover the paid wraparound portion.

A payment plan averages annual fees over the remaining months of the year, with reconciliation when the plan ends or a child leaves early. Payments are by Direct Debit, and there is no administration fee. Current prices come in the nursery's written quotation.

Sharing the Nine Mile Ride School site does not guarantee a Reception place. Families still apply through the local authority admissions process.

• Learning intentions and cultural resources. In July 2025, staff needed clearer knowledge of the learning intended for each child, and children needed more opportunities to explore other cultures through play materials. During a visit, ask how these two areas have been addressed in the Nest and Pre-School.
• Funding across the year. Funding applies over 38 weeks, while full session charges apply during the 14 non-funded weeks. Compare the written quotation across both periods, including any selected Early Start or Late Finish and the voluntary food contribution.
• Dietary adjustments. Meals are prepared on site and most allergies and dietary requirements can be accommodated. Families affected by allergies should confirm current preparation and serving arrangements before joining.

Finchampstead suits families seeking either Standard Day or Full Day attendance over three, four or five days, as well as those considering shorter funded sessions. Daily garden access, staged rooms and regular music and movement give the offer concrete shape; Famly and progress meetings keep parents connected to care and development. The July 2025 findings also leave clear points to weigh: the precision of planned learning and how fully play resources represent other cultures. Sharing the Nine Mile Ride School site does not guarantee a Reception place.