Lilliput Children's Centre

A heated outdoor swimming pool, a Victorian building on Hersham village green and preschool play in Vauxmead give Lilliput Children's Centre a recognisable character. An indoor hall and several gardens extend the day beyond table activities.

Lilliput has capacity for 155 children aged three months to five years, although its childcare offer starts at six months. Children progress through age-related rooms when ready.

Ofsted rated the nursery Good on 19 July 2023, with improvement priorities covering consistent curriculum planning and younger children's opportunities to develop large-muscle skills. Those priorities deserve attention alongside the facilities. Morning and afternoon sessions feature in the nursery's 2023 booking terms; the detail sits below.

Rooms and Ages

Baby Room caters for children from six months to one year, combining sensory and musical play with construction and quieter activities, while a separate sleep room gives rest its own space. Nursery Rooms serve children from one to three years, with cooking, stories and texture play alongside opportunities to pour drinks and practise using the potty or toilet. Pre-school Rooms, for children aged three to five, combine child-chosen play with guided activities and preparation for managing the classroom environment.

There are five zones: Baby, Pink, Yellow, Nursery and Pre-school, with some containing several rooms. Moves between them depend on children's readiness.

Learning and Activities

The early years foundation stage provides the framework for learning, development and care: children learn through play while practising communication, physical skills and everyday independence. Lilliput follows children's interests within that framework. Its preschool group activities introduce science and maths alongside reading, writing and learning about communities, while younger children explore materials through painting, water play and craft.

In July 2023, toddlers experimented with paint colours and washed dolls, connecting investigation with familiar care routines. During block play, staff used questions about roofs, shapes and tower height to encourage children to consider their choices. Ordinary materials supported thinking and explanation.

The curriculum needed greater consistency in July 2023. Staff were still developing their understanding of its intentions, and the sequence of individual children's next learning steps was not securely established throughout the nursery.

Music and Movement and Sports Skills take place in the hall. Optional swimming lessons take place in the warmer months for children aged three and over.

Outdoor and Community Life

Vauxmead is a three-acre field used by older preschool children for play, running and reading beneath trees. Closer to the nursery, the gardens contain a pirate ship, water wall, climbing wall and climbing frames. Children use outdoor spaces with their own age groups, so the provision changes as they progress through the rooms.

The equipment offers different kinds of activity: water exploration, imaginative play and climbing. In July 2023, older children also tackled obstacle courses and practised balancing, but younger children had fewer opportunities to develop their physical skills. The pool and field are appealing features; the youngest children's daily movement opportunities remain a separate consideration.

Seasonal events include a summer Family Fun Day, with fancy dress and races in Vauxmead Field, and a Christmas Party at which preschool children perform a winter play for parents. These occasions give families a shared activity beyond the usual childcare routine. The summer event also raises money for a children's charity.

Relationships and Communication

Settling starts with staggered play visits, allowing baby and parents to become familiar with the nursery routine gradually. Staff get to know each family individually and try to incorporate home routines into the baby's day. Regular periods for eating, sleeping and playing provide a structure, while children's own interests influence activities.

The separate sleep room is a useful practical feature for babies: sleeping has a dedicated space rather than sharing the main play area. Comforters and instrumental music form part of the sleep arrangement. In the Nursery Rooms, children who still nap have a quiet place to rest, with parents involved in decisions about dropping daytime sleep.

In July 2023, children had close relationships with their key person and familiar staff. Communication with parents included sharing achievements and progress, suggesting activities for home and working together on weaning or toilet training. That is useful partnership at the level of daily care, where consistency between home and nursery can matter as much as a formal update.

Inclusion and Wellbeing

At its July 2023 inspection, Ofsted found safeguarding effective and identified support for children with SEND through adapted activities and work with parents and other professionals, alongside plans for children needing help with speech.

Home languages also formed part of nursery life in July 2023, with parents contributing familiar words. Children encountered cultural celebrations and traditions. For families whose child uses another language at home, that provides a concrete starting point for discussing how familiar language can be included in play and conversation.

A chef prepares meals from scratch on site each day, and babies receive food in different textures as they develop their eating skills. Lilliput has a nut-free policy and describes adapting meals for dietary needs, including wheat-, gluten- and dairy-free diets.

Preparation for school includes self-help and social skills, rather than only early reading and writing. Preschool staff work with families on confidence and independence; in July 2023, children were practising serving food and putting on their own shoes and coats. These small tasks help children take a more active part in their day.

Sessions and Attendance

The nursery's main opening hours are 8am to 6.30pm, Monday to Friday, with early starts from 7.30am. It operates throughout the year except bank holidays and the period between Christmas and New Year. This gives families a year-round childcare pattern while retaining a defined seasonal closure.

The 2023 booking terms offered morning sessions from 8am to 1.30pm and afternoons from 1.30pm to 6.30pm. A short afternoon extension from 1.30pm to 3.30pm could be added to a morning session, and the 7.30am to 8am early-start service was for regular bookings. These are dated booking terms, separate from the main opening window.

Getting There

The address is Burwood Road, Hersham, Walton-on-Thames, KT12 4AA, on Hersham village green.

Enquiries can be made through the contact form or by telephone on 01932 252202. The same contact route handles applications and arrangements for a viewing.

Funding and Paid Extras

In July 2023, the nursery received funding for free early education for three- and four-year-olds. Its 2023 pricing terms excluded Free Early Education hours from the prices shown and included meals, drinks and snacks, including formula milk, in nursery fees. That historical fee structure should be read separately from the funded entitlement.

Swimming lessons are optional. Current prices come in the nursery's written quotation; the dated terms should not be treated as a current price commitment.

• The youngest children's movement. July 2023 improvement priorities included more opportunities for younger children to develop large-muscle skills. During a viewing, ask how the baby day includes movement and how garden access supports it.
• Learning between activities. Curriculum sequencing needed greater consistency in July 2023. Ask staff to explain how a child's interests lead to planned next steps and how that learning is shared with parents.
• Age and attendance fit. The childcare offer begins at six months, and the session terms above date from 2023. Discuss the intended start age, morning or afternoon pattern and any early-start requirement together.
• Food and the written quotation. Lilliput has a nut-free policy, while the 2023 fee terms included food and formula milk. Allergy-affected families should confirm current practice, and the quotation should distinguish funded hours, food and any non-food consumables.

Lilliput suits families looking for age-related progression, gradual baby settling and substantial space for older children's play. The separate sleep room, indoor hall, Vauxmead and heated pool each have a clear practical role. Its morning and afternoon session model also makes it relevant to families seeking different parts of the day, subject to agreement on current terms.

The July 2023 curriculum and younger-child movement priorities temper the appeal of those facilities. A useful visit would connect the spaces to the actual baby and preschool day, with staff explaining the learning that links one activity to the next.