Pippa's House Nursery Claygate

A garden for climbing, balancing and growing plants gives Pippa's House Nursery Claygate a practical, active character. Inside, babies have quiet areas for sleep, toddlers can move directly into outdoor play, and preschool children practise making choices and managing self-care. These are useful differences between the stages: the youngest children have space to rest, while growing independence shapes the older children's day.

Ofsted rated the nursery Good at its July 2024 inspection, with an improvement point about adapting group activities and organising care routines so that every child could participate and keep learning. That qualification matters alongside the grade. There were occasions when groups were too large for everyone to take part, and everyday care interrupted children's play.

The nursery takes children from 3 months to 5 years and has 65 places in total. Its Hare Lane address puts it in Claygate, Esher. Full-day sessions and wraparound care provide different attendance options, with the extensions subject to demand.

Rooms and Ages

The Baby room combines sensory toys, music and a cosy reading area with quiet sleep spaces, balancing exploration and rest. Gentle routines and relationships shape its day.

Messy and sensory play sit alongside group games in the Toddler room, where direct outdoor access supports physical development and independence. The Preschool room emphasises communication, early literacy, making choices and self-care as children prepare for school.

Learning and Activities

The Early Years Foundation Stage (EYFS) guides the curriculum: here, children learn through play, familiar routines and positive relationships. Painting pictures, tackling jigsaws, sharing stories and planting seeds give that approach concrete form. These activities bring opportunities to talk, handle materials, solve problems and make decisions within the nursery day.

In July 2024, children's interests helped shape activities. Holiday conversations prompted children to describe journeys and explore the things needed for travelling; younger children handled rice, pasta and foam while staff introduced words for texture. Pretend ice-cream making involved cones, sprinkles and utensils of different sizes, with questions that brought mathematics into the play. The practical value was the connection between something children wanted to do and the language or skills staff helped them practise.

Everyday Essentials, the package of food, care products and enrichment offered during funded hours, includes instrumental music, yoga, sports and Heartbeeps sessions. Heartbeeps is one of the package's enrichment sessions. These additions sit alongside the EYFS-guided day, and the package has its own charging arrangements, separate from funded core childcare.

Outdoor and Community Life

Daily garden play includes climbing, balancing, sand, water and nature experiences, giving physical exploration a regular place. Planting seeds and growing plants give children something to tend and observe.

Community outings introduce children to places beyond nursery and give them opportunities to practise social skills in different surroundings. In July 2024, families were involved in the annual community flower show, where staff raised money for charities. This was a concrete connection with local community life, with children and their families participating together.

Relationships and Communication

The Grandir UK app keeps parents informed about activities, care routines and meals. Staff also share information with families and support transitions.

In July 2024, key people knew the next skills their children needed to practise and monitored learning to spot gaps. Parents knew their child's key person and valued the consistency of staff. They also understood what children were learning and felt able to continue it at home. The manager wanted parents to contribute to nursery activities, including stories and conversations about their work.

Staff support had a practical structure at that time: regular supervision covered children's needs and training, while separate meetings addressed staff wellbeing. For parents, the useful point is that staff practice and the needs of individual children were discussed together.

Inclusion and Wellbeing

At the July 2024 inspection, Ofsted found safeguarding effective and described how the manager, also the special educational needs coordinator, worked with external agencies to plan targeted support. This gives a specific account of the support mechanism at that date: staff monitored learning, and outside advice informed interventions for children who needed them.

During July 2024, babies received comfort when upset, and staff encouraged turn-taking and consideration for others during play. The current Baby room's quiet sleep areas and gentle routines provide the physical and practical arrangements for rest. An on-site chef prepares fresh meals, while the funded-hours catering package covers snacks, breakfast, cooked lunch and tea, with vegan and vegetarian choices.

Sessions and Attendance

The address is 111a Hare Lane, Claygate, Esher, KT10 0QY. The nursery opens Monday to Friday, from 8am to 6pm, across 51 weeks of the year; bank holidays and a week at Christmas are closures. That year-round pattern is useful for families whose childcare needs continue through school holidays, while the Christmas closure needs its own plan.

Full-day sessions last ten hours. Wraparound care runs from 7.30am to 8am and from 6pm to 6.30pm, subject to demand. The distinction matters for work schedules: the ordinary opening window and the conditional extensions are separate arrangements. Enquiries can be made through the nursery's message form or by telephone on 01372 897177.

Funding and Paid Extras

Funded childcare includes 15 hours a week during term time for eligible children aged 2 to 3 receiving additional government support, and 15 hours for children aged 3 to 4, delivered across 51 weeks as 11.17 hours a week and capped at 10 funded hours a day. Eligible working families can access 30 term-time hours for children aged 9 months to 4 years, stretched across 51 weeks as 22.34 hours a week, with the same daily cap; funding begins in the term after the child reaches 9 months and requires a valid code before that term starts.

During funded hours, meals and snacks carry a separate catering charge, and nappies, wipes, suncream and hand sanitiser carry a separate care-products charge through Everyday Essentials. Enrichment experiences have a separate charge too. Fully funded sessions can be taken without buying the package, and families who want to supply particular consumables themselves can discuss the arrangements with the nursery.

Private childcare is also offered. Bills for children receiving funding depend on the sessions attended and can change from month to month; without funding, the annual cost is divided into equal monthly payments. Families comparing costs should therefore distinguish private hours, funded core childcare and the Everyday Essentials package.

A non-refundable administration charge covers enrolment, settling sessions and a settling pack; for families accessing only funded hours, it is returned on the first month's invoice. Applications give priority to full-time working families. For current prices, ask the nursery for a quotation.

• Group activities and uninterrupted play. In July 2024, some whole-group activities did not engage everyone, and handwashing or nappy-changing routines sometimes broke up learning. On a visit, ask how group sizes and care routines now protect children's involvement and sustained play.
• Conditional extensions. The 7.30am start and 6.30pm finish depend on demand for wraparound care. Families whose working day requires either extension should establish that arrangement before committing to an attendance pattern.
• Funding and package choices. Catering, care products and enrichment are charged separately during funded hours, but fully funded sessions do not require purchase of Everyday Essentials. Agree which items you want and how any supplies from home will work, so the childcare plan and bill match.
• A baby's daily group. The Baby room has quiet sleep areas, sensory toys and a cosy reading area. Ask how many babies usually share the room on your intended attendance days and how their individual sleep routines are managed.

Pippa's House Nursery Claygate suits families seeking either ten-hour full-day sessions or a day with conditional wraparound extensions, alongside care from infancy through preschool. Its strongest practical details are the toddler room's outdoor access, the baby's spaces for rest and the preschool emphasis on communication and self-care.

The July 2024 Good judgement gives a positive overall inspection position, but the concern about group participation and interruptions to play deserves attention. Clear agreement about extended hours and funded extras is equally important to making this nursery work for a family's daily routine.