Epsom Methodist Nursery

A church community hall, a garden for bug hunting and regular nature sessions in Rosebery park give Epsom Methodist Nursery a character that extends well beyond classroom play. Based at Epsom Methodist Church on Ashley Road, it combines child-led projects with music, baking and encounters with the town around it. The setting has capacity for 32 children aged two to five.

At its May 2025 inspection, Ofsted rated the nursery Good and found safeguarding effective. The detail behind that judgement matters: children explored mathematical ideas through construction, developed hand control through practical activities and learnt about their community through outings. Two weaknesses also deserve attention: keeping younger children involved in planned learning and strengthening support for children learning English as an additional language.

Morning and full-day sessions run during term time. This is a nursery with a substantial family-centre connection, rather than simply a place to leave children for their booked hours.

Rooms and Ages

Natural light and natural resources shape the main nursery space, which occupies the community hall on the right-hand side of the church building. The Hartley room provides a separate setting for morning conversations, stories and smaller-group work. That gives the day a change of scale: shared play in the main space can be followed by time in a smaller classroom.

The rear garden is used for insect searches and summer picnics, while the playground supports outdoor learning in different weather conditions. Children can move freely between indoor play and the outdoor areas.

Learning and Activities

The EYFS Statutory Framework provides the foundation: children develop communication, physical skills, early literacy and mathematics through play, relationships and adult support. Alongside that foundation, projects grow from children's questions and interests, with practitioners observing, listening and planning ways to extend them. Parents contribute through discussions about their children, so an interest noticed at home can help shape learning at nursery.

Together Time brings children into a shared morning routine, with conversation about their news and current interests. Daily nurture groups add smaller-group teaching to the project work, supporting skills needed for primary school.

Weekly music involves a pianist; yoga and dance happen daily. Baking takes place each week in the equipped kitchen, using recipes and foods from different parts of the world. These are concrete additions to play-based learning: sound and movement provide ways to express ideas, while cooking introduces practical tasks and opportunities to talk about ingredients and food.

In May 2025, older children used large blocks to represent The Tower of London and practised language for shapes, including hexagons and octagons. Younger children mixed flower-and-water potions, planted herbs and made water patterns with rollers. Cutting herbs with scissors also gave children practice using their hands precisely. The examples show how ordinary play materials can carry mathematical, physical and conversational learning together.

Outdoor and Community Life

Rosebery park is a regular destination for nature activities. Visits also take children to the market, library, shops and small businesses, connecting learning with places they can recognise in their own town. Lunch Clubs combine shared mealtimes with trips into town to explore the local community. These experiences give children subjects to discuss beyond the nursery's immediate spaces.

Intergenerational workshops take place through the year, and families are invited to celebrations, including community Christmas events. Different religions and cultures are explored through shared experiences. In May 2025, outings included visits to older people who told children stories, creating opportunities to listen to experiences beyond their own families.

Relationships and Communication

Relationships shape both planning and settling. Practitioners observe children's interests, talk with parents and adapt activities to their developmental needs; families also contribute through regular meetings. This gives communication a practical purpose: conversations help adults decide what to offer a child next, rather than simply describing what happened that day.

In May 2025, staff modelled considerate behaviour by listening carefully and helping children understand kindness during play. Stories prompted discussion about characters' feelings, while older children explored the sounds in their own names. Shared meals also provide a social part of the day, with adults and children sitting together and exchanging news. Fruit and other nutritious snacks feature in the daily routine.

Inclusion and Wellbeing

The staff structure includes a designated safeguarding lead, a deputy safeguarding lead and a SENDCO. Small-group work is used to respond to emerging needs, and practitioners work with primary-school teachers and other professionals to tailor support.

At the May 2025 inspection, Ofsted found that children with SEND benefited from daily targeted interventions and made good progress, while support for children learning English as an additional language needed further development.

Epsom Methodist Family Centre extends support beyond nursery attendance, with parent workshops, courses and stay-and-play activities. Its Warm Wednesday programme runs from October to March, providing free food and drinks alongside advice about household costs, housing and emergency support. Families therefore have access to a wider community offer, with opportunities for adults to seek help as well as activities for children.

Sessions and Attendance

Morning sessions run from 9.15am to 12.15pm; full-day sessions finish at 3.15pm after the same start time. Both are term-time arrangements. Opening hours are 9.15am to 3.15pm, Monday to Friday, so the standard day fits a daytime routine rather than an early-start or evening working pattern.

Booking expectations differ by age group. Little Bears, for two- to three-year-olds, must attend at least two mornings each week; Big Bears, for three- to four-year-olds, must attend at least three.

Sessions may be changed or increased with notice, subject to availability. Ad hoc mornings and afternoons are also offered on that condition. The distinction matters: the regular morning and full-day patterns are the core choices, while occasional extra sessions depend on what can be accommodated.

Getting There

The address is Epsom Methodist Church, Ashley Road, Epsom, KT18 5AQ. Nursery parents and carers can use the church car park when bringing or collecting their children; that permission concerns nursery attendance, rather than every activity held at the church.

Enquiries can be made by telephone on 07376 415411.

Funding and Paid Extras

Funded childcare is offered, including 15-hour provision for three- and four-year-olds from the term after their third birthday, support for eligible two-year-olds and up to 30 hours for eligible families. Attendance is term time only. Private morning and full-day sessions are also offered, with current prices obtained in the nursery's written quotation.

The nursery abolished top-up fees in 2022 and has used fundraising to support its nursery and family-centre work. Its fees and funding page sets out the session structure and funding routes. Optional morning activities include music, movement, dance and stretch, giving children additional ways to participate alongside the ordinary play programme.

• Younger children's engagement. In May 2025, some planned activities did not extend younger children's existing learning effectively, and children sometimes moved away before gaining the intended benefit. During a tour, ask how activities are adapted for children who lose interest.
• Support for additional languages. The May 2025 improvement point concerned developing children's English speech and understanding more effectively. Families using another language at home should discuss the nursery's current strategies and how home-language knowledge informs support.
• A term-time commitment. Little Bears requires two mornings weekly and Big Bears three, while the nursery closes for school holidays. Families need an attendance pattern that works across both nursery weeks and holiday periods.
• The funded-place quotation. Top-up fees were abolished in 2022. Ask for a written breakdown covering extra private hours, meals, non-food consumables and optional activities, so the complete arrangement is clear before booking.

Epsom Methodist Nursery suits families seeking either regular morning attendance or full-day, term-time care, with learning connected to the local town and church community. The Hartley room, weekly baking and Rosebery park outings give substance to its child-led approach; the family centre adds support for parents alongside children's activities.

The May 2025 language-support and engagement concerns remain important decision points. For families comfortable with the minimum weekly attendance and school-holiday closures, the appeal is a varied nursery day with practical learning, smaller-group work and community connections.