Immanuels Day Nursery & Preschool

A separate outdoor space for under-twos and baby routines planned with parents give Immanuels Day Nursery & Preschool a clear starting point: the youngest children have arrangements shaped around their stage of development. At this South Croydon setting, individual feeding and sleep preferences sit alongside a garden, age-related rooms and play-based learning. Those are useful details for families choosing their baby's first childcare.

Immanuels has capacity for 52 children, accepting ages from 3 months to 5 years. Ofsted rated the nursery Good at its June 2021 inspection. The current offer includes free settling arrangements tailored to the child, a key person and updates through Famly, an app sharing daily care information and learning observations.

Rooms and Ages

Four rooms organise the progression from baby care to preparation for school. Caterpillars, for 3–12 months, combines sensory exploration and early communication with care adapted to each baby's familiar routines. Butterflies, for 1–2 years, uses rhymes, singing and messy play alongside support for independent eating and social relationships.

Cubs, for 2–3 years, brings movement skills together with practical independence, including toileting and putting on coats. Lions, for 3–5 years, emphasises communication, self-help, technology and relationships in small groups, with preparation for the move to school. The progression is practical: growing independence means learning to manage everyday tasks as well as joining in play.

Learning and Activities

The Early Years Foundation Stage (EYFS) provides the framework for learning through play, including communication, physical development, creativity and emotional development. At Immanuels, messy activities, stories, music and outdoor exploration turn those areas into experiences children can join at their own stage.

Art & Design classes and Spanish language lessons add separately charged sessions to that day. These carry a non-consumable charge, described as voluntary. In-house movement and music, together with stories from different parts of the world, provide further ways to listen, communicate and participate. Dentists and fire services are among the visiting professionals invited to support children's understanding of the wider world.

Outdoor and Community Life

The garden is complemented by outdoor space reserved for children under two, giving the youngest age group its own place to explore. Local outings include parks, shops and the library. These extend learning beyond the nursery rooms, linking stories and play with familiar places in the surrounding community.

Some local outings happen spontaneously rather than to a fixed timetable, with parental permission requested for that arrangement. Families receive advance information for trips beyond the local area. That distinction matters when deciding how much notice you need about activities away from the setting.

Relationships and Communication

Each child has a key person who observes development, records progress and works with parents on individual needs. Other staff in the key group also participate in care. This gives families a main contact while allowing the child to build relationships with the wider group of adults.

Settling starts with a conversation about the child's needs and relevant family circumstances. Free arrangements are tailored to the individual, and a familiar comfort item can accompany the child. For babies, parents and the key person agree a daily plan, with familiar feeding and sleeping routines maintained where possible. The aim is continuity between home and nursery rather than an immediate change to a shared timetable.

Famly updates cover food, sleep, toileting and activities, while photographs, videos and observations help parents follow learning. An assessment after six weeks is shared with families to agree next steps; termly assessments are discussed at parent evenings. Daily care information and longer-term development therefore have separate opportunities for discussion.

Inclusion and Wellbeing

The key person also addresses individual or special needs, and the admission form collects medical, dietary and allergy information. An All About Me booklet gathers preferences, languages, cultural identity, comfort items and home routines to inform care plans. These are concrete ways for parents to explain what matters to their child.

Food is cooked by a chef in the nursery's own kitchen, using a seasonal menu on a four-week cycle. Vegetarian choices are offered, food is adapted for children who are weaning, and dietary preferences are accommodated where possible.

When babies move from Caterpillars to Butterflies, they become familiar with the new room, routines and carers before completing the move. Parents are kept involved in that process. Preparation for school is also part of the Lions room's work, with independence and communication among its stated priorities.

Sessions and Attendance

The address is 1 Haling Park Road, South Croydon, CR2 6NG. Attendance runs Monday to Friday across 51 weeks of the year, with closures for bank holidays and Christmas.

Full day bookings run from 7.30am to 6pm. The shorter School Session runs from 7.30am to 3.30pm, while AM bookings are 7.30am to 1pm and PM bookings are 1pm to 6pm. A finish at 6.30pm can be booked in advance as an extension. Term-time attendance and flexible patterns are also offered, subject to availability.

The general minimum booking is two full days or four half days each week. Funded-only attendance has its own arrangement: the 15-hour term-time offer uses three sessions, either 8am to 1pm or 1pm to 6pm. These separate patterns deserve attention when matching childcare to work commitments.

Getting There

Off-road space supports collection and drop-off, with free parking on surrounding streets and electric charging bays nearby. Rail connections include Sanderstead, Purley Oaks, South Croydon and East Croydon stations; bus services include routes 405, 166, 119 and 60.

Funding and Paid Extras

Both private childcare and 15 & 30 Hours Funding are offered, with funding covering eligible children from 9 months to 4 years. Funded attendance can be term-time or stretched across the year; the stated stretched weekly amounts are 11 and 22 hours respectively.

For funded sessions, the separate consumables charge covers meals, snacks and non-food items including wipes. Parents pack suncream for summer use. Art & Design and Spanish sessions carry their own voluntary charge, separate from consumables.

Current prices come in the nursery's written quotation. The fees page explains how funded sessions, extra attendance and charges fit together. Eligibility depends on age and family circumstances; participation in funding does not itself establish a family's entitlement.

• A regular booking commitment. The general minimum is two full days or four half days weekly, while funded-only attendance has a separate session pattern. At a tour, work through which arrangement matches your intended week.
• Funded hours and extras. Meals and wipes fall within the funded-session consumables charge, with separate voluntary charges for Art & Design and Spanish. Request a written quotation showing the attendance pattern and how declining voluntary extras works.
• Your baby's routine. Caterpillars works with familiar feeding, sleep and comfort preferences where possible. Use the visit to discuss how your child's current routine would be followed and adjusted over time.
• Dietary requirements. Meals are prepared on site and adapted for weaning, with dietary preferences accommodated where possible. Families managing allergies should confirm current kitchen practice for their child's needs.

Immanuels suits families considering full days, morning or afternoon sessions, or term-time attendance, provided the relevant booking commitment fits. Its practical appeal lies in the separate outdoor provision for under-twos, individual baby plans and structured parent communication. The June 2021 Good judgement gives a dated inspection reference; the choice today turns on whether those care arrangements and the funded-session charge structure match your family.