Purple Lion Day Nurseries, Buckhurst Hill

In February 2022, children at Purple Lion Day Nurseries, Buckhurst Hill explored colour mixing, released dinosaurs from ice and joined in stories using puppets. At its February 2022 inspection, Ofsted rated the nursery Good overall, while identifying two teaching priorities: making group activities work better for every child and taking more opportunities to introduce letter sounds. Those priorities matter alongside the creative play.

The nursery occupies Church Hall on Princes Road and has 44 places in total, with an accepted age range of 3 to 60 months. This is a whole-setting figure, rather than a room size or the number attending together. Full-day, morning and afternoon bookings give families different ways to use the setting.

Learning and Activities

The early years foundation stage provides the framework for children's learning, development and care. In everyday terms, the February 2022 examples show learning through play: experimenting with materials, practising movement, sharing stories and exploring numbers.

In February 2022, children experimented with mixing colours and tried tools to release toy dinosaurs from ice. These activities gave them something concrete to predict, discuss and investigate. Counting objects and matching patterns with coloured construction bricks brought mathematical ideas into the same practical world.

Books also became shared activities. In February 2022, staff used puppets and props to involve children in familiar stories, while babies explored textured pages, paint and play dough. The contrast is useful: younger children encountered books through touch as well as listening, while older children could participate in a story. Letter sounds were the teaching priority that needed more consistent attention.

Specialist sessions add another strand. Football and Tennis sit alongside Spanish and French, with external teachers delivering lessons during the week. Caterpillar Music and Imagi-Move are also specialist-led sessions included in the fees. For families, these additions mean that paid nursery attendance incorporates visiting teaching as well as activities led by the nursery team.

Outdoor and Community Life

In February 2022, babies practised balancing on large play equipment, toddlers filled containers using sand and water, and older children played outdoor hide-and-seek with staff. These examples show different physical demands for different stages: balance, controlled hand movements and moving around other children.

The same visit captured older children concentrating on construction models. Physical activity and sustained attention both had space in the nursery day. The important distinction is that these are dated examples of children's experiences, rather than a fixed timetable promised for every booking.

At the February 2022 inspection, Ofsted found safeguarding effective and children with special educational needs and/or disabilities making good progress through targeted support and cooperation with other agencies. That provides a dated assessment of both protection and inclusion, with practical support extending beyond the nursery team.

In February 2022, babies sought comfort from staff and adults understood their individual care needs. Close interaction mattered as much as the resources: babies were supported by adults who joined their exploration and responded to them affectionately. For a family choosing care for a very young child, that relationship is an important part of the inspection picture.

Communication also had a practical purpose. In February 2022, parents received information about their children's learning that helped them continue activities at home. This connects nursery experiences with family life, rather than leaving learning as something that happens only during attendance.

Independence was encouraged through ordinary routines. In February 2022, older children practised dressing and managing personal care, and children helped themselves to drinks. These are small tasks with a clear purpose: giving children opportunities to do things for themselves as they prepare for their next stage.

Sessions and Attendance

Full Day runs from 7.30am to 6pm; Morning sessions run from 7.30am to 12.30pm; Afternoon session runs from 1pm to 6pm. Half Day bookings are also listed for children aged 2 to 5. Morning and afternoon attendance therefore have their own published times, rather than being assumed divisions of the opening day.

Opening hours are 7.30am to 6pm on weekdays. The nursery operates across the year, closing for bank holidays and one week at Christmas. Families comparing attendance patterns should account for that Christmas closure as well as the hours they need each day.

Changing sessions or ending attendance requires one month's written notice. Fees are paid ahead of attendance, with monthly payment due on the first day of the month. These terms make the booking decision more than a choice of morning or afternoon: changes need planning too.

Getting There

The address is Church Hall, 29 Princes Road, Buckhurst Hill, IG9 5EE. Enquiries can be made through the Buckhurst Hill enquiry form or the nursery's contact route.

Funding and Paid Extras

In February 2022, the nursery provided funded early education for children aged two, three and four. That is the dated funding position, rather than a promise of a particular entitlement or attendance arrangement today.

The full-day fee includes snacks plus breakfast, tea and lunch. Specialist activities are included too, so these sit within the fee structure rather than being described as separate activity purchases.

A registration charge applies when adding a child's name to the waiting list and is non-returnable if the place is not taken up. Current prices should come in the nursery's written quotation; the fees and registration page explains the booking and payment structure.

• Group teaching and early literacy. February 2022 brought two clear improvement priorities: involving every child effectively in group activities and developing letter-sound learning. A visit is an opportunity to discuss how those priorities shape teaching now.
• Baby care and settling. The February 2022 account describes close adult relationships and babies seeking comfort. How would settling, sleep and the key-person relationship work for your baby?
• The attendance agreement. Session changes require one month's written notice, and the waiting-list registration charge is non-returnable if the place is declined. Read those terms alongside the written quotation before committing.

Purple Lion Day Nurseries, Buckhurst Hill suits families considering either full-day care or shorter morning and afternoon attendance, with specialist sport, language and other sessions included in the fees. In February 2022, children investigated materials, played physically and practised doing everyday tasks independently. The balance is clear: an appealing breadth of experiences, accompanied by specific teaching priorities that deserve attention when choosing the nursery.