Leaping Lilies Day Nursery

A garden divided for younger and older children, weekly dance with a specialist coach, and reading books taken home give Leaping Lilies Day Nursery a clear identity: physical play sits alongside a deliberate introduction to classroom habits. This Brentwood setting combines space for babies to explore with a more structured preschool day. The shift towards school preparation is explicit, right down to book bags and uniform.

The nursery accepts children from three months to five years and has 120 places in total. At its May 2022 inspection, Ofsted rated it Good overall, while identifying inconsistent challenge in activities and a need for better curriculum sequencing. That judgement offers a useful starting point, but the detail matters more than the label: children enjoyed books, practical activities and friendships, while some learning opportunities needed stronger adult intervention.

Opening hours run from 7.30am to 6pm on weekdays, with a Christmas and New Year closure. Funded attendance follows an all-year arrangement rather than a term-time-only pattern.

Rooms and Ages

There are three baby rooms, two toddler rooms and two preschool rooms, with air conditioning throughout. This is a substantial setting with separate spaces for different stages, rather than one room serving the whole age range. Its garden also gives babies and younger children their own allocated area.

Babies Rooms welcome children from three months, with sensory exploration, early games and opportunities to practise movement woven around individual routines. The 2-3's Room emphasises communication and independence, with a door directly into the outdoor classroom so children can move between indoor and outdoor activities. For children aged three to four, the Pre-School Room brings phonics, early writing and number work into a day that includes classroom-style activities.

Learning and Activities

The EYFS provides the framework for learning, development and care: here, children encounter language, numbers, stories and exploration through play and planned activities. Home interests help shape that planning, giving staff something familiar to build on rather than treating nursery and family life as separate worlds. French introduces another language, while computer use includes learning how to use technology safely.

Oxford Reading Tree is the preschool reading scheme, and children take reading books home to share with their carers. This connects nursery literacy work with family time. Speaking and listening also feature in carpet-time activities, so preparation for school extends beyond handling a pencil or recognising a number.

Children's Dance brings a specialist coach into weekly music-and-movement sessions for children aged two and above. Children's Yoga gives the two-year-old and preschool rooms 30 minutes each, using stories, songs, games and postures. These are concrete additions to the day: dance offers a regular coached activity, while yoga combines movement with listening and imaginative play.

In May 2022, children chose which story to hear by voting, and adults encouraged them to work out how to position large blocks while building outdoors. Books engaged children at different stages, from babies handling board books to older children remembering stories. The limitation was consistency: adults did not always extend an activity or respond promptly when younger children began losing interest. Curriculum coaching was intended to help staff connect activities more effectively with children's next steps.

Outdoor and Community Life

The enclosed garden has two sections, including space allocated to babies and younger children. A creative area allows children to move into outdoor craft activities. That matters for a child who wants to keep making and exploring while spending time outside, rather than treating the garden solely as a break from indoor learning.

Babies go into the garden when weather permits. In May 2022, older children's outdoor play included kicking balls and throwing hoops and bean bags, while babies had room indoors to practise crawling, standing and taking steps.

Relationships and Communication

Baby care is organised around the child's own feeding and sleeping patterns. Nappy changes take place through the day and whenever needed between those times. For families with an established home routine, the important point is that the nursery aims to work with it, rather than expecting every baby to eat or sleep together.

Parents are encouraged to share interests from home, such as favourite toys or games, to help children settle. Familiar play gives staff a useful starting point for making nursery feel less unfamiliar. One-to-one interaction is also part of the baby-room offer, alongside play with other children.

An online learning journal connects staff and families around children's development. It gives parents a way to follow learning beyond the account exchanged at collection. In May 2022, parents reported that their child's key person understood them well and spoke positively about communication with the management team.

Inclusion and Wellbeing

At the May 2022 inspection, Ofsted found safeguarding effective and described collaboration between staff, families and professionals over support for children with special educational needs and/or disabilities. These are dated findings about practice, rather than a promise about every future child's experience.

In May 2022, children could join sensory play with paintbrushes if they were hesitant about touching shaving foam. That small adaptation is useful detail: participation did not depend on every child enjoying the same sensation. Adults also modelled pronunciation by repeating children's words sensitively, keeping language support within ordinary conversation.

Toilet learning in the toddler stage is approached patiently, recognising that children are also asserting their independence. In May 2022, mealtimes included fruit and freshly prepared cooked food, with adults supporting cutlery use, manners and handwashing. Everyday care and developing independence were linked through routines children could practise repeatedly.

Sessions and Attendance

The address is Old Holly Trees Infant School, Crescent Road, Warley, Brentwood, CM14 5JR. Weekday opening runs from 7.30am to 6pm; the nursery closes at weekends, on bank holidays and for one week across Christmas and New Year. The annual closure is especially relevant to families arranging care around working schedules.

Attendance is across the year, with no term-time-only places. Funded hours are spread over 51 weeks, matching the Christmas closure. This means the funding arrangement follows the nursery year rather than school terms, an important distinction for families comparing childcare patterns.

Visits can be booked by emailing info@leapinglilies.co.uk. The nursery also provides virtual tours, offering another way to become familiar with its spaces before a visit.

Getting There

The nursery is close to Brentwood town centre and Brentwood station, served by the Elizabeth Line. That gives families using the station a named transport connection to weigh alongside the weekday opening window.

Funding and Paid Extras

Funded childcare is offered for eligible children from nine months to four years. The funding options include 15 hours for younger eligible working families and three- and four-year-olds, support-linked funding for two-year-olds, and 30 hours for eligible working parents from nine months. Subject to eligibility, younger children's working-parent funding begins from the term after they turn nine months. Universal 15-hour funding begins from the term after a child's third birthday.

All funded hours are stretched across 51 weeks. Families should obtain current prices in the nursery's written quotation. Preschool uniform is compulsory: children wear grey bottoms with red tops and jumpers, which can be bought from supermarkets or online suppliers.

• Learning beyond the activity. In May 2022, challenge and curriculum sequencing needed greater consistency. On a visit, ask how staff now extend children's play and connect activities with their next learning steps.
• An all-year commitment. Funded hours are stretched over 51 weeks and term-time-only places are not offered. This suits a year-round childcare plan; families wanting attendance tied to school terms need to weigh that rule carefully.
• The preschool style. Uniform, book bags, phonics and early writing make preparation for school quite explicit. Consider whether that structured element matches the experience you want for your child.
• The written cost breakdown. Ask how meals, nappies and other consumables are handled for your intended attendance, including funded hours. A clear quotation makes the total arrangement easier to compare.

Leaping Lilies suits families seeking year-round weekday care with both active play and an explicit introduction to school routines. The toddler room's outdoor access, separate garden area for younger children, weekly coached dance and preschool reading scheme give that offer substance. Baby routines are treated individually, while the older children's day becomes more structured.