Waverley Nursery

Woodland walks for babies and phonics for older children give Waverley Nursery a clear character: outdoor exploration sits alongside deliberate preparation for school. Its Finchampstead setting backs onto woods and playing fields, while the youngest children have a building and garden separate from the older nursery rooms. The physical separation matters. Baby care has its own space rather than sharing the bustle of the school.

Waverley accepts children from 3 months to 5 years and has 312 places in total. At its 12 July 2023 inspection, Ofsted judged the under-two provision Good and safeguarding effective, with close staff relationships and thoughtful support for children changing rooms among its strengths. That judgement concerns the youngest children: the provision for those aged two and above falls within the Independent Schools Inspectorate's remit.

Rooms and Ages

Nursery 1 takes babies from 3 months, with light boxes, bean bags for stories, a dedicated garden and a separate room containing cots for sleep. Its staff-to-child ratio is 1:3. That arrangement gives active exploration and rest different spaces. The building also contains individual rooms for different activities, so the baby's day can change setting within the baby provision itself.

Nursery 2 serves children turning two during the academic year, with a separate building, outdoor area and low toilets for toilet training. Its activities emphasise child-led exploration, friendships and independence. Nursery 3 covers the academic year children turn three; Pre Foundation runs from the term after their third birthday until Foundation, which serves children turning four during the academic year.

Learning and Activities

The Early Years Foundation Stage sets the requirements for children's learning, development and care; in daily life here, play, observations and planned next steps connect what children enjoy with what they are ready to learn. Alongside that framework, the youngest rooms use a Reggio inspired approach, expressed through planned activities led by children's interests. This gives the approach a practical meaning rather than leaving it as a curriculum label.

For older children, Read Write Inc is a phonics programme used to introduce reading and writing through small-group teaching and everyday play. Songs, rhymes and games also teach counting, language and early writing. The emphasis becomes more explicitly directed towards literacy and numeracy as children grow, making this an educational nursery with a clear school-preparation strand.

Kickers Football adds a weekly 30-minute session for Nursery 3 and Foundation, with 10 lessons each term and no additional charge. Children practise ball control, balancing and shooting. Scrumys Sports uses rugby-based games to introduce sport and carries an extra charge; Wiggle Waggle Music and Movement combines movement with shakers, scarves, bean bags and other equipment, also at additional cost. These activities offer different ways to move and participate, with the charging distinction worth keeping in mind.

Outdoor and Community Life

Daily woodland walks take younger children beyond their gardens, with triple pushchairs used for babies. Older children attend Woodland School, outdoor learning around the Forest School Area. The woods bring changing plants and wildlife into children's everyday exploration.

World Book Day is an annual celebration, and in March 2026 children wore costumes representing favourite book characters for book-themed activities. The same month's nursery news included a visit to Nursery 3 from older school children sharing stories about recently hatched chicks. That is a concrete example of contact across the shared site, with storytelling providing the connection.

Relationships and Communication

Each child's key worker, called a Key Educator in the youngest rooms, records progress and plans learning around their interests. Parenta is an online learning journal sharing photographs, videos and observations, alongside care diaries covering food, nappies and sleep. Parents can message staff and contribute observations from home.

During the two weeks before starting, three settling sessions normally progress from around 45 minutes with a parent to an hour apart, then two and a half hours. Additional sessions can be arranged where appropriate. The administration charge covers settling.

Termly Stay and Play sessions bring families into room activities and discussions about development. Weekly parent communications cover forthcoming updates.

Inclusion and Wellbeing

The nursery team includes an EYFS coordinator and SENDCo role, providing a named responsibility for special educational needs support. For babies, sleep arrangements begin with discussion of the child's usual routine and adapt as their needs change. Nursery 1 has its own cot room, while Nursery 2 allocates children individual sleep mats; sheets and blankets are washed weekly. Comforters and sleeping bags can come from home.

In July 2023, room transitions used visits, staff photographs and sometimes a familiar adult moving with children. Quieter spaces helped children who felt overwhelmed.

Food is prepared on site by the catering team, Connect, with meat, vegetarian and weaning options; the youngest rooms use a three-week menu cycle. Allergies are discussed before starting and menus adapted, but the allergy policy needs careful attention because the FAQ describes a nut-free approach while the menu page uses nut-aware wording.

Sessions and Attendance

The address is Waverley Way, Finchampstead, Wokingham, RG40 4YD, on the same site as Waverley Prep School. Opening hours run from 7.30am to 6pm, with term-time and 51-week contracts. Nursery 1 and Nursery 2 offer starts at 7.30am, 8am or 8.30am, and finishes at 3.30pm, 4.45pm or 6pm. Different choices can apply on different attendance days.

The shortest standard session is 8.30am to 3.30pm, also offered term-time only. Morning-only and afternoon-only bookings are generally excluded, but Foundation children can attend just their Government-funded sessions. Older children receiving 30 hours funding start at 7.30am or 8.30am; that funding is generally unavailable on term-time contracts.

Bank holidays and the Christmas break are closures. For the forthcoming winter, the whole nursery closes at 6pm on 22 December 2026 and reopens on 4 January 2027. Those exact dates are more useful for planning than the general description of a Christmas week closure.

Getting There

A dedicated car park uses a one-way layout at the end of a residential street with no through traffic. It becomes busy when nursery collections coincide with school collections, so families coordinating both need to allow for that congestion.

Funding and Paid Extras

Waverley accepts 15 and 30 hours funding and also provides privately paid childcare. Its all-inclusive fee package covers food and snacks, formula and cow's milk, plus nappies, wipes and cream; families supply prescribed milk and any particular or allergy-related nappy products they need. Nursery 2 includes sun cream in its fees, while Nursery 1 asks parents to supply it. Current prices come in the nursery's written quotation, with the nursery fees page setting out the charging structure.

Applying is free. Accepting an offer requires a deposit, refunded when the child leaves provided the account is up to date, and a non-refundable administration charge. Invoices are paid monthly in advance, including during sickness and holidays. Booking changes require three full calendar months' notice before starting, or two after starting, including when leaving. One-off day swaps are excluded; ad hoc care is subject to availability and requires five working days' cancellation notice to avoid its fee.

Sharing a site with Waverley Prep School makes school transition a relevant consideration, but nursery attendance does not guarantee a Reception place. Families seeking that independent school must use its separate admissions process.

• Learning between activities. July 2023 improvement priorities covered routine changes, language development and toddlers' independence. During a personal tour, ask how staff now keep those moments purposeful and extend children's conversations.
• Funding and the attendance contract. The 30-hour offer is linked to 51-week attendance, with restricted start choices for older funded children. Ask for a written breakdown separating funded hours, additional care, food and consumables for your chosen pattern.
• Allergy arrangements. The FAQ describes nut-free preparation, while the menu page describes a nut-aware environment. This difference remains unresolved; allergy-affected families should confirm current ingredients, preparation and handling before accepting a place.
• The application comes before the tour. A completed registration form is required for an individual tour, which is offered only when a suitable place can be considered. Use that visit to discuss the academic-year room groupings and the staged settling sequence against your child's needs.

Waverley suits families seeking woodland exploration alongside preparation for reading, writing and number work, through either term-time places or 51-week care with flexible start and finish choices. The separate baby building and cot room give its youngest provision a clear identity.

Weigh those strengths against full-calendar-month notice, chargeable absences, funded contract terms and allergy arrangements. School admission remains separate, and the July 2023 learning priorities deserve attention.