Little Badgers Nursery at Sandringham Infant & Nursery Academy

Ladybirds and Butterflies give Little Badgers its shape: two nursery groups, each attending on a pattern of longer days and a shorter Wednesday session. This is Sandringham Infant & Nursery Academy’s own nursery in Frimley, with room for 20 children per session.

Children can start from the term following their second-and-a-half birthday, although places for two-year-olds are limited and most begin in the term after turning three. Eligible children receiving Free Early Education for Two-Year-Olds (FEET) funding may start earlier. For families, the distinction matters: the youngest children have a more restricted entry offer.

Free-flow play alternates with short group activities. Children begin with self-registration and indoor play, followed by a morning gathering and a song about the day and weather. Tidying up, snacks and preparing for lunch give the session its everyday rhythm. The Early Years Foundation Stage (EYFS) centres learning on play; here, that sits alongside planned time for maths, phonics and communication.

Movement has its own place. Dough disco appears in the nursery programme, while physical development sessions use the hall. Library time lasts 15 minutes. These give children different spaces and activities within the longer day, rather than keeping everything in the nursery classroom.

Mark making, maths groups and free-flow periods feature in the afternoons. Wellbeing Wednesday gives personal, social and emotional development a named slot, and stories or singing form part of getting ready to go home. Speech and language interventions also sit within the nursery timetable, allowing targeted support to form part of the session.

Settling starts with a shared experience: families are offered an induction where a parent can remain and play alongside their child. Children can meet the team and become familiar with the setting before attending independently.

In February 2024, Ofsted found that relationships established in nursery between staff, children and families helped staff recognise special educational needs and disabilities (SEND) early. That makes the family’s knowledge of their child useful from the outset.

Support involves parents in agreeing a plan and reviewing it. Individual SEND Support Arrangements Plans receive a formal review with families each term. Parents can arrange a conversation with the SENCO through the office or by emailing senco@sandringham.kite.academy; SEND coffee mornings provide another opportunity for advice. The academy’s main building has wheelchair access and an accessible toilet.

Snacks and lunch are built into the longer nursery days, with preparation and tidying routines around them. Eating therefore has a place in the learning rhythm as well as the care routine.

Attending Little Badgers neither guarantees a Reception place nor gives admission priority. Families must submit a separate application through the local authority where they live. For September 2027 entry, the deadline is 15 January 2027. Nursery attendance should therefore be a choice about the nursery experience itself.

Familiarity is a separate benefit. Children who subsequently join Sandringham already know its staff and surroundings. Where additional transition support is appropriate, children may have extra visits and transition booklets to share with their family. These support preparation, rather than changing admission entitlement.

Ladybirds attend Monday and Tuesday from 8:45am to 3pm, plus Wednesday from 8:45am to 11:15am. Butterflies attend Wednesday from 12:30pm to 3:15pm, then Thursday and Friday from 8:45am to 3pm. On the four longer weekdays, arrival runs from 8:45am to 9am and collection from 2:55pm to 3:05pm. The fixed patterns need to fit the family’s week.

Sandringham offers 15 hours. Universal funding for three- and four-year-olds begins in the term after the third birthday and covers 15 hours weekly for up to 38 weeks annually. Families eligible for 30 hours can divide their entitlement between Sandringham and another setting, informing the nursery of that arrangement. Where fees apply because a family is not entitled to funding or uses additional childcare, payment is required in advance during the first week of each half term. Contact the school for current charges.

Nursery visits can be arranged before registering or accepting a place: call 01252 837538. Registration uses an online interest form and places the child on the waiting list. For January and April 2027, space is very limited; those intakes depend on vacancies after the main September intake.