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Larchfield Day Nursery Limited

Larchfield Day Nursery Limited is a day nursery in Woburn Sands for children aged 0 to 4, with 61 registered places. Ofsted report card, 24 April 2026: Strong standard in 1 area, Expected standard in 5 areas; safeguarding standards met.

The Old Library, Hardwick Road, Woburn Sands, MK17 8QH

Key facts

Type
Day nursery (Full day care) (Ofsted childcare register, as at 30 June 2026)
Ages
0 to 4 (Ofsted childcare register, as at 30 June 2026)
Registered places
61 (Ofsted childcare register, as at 30 June 2026)
Registered
23 January 2024 (Ofsted childcare register, as at 30 June 2026)

Opening hours

Monday,Tuesday,Wednesday,Thursday : 07:45 - 18:00,Friday : 07:45 - 17:00

Source: Ofsted report, inspection on 24 April 2026

Who runs it

Larchfield Day Nursery Limited is run by Larchfield Nursery Limited (Ofsted register).

Latest inspection

  • Inclusion: Expected standard
  • Curriculum and teaching: Expected standard
  • Achievement: Expected standard
  • Behaviour, attitudes and establishing routines: Strong standard
  • Children's welfare and wellbeing: Expected standard
  • Leadership and governance: Expected standard
  • Safeguarding standards met

Source: Ofsted, inspection on 24 April 2026. Contains public sector information licensed under the Open Government Licence v3.0.

What it's like to be a child at this setting

Children arrive highly motivated and keen to learn from the moment they arrive. They love exploring the environment that has been well organised and prepared for them. The relationships between staff and children are particularly warm and caring. This leads to children's confidence in their surroundings and children to have a go with new things. Staff know when to step in and help so children are supported but not frustrated. This includes children with special educational needs and/or disabilities. Children participate enthusiastically in stimulating activities, such as watching the hatching of ducklings and caterpillars. These moments captivate them. They watch with joy and eagerly share what they have learned. Staff create chances to build on this knowledge and deepen understanding. For instance, children decorate butterflies and discuss their symmetry. Forest school sessions help older children develop a level of risk taking and resilience as activities take place regardless of the weather.

Children are kind and considerate to each other. Staff model good manners well. Children understand rules and follow them independently. Children enjoy hearing stories and sharing books, and the toddlers and older children have regular singing and rhyme time, building up their repertoire of songs and vocabulary. Children love role-play activities, especially when dressing up as doctors and hairdressers. They act out past experiences and develop their conversational skills. The garden is fun and well organised. It provides children with excellent opportunities to enhance their physical skills. Children use slides, swings and climbing walls to build strength and confidence. The gravel pit, with its construction vehicles, is particularly popular. It reflects children's interests and supports imaginative and cooperative play.

What Ofsted found in each area

Inclusion: Expected standard

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. Although staff have the knowledge to support children's needs, they are not consistently using it to support all children's learning. For example, staff know children respond well to visual prompts, yet they are not consistently using visual aids to help them. Staff identify the next steps in children's learning. For example, they teach children to use tweezers to pick up seeds, which improves their fine motor skills. They break down skills into small, achievable steps to support future learning.

Leaders use early years pupil premium funding to buy resources such as sensory toys and storybooks that support emotional resilience, and children can freely access these resources. They have moments to calm and self-regulate before joining back in with more energetic play. Leaders ensure that all children, including children who experience disadvantage, have access to extra activities such as forest school, French lessons and ballet. This broadens children's experiences, boosts their confidence, and makes sure they have the same chances to learn and succeed.

Curriculum and teaching: Expected standard

The curriculum is well planned. Leaders have provided exciting experiences that stimulate interest and enthusiasm in all the children. For instance, children are fascinated as they watch caterpillars turn into butterflies and take their first flight. Older children in the pre-school room are encouraged to make connections in these activities by planting seeds and talking about how to look after them. These experiences help children to notice growth and change over time, to talk about what they see happening and predict what may happen next.

The toddler room is a busy and engaging space. It has many opportunities for children to learn through various activities. They can role play as doctors, explore a jungle full of small world animals, and build with construction blocks. The teaching in the room is especially effective, with exciting and interactive storytelling and spontaneous songs and rhymes to help children with transitions. Staff use their knowledge of children's interests to plan activities that spark curiosity and make learning fun. Babies have a warm and safe space where they freely explore and are happy. Staff make effective choices about what to teach and tailor this to each child's stage of development. However, teaching is not consistent across the setting. Support for the youngest children in their development of early language is less effective. For example, there is less focus on creating a language-rich environment with frequent use of back-and-forth interactions during play.

Achievement: Expected standard

Children are well prepared for the next stage in their education. The nursery places an emphasis on developing independence. Children practise skills and take on more responsibilities as they progress. This helps them grow in confidence and become more self-reliant. For instance, toddlers learn to put on their own shoes before going outside, with staff guiding them on what to do.

Children interact well with their friends, share ideas, and sustain play together. They can explain what they are learning and talk confidently about past experiences, such as visits to the doctor. Children are familiar with books and enjoy retelling stories using familiar refrains from stories they know. The outdoor area effectively promotes children's physical development. All children spend time outside every day and often play together in the garden, regardless of their age. Children have opportunities to develop their own projects and ideas, which helps them build cooperation and social skills alongside their physical development. Children also build fine motor skills through a clear progression of activities. Babies enjoy painting, toddlers collaborate during construction play, and older children engage in mark making and early writing. These experiences help children to develop the control, coordination and independence needed for the next stage in their education.

