Little Ann Day Nursery

Twelve places give Little Ann Day Nursery a modest scale; art, hands-on science and nature exploration give its offer some colour. Based at St Albans Church Hall in South Norwood, it accepts children from birth to five years. The whole-setting capacity is a useful measure of scale, rather than a promise about the number of children sharing a particular activity or age group.

At its 4 May 2023 inspection, Ofsted rated the nursery Good and judged safeguarding effective. That dated assessment provides a quality reference point, while the current offer includes funded childcare, paid additional hours and flexible attendance.

The practical choice extends beyond full-time care: flexible hours and term-time funded patterns sit alongside it. Families should weigh those options against the nursery's minimum attendance rule and its closures, especially when childcare needs continue through school holidays.

Learning and Activities

The Early Years Foundation Stage shapes the learning programme: children develop language, movement, social understanding and early mathematical ideas through activities matched to their development. Assessment and planning guide what comes next for each child. This is the shared early-years framework, rather than an extra programme unique to Little Ann.

Art Classes involve colour, shape and imaginative work, while Science Experiments introduce practical investigation and discovery. These give parents concrete examples of the activities offered, rather than just a broad promise of learning through play. Outdoor Adventures adds nature trails and exploration outside; its value is the opportunity to investigate surroundings directly.

In May 2023, learning combined children's choices with activities initiated by adults. One example involved children moving water into a sand tray, with staff supplying language as they experimented with carrying, cooperation and texture. The useful detail is the connection between practical play and conversation: an ordinary task became something children could investigate and discuss.

Another May 2023 activity linked live caterpillars with a familiar book. Children considered what might happen next and remembered the change into a butterfly. That example shows how books and real observations could reinforce one another, rather than literacy being confined to a separate story session.

Outdoor and Community Life

In May 2023, children could use a large hall as well as a small outdoor space. Physical activities included cooperative parachute play and a course for wheeled toys, with pretend road-crossing play introducing rules and safety. For families, the hall mattered as an additional place for movement, alongside the smaller outdoor area.

Plant care also featured that month. Children watered seeds they had planted, giving them a continuing responsibility rather than a single craft activity. Family participation connected with this work through a coffee morning where children showed their planting.

Graduation 2025 included children's performances and a visit from The Civic Mayor. It was a celebration shared with parents and carers, giving a concrete example of families participating in nursery life. It is a past event, rather than a forthcoming date for the diary.

In May 2023, children were encouraged to help one another and take responsibility for small jobs, including distributing cutlery and cleaning tables. These tasks made care for the group part of the day. They also gave children a practical role in routines that adults might otherwise complete for them.

Communication with home included termly written updates in May 2023, covering children's next steps and ways families could support learning. Relatives were invited to share stories in children's home languages, and family photographs connected nursery life with important occasions at home. Those examples show what parent involvement looked like at that point, rather than simply describing it as a partnership.

At the May 2023 inspection, Ofsted found that SEND support generally used effective strategies and involved outside agencies, but asked for more precisely tailored staff training and individual support, especially for children with limited communication. This is the material qualification to the positive judgement: families whose child needs communication support should make that provision a central part of their visit discussion.

Potty training is approached jointly with parents, who are asked to send spare clothing for accidents. This is a concrete expectation families can plan for as their child becomes more independent.

Meals and snacks carry a separate charge, with packed food from home offered as an alternative. Information about the 14 allergens is displayed on a notice-board chart, so allergy-affected families have a specific arrangement to discuss rather than a general assurance about food safety.

Sessions and Attendance

The address is First Floor, St Albans Church Hall, 1 Whitehorse Lane, South Norwood, SE25 6RD. Opening hours run from 7am until 6pm on weekdays, excluding bank holidays. These are the opening hours, rather than fixed start and finish times for every booking.

Full-time and flexible-hours arrangements are offered, and the half-day tariff provides another attendance pattern. A minimum of two days each week applies. The funded-only options have their own schedules: the 30-hour pattern runs across five days, 9am to 3pm, while the 15-hour pattern runs across three days, 9am to 2pm; both operate in term time.

The nursery opens for 50 weeks annually, with a week's closure at Christmas and another in summer. Two staff-training days, bank holidays and election days also affect attendance because the premises serve as a polling station. Those additional closures deserve attention when matching nursery attendance with work commitments.

Funding and Paid Extras

Funding is delivered across 38 weeks, rather than stretched over the year. The entitlements offered include 30 hours for eligible working parents from the term after their child turns nine months, additional-support funding for eligible two-year-olds from the term after their second birthday, and the universal 15-hour entitlement from the term after a child's third birthday.

For eligible working families, the 30-hour entitlement starts in the term following the child's nine-month milestone. Funding codes need reconfirmation every three months, and the nursery requires a birth certificate and address evidence. These administrative steps matter alongside choosing an attendance pattern.

Hours beyond the funded entitlement are paid for separately, and the funded-plus-additional-hours options carry full fees during holiday periods. Meals and snacks remain separately charged on funded attendance too, with home-packed food as the alternative. Current prices come in the nursery's written quotation; the fees page explains the charge structure.

Written notice of four weeks is required to reduce attendance or end a place. Charges remain payable during sickness, holidays and other absences, so the financial commitment continues when a child does not attend. General enquiries can be made through the contact form, email or telephone.

• Communication support. The May 2023 improvement point concerned staff training tailored to individual children, especially those with limited communication. At a visit, ask how support is planned for your child's communication needs and how practitioners adapt it over time.
• Funded attendance and holiday costs. The funded-only patterns use different daytime schedules, and funded-plus-extra-hours arrangements attract full holiday fees. Compare the written quotation with the days and holiday coverage your family actually needs.
• Closures beyond the holiday weeks. Training days and use of the hall as a polling station add interruptions to the calendar. Build those dates into your childcare planning alongside bank holidays.
• Food allergies. Meals carry a separate charge, and an allergen chart is displayed for parents. Confirm current food-handling arrangements for your child's allergy before agreeing their meal plan.

Little Ann suits families seeking either full-time or flexible-hours care, as well as those whose needs fit its term-time funded daytime patterns. Its small overall capacity and named art, science and outdoor activities give the offer a clear shape.

The Good judgement from May 2023 is a positive reference point, with the communication-support improvement action an important qualification. The strongest fit depends on matching the attendance pattern, holiday charges and closure calendar to family life, while giving any individual support needs proper attention.