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Nursery at The Danesfield Manor 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 If you spot anything outdated or inaccurate, please let us know.
Woodland play, an indoor swimming pool and Spanish give Danesfield Manor’s nursery a distinct school setting. Based in Walton-on-Thames, it forms part of an independent school’s early years section. Nursery now starts from six months, following the extension of provision from January 2026.
At the ISI inspection of 13 to 15 May 2025, Nursery had 41 children across two classes. That is a dated headcount, rather than a capacity figure. The early years findings described effective learning through play, with activities supporting children’s independence, conversation and physical development.
Children’s interests help shape the learning. Within the Early Years Foundation Stage (EYFS), the practical emphasis is on developing language, exploring numbers and beginning to connect letters with sounds. Adults extend conversations through questions, while play spaces give children reasons to talk together. Learning starts with something that interests the child.
The woodland area adds a physical dimension: activities develop strength and balance alongside coordination and control of smaller movements. Indoor and outdoor experiences both contribute to learning. The indoor pool is used by early years children as part of physical education, giving water-based activity its own place alongside woodland exploration.
Spanish begins in Nursery, and children in early years can participate in annual drama productions. These add language and performance experiences to the play curriculum. Danesfield also uses a Growth Mindset approach: the school encourages children to see effort and support as ways to tackle a difficult task.
Social learning happens through shared resources. In May 2025, nursery children were learning to wait their turn, cooperate and work through disagreements. Visits by nursing staff, firefighters and police introduce children to people whose work helps others, making that learning concrete.
An Early Years Manager leads the nursery team, which includes a deputy with an early years degree and practitioners with childcare and nursery nursing qualifications. In May 2025, staff understood individual children’s interests and needs, helping them tailor conversations and activities.
Stay & Play sessions give prospective families an introduction before joining. Children try creative activities and explore the learning spaces while parents meet the early years team. This offers a first taste of nursery life together.
Meals follow the attendance pattern. The term-time core day includes lunch cooked on site and snacks in both halves of the day. All-year-round attendance adds breakfast and a light tea at 17:00, so the longer day includes food beyond lunchtime.
Children learn to identify and explain emotions and consider how others feel. During May 2025, adults kept early years children within hearing or visual range, and safeguarding oversight included the early years section. For concerns about additional needs, the school’s support route begins with the class teacher or SENCo; an Individual Support Programme may follow observation, with strategies for home and school.
Nursery attendance brings priority for 16 Reception places, but it does not guarantee admission. Approximately 20 Reception places are available each year. Registration and observations form part of the school’s admission process, and families have seven days to accept an offer and return the Acceptance Agreement with the deposit.
Treat Reception as a separate admission process with the school. Nursery priority is a defined preference for places, rather than an automatic move into the next class.
Families can choose term-time attendance or all-year-round provision. The term-time core day runs from 08:30 to 15:30; the all-year-round day runs from 08:00 to 18:00. Nursery requires at least six core sessions, equivalent to three full days. That minimum matters for families seeking occasional childcare.
Funding includes universal 15-hour provision from the term after a child’s third birthday up until the term in which they turn five, 30 hours for eligible working families and places for eligible two-year-olds. Funding is typically delivered over 38 term-time weeks. When stretched across 51 weeks, the 15-hour entitlement becomes 11.18 hours per week and the 30-hour entitlement becomes 22.35 hours per week. Funded hours follow the agreed attendance pattern and local authority guidance. Funded childcare hours carry no additional charge themselves. Meals, consumables such as wipes and nappies, activities and attendance beyond the entitlement may attract separate charges. Ask the School Office for current charges for your chosen pattern.
Funding Loop handles the termly declaration for three- and four-year-olds, including proof of birth date. Enquiries go through the school’s contact form or admissions@danesfieldmanorschool.co.uk. Individual tours and Stay & Play sessions can be booked.
Nursery starts from six months, following the extension of provision from January 2026.
Term-time core days run from 08:30 to 15:30, and all-year-round days from 08:00 to 18:00. The minimum Nursery booking is six core sessions, equivalent to three full days.
The core term-time day includes two snacks and lunch cooked on site. The all-year-round day also includes breakfast and a light tea at 17:00. Meals may attract charges alongside funded attendance.
No. Nursery children receive priority for 16 Reception places, with approximately 20 places available annually. Reception admission still involves the school’s registration and offer process.
Stay & Play sessions let children explore the learning spaces and try creative activities while parents meet the early years team. Individual tours are also bookable.