Behaviour, attitudes and establishing routines: Strong standard

Children behave extremely well. They listen carefully to adults and follow instructions. Staff support children to share resources and consistently model and teach good manners. This means children throughout the setting wait their turn patiently and show a good awareness of the rules. For example, in the garden, children count and check how many children are in the sandpit at one time. They do this independently, confidently monitoring the number of children allowed and redirecting their attention when the space is full. Children develop self-regulation skills through these everyday interactions.

Routines are well established but adapted in each classroom, according to the needs of the children. For instance, babies wash hands with staff help, while toddlers do so independently. Children respond well to requests for help and consistently strive to do their best. Leaders have supported parents in improving attendance. They adjust children's schedules, adding or changing days, to increase participation. Leaders have trained staff on behaviour strategies and emotional wellbeing. This has created a culture of kindness and cooperation.

Children's welfare and wellbeing: Expected standard

Leaders have created a welcoming, homely atmosphere. Partnerships with parents are effective, with opportunities for everyday chats with staff at drop off and pick up times. Staff build relationships with children that are kind and caring. Staff teach children to talk about their feelings and help them to understand why they may feel this way. This helps children to recognise that feelings can change and supports them to develop strategies to manage their emotions. For example, children independently use the calming corner set up with beanbags and soft toys. As a result, they are beginning to build emotional resilience, independence and confidence.

Well-planned caring routines encourage learning. For example, children in the toddler room regularly use potties even while still wearing nappies, allowing them to practise toilet training. Children sit together to eat. They are provided with freshly cooked hot meals. While these are typically healthy, there are occasions when meals are not nutritious or well balanced. When this happens, children do not learn how to make healthy food choices.

Leadership and governance: Expected standard

Leaders have a good understanding of their strengths and weaknesses. They continually reflect and successfully adapt their practices to improve children's learning and wellbeing. For example, they rearranged the toddler room, which has made resources more accessible for the children, encouraging independence and free choice. Professional development offered for staff on behaviour and emotional strategies is effective. This has had a positive impact on children's sense of self and other people's feelings. Leaders have their staff's wellbeing at the forefront of their decision-making. Workload is proportionate, as leaders have reduced the need for unnecessary paperwork. They focus on the importance of daily, face-to-face communication with children and their parents. Staff are happy and content in their roles.

Leaders support and monitor staff practice. However, they have not consistently identified staff weaknesses in teaching across the setting. Staff working with the babies do not consistently use interactions to promote progress. Partnerships with parents work well. Leaders help children settle quickly when they start by adapting routines and responding flexibly to parents' needs. They identify children needing extra support and make suitable adaptations for them to join in activities. However, plans and targets for children that the setting are currently monitoring, are not always recorded or monitored well enough to ensure they receive targeted support.

What the setting must and should do next

The provider should:

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

Ofsted's words, from the report on the inspection on 24 April 2026. Read the full report on the Ofsted website. Contains public sector information licensed under the Open Government Licence v3.0.

Ofsted report cards (England, from November 2025)

Since 10 November 2025 Ofsted has graded nurseries and pre-schools on a report card. There is no single overall grade. Instead, each of six areas gets one of five grades: Exceptional, Strong standard, Expected standard, Needs attention, Urgent improvement.

The six areas are inclusion; curriculum and teaching; achievement; behaviour, attitudes and establishing routines; children's welfare and wellbeing; leadership and governance. Safeguarding is judged on its own, as met or not met.

Expected standard means the setting does what Ofsted expects of every setting. Strong standard and Exceptional are above that; Needs attention and Urgent improvement mean Ofsted found things the setting has to put right.

Source: Ofsted reports

Funded childcare hours in England

All 3 and 4 year olds in England can get 15 hours of free childcare a week, for 38 weeks of the year.

Working parents of children aged 9 months to 4 years old can get 30 hours of free childcare a week for 38 weeks of the year (Free Childcare for Working Parents), if they meet the earnings rules. You confirm your details every 3 months.

Some 2 year olds can get 15 hours a week when the family gets certain kinds of extra support.

The hours are used at a registered provider that offers them, so ask each nursery how it offers the funded hours.

Source: GOV.UK: Free Childcare for Working Parents, check if you're eligible · GOV.UK: Free childcare and education for 2 to 4 year olds (checked 31 October 2026)

Other nurseries nearby

  • Aspley Guise Preschool - Pre-school, Aspley Guise MK17 8JT, ages 3 to 4, 44 places, 1.1 miles
    Ofsted, 15 November 2024: Good overall; safeguarding is effective
  • Rugrats Preschool @ Old Farm Park - Pre-school, Milton Keynes MK7 8QU, ages 2 to 3, 40 places, 1.3 miles
    Ofsted, 16 September 2025: Good overall; safeguarding is effective
  • Bright Horizons Wavendon Day Nursery and Preschool - Day nursery, Milton Keynes MK17 8AE, ages 0 to 4, 63 places, 1.3 miles
    Ofsted, 15 August 2023: Good overall; safeguarding is effective
  • Ducklings Bow Brickhill - Pre-school, Milton Keynes MK17 9LH, ages 2 to 4, 30 places, 1.4 miles
    Ofsted, 11 December 2023: Outstanding overall; safeguarding is effective
  • Little Oaks Community Nursery - Pre-school, Milton Keynes MK17 8LH, ages 2 to 4, 55 places, 1.4 miles
    Ofsted, 15 March 2022: Good overall; safeguarding is effective

Schools nearby

Larchfield Day Nursery Limited on the Ofsted website