Little Sparrows Day Nursery

An outdoor classroom with weather blinds, weekly Forest School adventures and a dragon called Saffie give Little Sparrows Day Nursery a recognisable character. Preschool children spend much of their day outside; younger children move between indoor and outdoor play, with a quiet room for a slower pace. This is a setting for families who want nature, practical independence and conversations about feelings to shape the nursery day.

At its 21 February 2025 inspection, Ofsted rated Little Sparrows Outstanding overall. The nursery accepts children aged six months to five years and has capacity for 24 children in total. Babies and toddlers form one main group, with preschool children in another; mixed-age play brings them together at points during the day.

Learning and Activities

The Early Years Foundation Stage guides learning through play, exploration and interaction across its seven areas of learning. Little Sparrows adds a Montessori-inspired approach: children practise doing things for themselves, work at their own pace and have fewer interruptions when absorbed in an activity. The practical value lies in small responsibilities, including getting dressed, helping others and clearing away, rather than the Montessori name alone.

Babies and toddlers explore activities indoors and outside, with additional time-in sessions tailored to their development. Preschool children have more organised group activities, including cooking, dance, yoga and games involving numbers and early literacy. Termly topics are shared with parents, making it easier to continue a child's interests at home. Earth & space, Road safety and All about our amazing bodies are among the topics.

Drama sessions use lesson plans developed by drama teachers, following training for the nursery's practitioners. Visiting professionals also lead sports activities for three- and four-year-olds, with the sport and its day changing each term so more preschool children can participate. This rotation matters for children attending on different days: the activity does not remain tied to the same weekday indefinitely.

In February 2025, children's questions about their bodies led to an investigation of germs, followed by a glitter experiment showing how they spread and why handwashing matters. Movable craft supplies let children take materials to where their ideas were developing. These examples show how a child's interest could become a sustained piece of learning, rather than a brief answer from an adult.

Outdoor and Community Life

Weekly Forest School garden sessions give preschool children opportunities for climbing, searching for nature and making dens. The outdoor classroom has a roof and roller blinds, while an indoor classroom provides an alternative when conditions are unsuitable. Outdoor learning therefore comes with shelter and a practical fallback. Families receive a clothing kit list to help children stay comfortable through changing weather.

For younger children, the garden includes a vegetable patch and giant African snails to help care for. Climbing frames, bikes and balancing beams support movement; a mud kitchen and sensory hut give different ways to investigate and play. The quiet room offers rest, gentle activity or a story when a child needs less stimulation. The balance between active space and somewhere calmer is useful for children whose energy changes across the day.

Daily life also carries responsibility. In February 2025, children helped decide how to arrange outdoor gathering spaces safely and considered other children's needs when building climbing structures. Toddlers poured drinks and served food, while older children helped clear up. These were practical tasks with a purpose, giving children opportunities to contribute to the place they shared.

Relationships and Communication

Settling begins with getting to know the child. In February 2025, home visits gathered information about early experiences, and age-appropriate books introduced children to the nursery's adults, spaces and routines before they started. This gave families a way to talk about the change at home and helped staff prepare around individual needs.

Every child receives a paper learning journal to keep. Preschool families also use the famly app, alongside daily spoken feedback from staff. Updates may be less frequent: practitioners do not upload posts in front of children and prioritise teaching, playing and engaging with them. Parents who value a conversation and a lasting record may find this combination appealing; those expecting frequent digital updates should weigh that communication style carefully.

Learning plans draw on observations during play and information from families, with ideas for extending learning at home. A development meeting at two, a preschool transition meeting at three and a preparing-for-school meeting in the final year provide defined opportunities to discuss the next stage. Preparation for school includes practical skills and conversations with parents, rather than simply introducing more formal activities.

In February 2025, families could borrow activity bags from the home learning tree, with topics chosen around children's needs. Parents also visited to share their work, cultures and customs. This brought family knowledge into children's learning and gave home activities a clear connection with nursery experiences.

Inclusion and Wellbeing

Co-regulation means adults help children work through feelings before expecting them to manage those feelings independently. Little Sparrows uses this approach in its curriculum and has turned its behaviour policy into a parent guide. Its emphasis is on recognising distress, offering empathy and staying alongside a child, rather than dismissing the feeling.

After tea, preschool children take turns holding Saffie the dragon and talking about their day and emotions. Yoga sessions also end with mindfulness, giving children time to notice how their bodies feel. These are concrete opportunities to practise listening, taking turns and putting feelings into words.

At the February 2025 inspection, Ofsted found safeguarding effective and highlighted children's communication, consideration for others and support for emotional wellbeing. Daily small-group discussions about feelings and a kindness jar, filled with coins representing thoughtful actions, were part of that inspection-time practice. The emphasis was on helping children recognise how their actions affected someone else.

Fresh meals are prepared by an on-site cook, with beetroot korma and sweet potato shepherd's pie among the favourites. Children serve themselves during shared meals, making eating another opportunity to practise independence and talk with others.

Sessions and Attendance

The address is 187 Churchgate Road, Waltham Cross, EN8 9EJ, at the Cheshunt nursery. Usual opening hours are Monday to Friday, 7.45am to 5.45pm, with closure on bank holidays. That finishing time is an important practical consideration for families arranging collection after work.

Telephone and email enquiries go directly to the nursery: 01992 623222 and littlesparrowsdaynursery@outlook.com. The waiting-list process requires a visit followed by a returned registration form and a non-refundable registration charge. Families should treat that as a commitment in the joining process, rather than simply an expression of interest.

Funding and Paid Extras

In February 2025, the nursery provided funded early education for children from nine months to four years. Current prices come in the nursery's written quotation. For families combining funded childcare with paid attendance, the useful decision is the complete arrangement for their child, including attendance and any additional charges.

• An outdoor preschool day. Older children spend much of their day outside, supported by weather blinds, a roof and an indoor alternative. During a visit, discuss the clothing kit and how the day adapts to your child's comfort in different weather.
• Joining involves a charge. After visiting, joining the waiting list requires a registration form and a non-refundable registration charge. Visits are booked by telephone, and there are no open days; use the appointment to understand the two-group arrangement before making that commitment.
• The complete attendance quotation. Funded early education was offered in February 2025. What booking patterns and funded-hour arrangements can you use, and how would meals, consumables and additional hours be treated in your written quotation?
• Communication favours conversation. Paper learning journals, daily verbal feedback and the preschool famly app work together; online updates may be less frequent. Consider whether that balance matches how you prefer to follow your child's day.

Little Sparrows suits families who want outdoor learning to be a substantial part of preschool life, with practical independence and emotional understanding threaded through ordinary activities. Weekly Forest School sessions, mixed-age play and Saffie the dragon give that approach tangible form. Younger children also have indoor and outdoor choices, plus somewhere quiet to pause.

The February 2025 Outstanding judgement adds weight. Weigh the outdoor emphasis, communication style and attendance quotation against your family's routine.