Natural Wonder - Earlywood
GoodBirth to 8+Open a few years
A pre-school in Ascot for children from birth to 8+, open 09:30 to 15:00, 2 days a week. They do not publish prices, so that is the first thing to ask. Rated Good by Ofsted in September 2024. Open since 2021, with 15 places.
What you might pay
This setting does not publish its fees, and no national dataset holds them. This is what childcare costs across the council, as a starting point for the call.
What childcare usually costs in Windsor and Maidenhead
This is not this setting's price. It is the median hourly fee across all providers in Windsor and Maidenhead from the Department for Education's 2025 provider survey. No national data holds what an individual nursery charges, so ring and ask.
Places, hours and the day
Who they take, when they are open, and what a day there includes.
Where it is
SL5 9JPWhat the inspector found
One grade is one visit. A run of them tells you whether it has been good for years or has only just got there.
Ofsted inspector, 25 September 2024 · read the full report
What it is like to attend
Since the last inspection, leaders and managers have reviewed their safeguarding procedures. Recent training has ensured that all staff and volunteers understand the correct procedures to follow if there is a concern about a child or adult. Staff are confident about signs that could indicate a child is at risk of harm or abuse and the agencies they would report this to. Suitability checks have been completed on all staff and volunteers to ensure they are suitable to work with children.
As children arrive, they happily greet and chatter to their friends, excited about their day at the forest school. Staff know the children well and strategies are planned with the help of parents to support children's individual needs. Staff recognise each other's strengths and use these to provide planned activities for children. For example, staff with an interest in music and singing plan sessions for the children to take part in.
Children are confident learners. They choose from adult- and child-led activities.
What Ofsted told them to improve
To further improve the quality of the early years provision, the provider should:
- strengthen support for younger children to problem-solve independently.
- 25 September 2024Good
- 17 April 2024Inadequate
Rated Good or Outstanding at 1 of the last 2 graded inspections.
Still missing for Natural Wonder - Earlywood
- What it costs
- Funded hours
- Youngest age taken
- Meals
- Nappies
- Waiting list
No dataset holds any of this. Two parents telling us the same thing puts it on the page for whoever looks next.
What to ask them
None of this is in any national dataset and this setting has not published it, which is exactly why it is worth asking.
- What does it cost, all in? What is on top: meals, nappies, late pick-up, and what happens if you are late.
- Can I use my funded hours here? Whether they stretch them over the year, and the minimum days you have to book.
- Is there a place for my child's age? Baby rooms fill first and waiting lists are common.
- Who would my child's key person be? And how long have the staff been there. No dataset holds this and it matters more than anything above.
- Can I visit at a busy time? Mid-morning on a weekday tells you far more than an empty room after hours.
Pre-schools within a couple of miles
This one is first. Tick it and one or two others to see them side by side.