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Nursery at St Neot's School
Last reviewed: October 2026 · Inspection data and key information above update regularly, however, this review below is refreshed bi-annually and may not reflect recent changes. Contact the nursery directly to confirm current arrangements. If you spot anything outdated or inaccurate, please let us know.
Mud kitchens, a wooden shop and woodland give the youngest children at St Neot's practical ways to explore. This is nursery provision within an independent school in Eversley, for children aged 2 to 4, with the groups named Caterpillars and Butterflies. In April 2024, there were two nursery classes. The outdoor setting gives the provision its clearest character: children have space to experiment, make things and learn alongside others.
The Early Years Foundation Stage (EYFS) brings together children's language, mathematical understanding, creativity and knowledge of their surroundings. At the April 2024 ISI inspection, early-years teaching engaged children and supported good progress across these areas, with children becoming more confident speakers as their vocabulary developed. Learning therefore extends beyond completing a task: children practise expressing their ideas, too.
A wooden shop and mud kitchen turn buying and selling into imaginative play. Children also help alter the mud kitchen and assemble their ride-on cars, giving them a part in shaping the equipment they use. These are concrete opportunities to make decisions and try out solutions.
Woodland learning adds a different kind of challenge. Adults watch and assess risk while allowing children room to attempt things for themselves; in April 2024, this supported resilience and considered risk-taking. A fenced play area provides another outdoor space, with close adult supervision when early-years groups move beyond it. Exploration comes with boundaries.
Familiarisation sessions for nursery starters begin in the Spring Term, allowing children to spend time getting used to school before joining. Form teachers lead pastoral care and act as parents' main contact; conversations can take place at collection or drop-off, with individual meetings arranged when needed. That gives families a direct route for discussing how their child is settling.
Lunches and snacks are included in nursery fees, as are wipes, creams and nappies for Caterpillars and Butterflies. These everyday care supplies therefore sit within the nursery's charging arrangement rather than needing separate purchases through school.
The SENDCo helps identify nursery children who need additional support. Support follows Assess, Plan, Do, Review, with parents involved in reviewing progress. Support limits. The school can admit children with additional needs where it can provide the required support and accommodate them on site; it cannot provide highly specialised, intensive treatment. Families need to discuss needs early in the application process.
In April 2024, early-years staff understood safeguarding procedures covering phones and wearable devices, and adults counted children frequently when moving around school. The same inspection identified school-wide errors in staff appointment records, corrected during the visit, and recommended timely correction of errors or omissions. Its recommendation for consistent lesson challenge was also school-wide, rather than a nursery-specific criticism.
Nursery children have automatic entry to St Neot's Reception. This is an internal progression arrangement at this independent school. The whole-school Move Up Morning takes place in the Summer Term, usually during the last week of June, giving children time with their next teachers and classmates. Familiarity with the next class is a separate benefit from the entry arrangement.
Morning sessions run from 8:30am to 12:30pm; a full day ends at 4pm. Caterpillars require at least four sessions at age 2 and five at age 3, increasing to six sessions weekly in Butterflies. Sessions are booked for the whole term, with three weeks' written notice for cancellations. This favours families able to commit to a regular pattern.
Funding covers 15 hours weekly for eligible children aged 3 and 4, during term time for 34 weeks annually. It excludes holidays; the school does not participate in the 30-hour or 2-year-old funding schemes. Funded nursery charges distinguish additional hours, meals and snacks, and activities such as French, swimming and Forest School. Ask the school for current charges.
Contact admissions@stneotsprep.co.uk or 0118 973 2118 to enquire or arrange a bespoke tour.
The nursery is for children aged 2 to 4. Children can join from the September following their second birthday.
Morning sessions are 8:30am to 12:30pm. Full days run from 8:30am to 4pm.
Eligible children aged 3 and 4 can use 15 funded hours weekly during term time for 34 weeks a year. Holiday periods are excluded, and the school does not participate in the 30-hour or 2-year-old schemes.
Nursery fees include lunches and snacks. Caterpillars and Butterflies fees also include nappies, wipes and creams; funded charges identify meals and snacks separately from free entitlement hours.
There is automatic entry from St Neot's nursery to its Reception. The Summer Term Move Up Morning helps children meet their next teachers and classmates.
