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Larchfield Day Nursery

Ofsted: Expected standard·
5.0(1 Google review) ·The Old Library, Hardwick Road, Woburn Sands, MK17 8QH · Milton Keynes
Number of places
61 places
Age range
0–4 yrs
Last inspected
Apr 2026
Local authority
Milton Keynes

About this day nursery

Larchfield Day Nursery, an independent establishment in Woburn Sands near Milton Keynes, offers a nurturing environment for children aged 3 months to 4 years. Founded in October 2013 by Susan Coleman and Becky Watson, the day nursery prides itself on an open-door policy with parents and carers to ensure personalised care.

Its facilities are organised into three age-specific rooms: Sweet Pea Room (3-18 months), Poppy Room (18 months-3 years), and Sunflower Room (3-5 years). The nursery follows the Early Years Foundation Stage (EYFS) framework, incorporating both adult-led and child-led activities to support individual learning goals and personal development.

They boast an enriching outdoor space, including a learning area and a large grassed area, and regularly take children for activities in local woods, integrating Forest School principles. The staff, highly experienced and qualified, are committed to building children's self-confidence and fostering their intellectual, physical, and social growth.

Larchfield also provides support for children with Special Educational Needs and Disabilities (SEND) through trained SENCOs. The nursery operates throughout school holidays, closing only on Bank Holidays and between Christmas and New Year, with flexible hourly booking options to accommodate families.

Our ethos

Our vision is to provide a stimulating and homely nursery where children are supported to thrive, develop and are always encouraged to be curious. We support and value parents and staff. We believe that happy staff help to make the children and parents happy.

What it's like

Children arrive highly motivated and keen to learn, exploring a well-organised and prepared environment. Relationships between staff and children are particularly warm and caring, which builds children's confidence. Children are kind and considerate to each other, understanding and following rules independently. The garden is fun and well organised, providing excellent opportunities for physical development and imaginative play.

EYFS CurriculumFlexible Hourly BookingForest School ActivitiesSEND SupportExperienced Staff

Pricing & funding

Larchfield Day Nursery offers flexible hourly rates for non-funded hours, without tying parents into fixed sessions. For children utilising government funding (15 or 30 hours), a voluntary consumable charge of £1.25 per funded hour is applied. Meals and snacks for funded children are charged separately. Various extra-curricular activities also incur a per-session fee.

Funding accepted

15 hours — universal (3–4 yrs)30 hours — working parents (3–4 yrs)

Good to know

  • Invoices are issued a month in advance and must be paid by the 10th of each month.
  • Any necessary changes to invoices will be credited to the following month.
  • Payment can be made by cash, cheque, bank transfers, and childcare vouchers.
  • A voluntary contribution of £1.25 per funded hour is charged for consumables and extras for 2, 3, and 4-year-old funded children.
  • Hot lunches are extra for holiday club attendees.
  • Additional charges apply for hot meals and snacks for funded children.

Key facts

Opening hours

Monday - Thursday: 7:45am – 6pm, Friday: 7:45am - 5pm, Saturday & Sunday: Closed

Session types

hourly, full time, term time, holiday club, half day, full day

Food

Hot lunch, snacks, tea, and breakfast before 8:30am are available at an additional charge for funded children.

Age range

3 months – 4 years

Registered with Ofsted

2024

Ofsted Inspection — new report card

Expected standard

Last inspected Apr 2026

Headline: Expected standard

Grade summary

Exceptional
—
Strong standard
Expected standard
Needs attention
—
Urgent improvement
—

Each dot represents one of the six inspection categories. Headline is the average of the six grades, rounded up.

Category grades

AchievementExpected standard
Behaviour, attitudes and establishing routinesStrong standard
Children's welfare and wellbeingExpected standard
Curriculum and teachingExpected standard
InclusionExpected standard
Leadership and governanceExpected standard
Age range
0 to 4
Registers
Early Years Register, Compulsory Childcare Register
Ofsted Inspection

Ofsted report for Larchfield Day Nursery

Last inspected 24 April 2026

What it's like to attend

Children arrive highly motivated and keen to learn, exploring a well-organised and prepared environment. Relationships between staff and children are particularly warm and caring, which builds children's confidence. Children are kind and considerate to each other, understanding and following rules independently. The garden is fun and well organised, providing excellent opportunities for physical development and imaginative play.

Inspector highlights

  • Children behave extremely well; they listen carefully to adults and follow instructions, and staff model good manners.
  • Routines are well established and adapted according to children's needs, fostering a culture of kindness and cooperation.
  • Children are well prepared for the next stage in their education, with an emphasis on developing independence and self-reliance.
  • Children interact well with friends, share ideas, and sustain play together, confidently talking about past experiences and learning.
  • The curriculum is well planned, offering exciting experiences that stimulate interest and enthusiasm in all children.
  • Leaders have created a welcoming, homely atmosphere with effective partnerships with parents and staff building kind and caring relationships.
  • Leaders use early years pupil premium funding to buy resources supporting emotional resilience and provide access to extra activities like forest school, French lessons, and ballet.
  • Leaders have a good understanding of their strengths and weaknesses, continually reflecting and adapting practices to improve children's learning and well-being.
  • Staff support children with special educational needs and/or disabilities.
  • The garden is fun and well organised, providing children with excellent opportunities to enhance their physical skills, including slides, swings, climbing walls, and a gravel pit.
  • Children are highly motivated and keen to learn from the moment they arrive, exploring a well-organised and prepared environment.
  • Relationships between staff and children are particularly warm and caring, leading to children's confidence.
  • Children participate enthusiastically in stimulating activities, such as watching ducklings hatch and caterpillars transform into butterflies.
  • Children enjoy hearing stories and sharing books, with toddlers and older children having regular singing and rhyme time.
  • Children love role-play activities, especially when dressing up as doctors and hairdressers, developing conversational skills.

Areas to develop

  • 1Leaders should ensure all staff use inclusive strategies to support and consistently support children's ongoing learning.
  • 2Leaders should strengthen teaching, particularly communication and language for the youngest children, so they learn to speak and listen with increasing confidence.
  • 3Leaders should consistently provide a healthy diet to ensure children make healthy choices about food.

Inclusion & environment

How they support every child

SEND provision

Leaders understand children's needs and provide immediate support so each child can access the curriculum. Children with special educational needs and/or disabilities are happy and calm, making the most of their experiences at nursery. Staff identify the next steps in children's learning, such as teaching fine motor skills using tweezers to pick up seeds.

Outdoor space

The outdoor area effectively promotes children's physical development. All children spend time outside every day and often play together in the garden. Children use slides, swings and climbing walls to build strength and confidence. The gravel pit, with its construction vehicles, is particularly popular, supporting imaginative and cooperative play. Forest school sessions help older children develop risk-taking and resilience.

Google Reviews of Larchfield Day Nursery

5.0
(1 Google review)

Reviews from Google for Larchfield Day Nursery. See all on Google Maps

Inspection history

Most recent inspection

24 April 2026

Expected standard

Only one graded inspection on record — a trend chart will appear here once a second graded report is published.

View full Ofsted report

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This listing has been compiled from official Ofsted records, the nursery's own website, details provided directly by the nursery where available, and other trusted public sources. We regularly review and update listings to keep the information as accurate as possible. Learn more