King Fishers Day Nursery, Croydon

In May 2025, sensory-tray scooping for babies, dough work for toddlers and animal-enclosure building for older children gave daily learning a practical, play-led character. Children developed their own ideas as well as following activities planned around their needs and interests.

Ofsted judged overall effectiveness, education, behaviour and attitudes, personal development, and leadership and management Good in May 2025. Safeguarding arrangements were effective. The Addiscombe branch describes a balanced curriculum, flexible session times and government-funded options.

In May 2025, learning moved from babies scooping at a sensory tray to toddlers manipulating dough, then older children collaborating on enclosures for toy animals. That sequence links sensory exploration and hand strength with imagination, talk and shared problem-solving.

The Early Years Foundation Stage is the framework for early learning through play, exploration and creative expression. King Fishers describes this as a group-wide approach, while the Addiscombe branch names communication, literacy, numeracy and creative expression in its own curriculum. Group-wide enrichment includes Music and Movement, Outdoor Learning, Cultural Celebrations and Language Development Sessions, although the branch page does not present these as an Addiscombe timetable.

Physical play had substance in the inspection account: hurdles, balls, textured stepping stones and a parachute were used in the garden. Paint, sand and dough also supported fine-motor practice for early writing.

Children showed strong bonds with familiar adults in May 2025 and spoke openly about feeling happy, sad or angry. Practitioners used praise and conversations about emotions to build self-esteem and emotional understanding.

In May 2025, staff worked with parents and other professionals on targeted interventions for children with SEND. The two improvement priorities make the Good judgement more useful: children needed more consistent explanations of behaviour expectations, and staff needed to extend vocabulary and questions that draw fuller answers.

The Addiscombe branch opens Monday to Friday from 07:30 to 18:30 and promotes flexible session times. In May 2025, it offered full-day care and government-funded childcare; the branch now promotes government-funded options.

King Fishers’ group-wide parent information lists full-day, half-day and term-time-only patterns. The exact booking pattern for Addiscombe should be settled with the branch.

Behaviour and language. In May 2025, staff were asked to give clearer explanations of expectations and stronger language extension. Discuss how these are now built into stories, play and everyday disagreements.

Attendance pattern. Addiscombe promotes flexible session times, while King Fishers lists full-day, half-day and term-time patterns across the group. Pin down the Addiscombe pattern that fits the family’s week.

Funding. Government-funded options are part of the branch offer. Confirm eligibility, delivery and the written quotation for the intended attendance pattern.

The May 2025 Good judgement has real texture: sensory play, collaborative construction and energetic garden movement sit alongside attention to children’s emotions and individual needs. The improvement points on behaviour explanations and language are specific and worth covering in a family conversation.

It suits families considering flexible session times, including those using government-funded childcare. Separately, full-day weekday care was documented in May 2025. Its clearest strengths lie in the play-based learning seen then and the branch’s current curriculum description.