Little Elms Daycare Nursery Shirley

A former doctor’s surgery gives Little Elms Shirley its setting; regular Dance & Movement activities and summer LTA tennis coaching give its offer more character. At 2 South Way in Shirley, Croydon, the nursery has capacity for 63 children, with provision spanning babies from 3 months through to children aged 5. Separate age-based areas make the progression from baby care to preschool easy to understand.

At its June 2023 inspection, Ofsted judged the nursery Good overall, found safeguarding effective and praised the support for children with special educational needs and/or disabilities. That judgement belongs to that visit. Later food-related regulatory findings also matter, especially for families managing dietary needs.

Bright indoor rooms and space for outdoor play sit alongside language sessions for preschool children. The strongest practical attraction is the combination of age-specific provision and activities included at no extra cost, rather than a long list of group-wide promises.

Rooms and Ages

Provision is organised into areas for babies aged 3 months to 2 years, toddlers aged 2 to 3, and preschool children aged 3 to 5. This gives parents a clear outline of the stages their child may move through. The indoor accommodation is bright and spacious, with outdoor resources extending play beyond the rooms.

In June 2023, babies explored sand by filling containers and tipping them out, while toddlers experimented with making bubbles in water. These were simple experiences with several purposes: practising hand movements, talking with adults and discovering what materials do. They give a more useful picture of nursery learning than a general claim about educational play.

Learning and Activities

The nursery follows the early years foundation stage, the framework for children’s learning, development and care. In everyday terms, it brings together play, communication, physical exploration and growing independence. In June 2023, staff combined themes with children’s individual next steps; a discussion about an octopus linked new vocabulary with counting.

Regular Dance & Movement activities are offered across the age groups, adding organised movement to the day. Preschool children also have weekly French or Spanish sessions and LTA tennis coaching in summer, all at no additional cost. The language sessions introduce another language, while the tennis offer gives older children a specific sporting activity alongside their usual play.

Two teaching weaknesses were identified in June 2023. Adults sometimes moved younger children away from climbing equipment instead of showing them how to use it, and some freely chosen activities attracted little interest without staff changing them. The distinction matters: having equipment and activities is only part of the offer; adults also need to help children use them and respond when engagement fades.

Outdoor and Community Life

Outdoor play has space and resources of its own. In June 2023, children asked to move between outdoor areas, including a nature area and climbing frames. That example shows children expressing preferences as well as moving physically between activities.

Group play also had a social purpose at that visit. Preschool children explained game rules to one another and practised waiting for their turn. For parents, these small exchanges are useful examples of how nursery routines can help children take part in shared play.

Relationships and Communication

In June 2023, adults comforted children with cuddles and kind conversation as they settled. Staff also collected words used at home and checked their pronunciation with parents. Picture boards helped children understand routines and learn English vocabulary, giving communication support a practical form.

At the same visit, staff worked with parents around potty training when children began showing an interest. This linked care at nursery with routines at home, rather than treating the two as separate tasks. Children also understood the handwashing routine before eating.

Inclusion and Wellbeing

The June 2023 arrangements for children needing additional support involved meetings between staff, parents and other professionals, with shared developmental targets. This is the mechanism behind the positive inspection judgement: adults agreed what to work towards together, rather than relying on a broad promise of inclusion.

Ofsted’s food-related compliance findings in October 2023 and April 2025 concerned incorrect meals and procedures for children with dietary needs respectively; both documents recorded corrective action, with the October actions met and the April procedures strengthened. The recurrence deserves attention even though the documents describe action taken to put matters right. It does not establish that those problems continue today.

Meals and snacks are provided through a full-time kitchen assistant working under a chef’s supervision. That identifies who handles food at this branch; families with dietary needs should use the specific discussion point below to understand how their child’s meals are managed.

Sessions and Attendance

The nursery opens Monday to Friday, from 7.30am to 6pm, and operates across the year. Bank holidays are closures, and Christmas Eve has an earlier finish at 2pm. Those exceptions matter when matching childcare with a working calendar.

Getting There

The address is 2 South Way, Shirley, Croydon, CR0 8RP, in the refurbished former doctor’s surgery. Families can contact the branch directly at shirley@littleelmsdaycare.co.uk.

Funding and Paid Extras

In June 2023, the nursery received early education funding for children aged two, three and four. Dance & Movement, the preschool language sessions and summer tennis coaching are included at no extra cost. Current prices come in the nursery’s written quotation.

• Dietary needs. Food procedures required corrective action in October 2023 and again in April 2025. For a child with allergies or other dietary needs, ask how their requirements reach the kitchen and how the correct meal is checked before serving.
• Adult help during play. The June 2023 improvement points concerned support on climbing equipment and changing activities that children were not using. During a visit, ask for examples of how practitioners now handle both situations.
• Your attendance pattern. The weekday opening window runs from 7.30am to 6pm, with a 2pm Christmas Eve finish. Which booking pattern would fit your child’s age and your working week, and how would funded hours, meals and consumables be treated in that quotation?

Little Elms Shirley suits families seeking weekday, year-round childcare with separate age-based areas and included movement, language and sporting activities. The June 2023 examples of home-language support and shared developmental targets give substance to its care offer. Balance those strengths against the teaching improvement points and repeated food-related findings: dietary procedures deserve a detailed conversation before choosing this nursery.