Larchfield Primary and Nursery School: Nursery Review

Chalkboards made from old whiteboards, bug hunting and a home corner with a donated kitchen give Larchfield’s nursery its practical, playful character. Children make marks, build houses and talk together over pretend meals. These are concrete ways to practise using hands, words and imagination.

Part of Larchfield Primary and Nursery School on Bargeman Road in Maidenhead, the nursery admits children from the term following their third birthday. Its pattern is 15 hours each week across five days, with morning and afternoon sessions. For families, that means a regular half-day pattern rather than a single block of weekly attendance.

Marvellous Me was the nursery’s autumn 2025 theme; People who help us followed in spring 2026. Activities linked to the latter include building houses and learning about dentists and tooth brushing. Familiar people and everyday tasks provide starting points for conversation and play.

The home corner’s kitchen gives children something to talk about together, while the building area supports construction play. Outside, children search the bug area and use chalkboards in the sunshine. A donated TeePee has also featured in their play. The spaces serve different purposes: investigation, pretend play and making marks.

Small movements get plenty of practice through threading, peeling stickers and rolling or cutting materials. Children also match shapes, arrange cube patterns and draw curls, zigzags and waves. These examples connect early mathematical exploration with opportunities to practise hand control. World Book Day activities have included dressing up, making bookmarks and sharing books and stories.

At the April 2025 inspection, Ofsted identified early-years work on language and enthusiasm for writing, alongside routines that adults demonstrate and children rehearse. Curriculum precision. The improvement action covering learning from early years onwards called for clearer identification of essential knowledge in a few subjects. The April 2025 report also raised a school-wide concern about assessment in some subjects: checks needed to pick up misunderstandings and missing knowledge, then ensure these were addressed. Families should weigh the specific early-years strengths alongside these school-wide curriculum and assessment concerns.

The staffing structure includes a Nursery Lead and Nursery Assistant. For children needing additional support, the school’s SEND approach uses a cycle of assessment, planning, action and review, with adaptations and advice from other professionals. Support is adjusted to the child’s level of need, giving families a process through which individual needs can be considered.

Parents can contact the SENCO at senco@larchfieldschool.co.uk. The Royal Borough of Windsor and Maidenhead’s Local Offer is another route to advice and services. Safeguarding procedures include discussing welfare concerns with parents first, unless doing so could work against the child’s welfare.

Nursery attendance does not guarantee a Reception place. Families must make a separate Reception application through the normal Royal Borough of Windsor and Maidenhead admissions route and meet its deadline. Nursery applications go through the school itself. Keep these two processes separate when planning your child’s next step.

Afternoon sessions run from 12:30pm to 3:30pm. The nursery holds its own waiting list, and families can submit a nursery application form to join it. The School Office handles nursery enquiries.

Contact the school on 01628 622522 or email larchfield@larchfieldschool.co.uk. The office opens Monday to Friday, from 8:30am to 4pm, providing a direct contact point for applications and correspondence.