Woodlands Day Nursery
GoodBirth to 8+Open for decades
A day nursery in Thatcham for children from birth to 8+, open 08:00 to 18:00, 5 days a week. They do not publish prices, so that is the first thing to ask. Rated Good by Ofsted in November 2022. Open since 2007, with 102 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 West Berkshire
This is not this setting's price. It is the median hourly fee across all providers in West Berkshire 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
RG19 6HWWhat 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, 28 November 2022 · read the full report
What it is like to attend
Children and their parents are very happy at this nursery, as staff establish strong and affectionate bonds with every child. The nursery ethos of enabling children to get messy, experience things that they may not do at home, and become ready for their next steps in life, is embedded in staff practice. Babies dig in soil, toddlers pat their hands in flour, and older children make their own play dough with lots of mess. Staff are relaxed about doing this, which enhances the children's enjoyment as they freely explore different materials and use their senses to learn about the world around them.
Children behave well. They develop friendships with their peers and enjoy each other's company. Older children clap each other's efforts as they confidently practise their nativity performance in front of the staff and visitors. All children are benefiting from the newly adopted 'in the moment planning', as staff focus on children's interests more effectively. Staff have also put a lot of thought into developing the outside area, which includes the vegetable garden and 'mini woodlands', where children can have fun hammering golf tees into pumpkins and building with real bricks. Young children become engrossed in water play, transporting water from one container to another, and they repeat this over and over again.
What Ofsted told them to improve
To further improve the quality of the early years provision, the provider should:
- improve the consistency with which staff across the nursery gather information about children's backgrounds, cultures and experiences, to enable staff to have the fullest possible picture about each child and enhance their cultural capital n strengthen information-sharing with other settings that children attend to promote more continuity in their learning and development.
- 28 November 2022Good
- 7 December 2021Needs improvement
- 12 December 2018Good
Rated Good or Outstanding at 2 of the last 3 graded inspections.
Still missing for Woodlands Day Nursery
- 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.
Day nurseries within a couple of miles
This one is first. Tick it and one or two others to see them side by side.