Sanderstead Park Nursery

A fenced nursery garden with the recreation ground beyond gives Sanderstead Park Nursery a clear outdoor identity. Children can use their own play space, then explore the park through nature walks, scooters and ball games. The setting combines age-based rooms with access to a much broader outdoor setting than the garden alone.

Based at The Pavilion in Sanderstead Recreation Ground, the nursery has capacity for 50 children from birth to five. At its January 2024 inspection, Ofsted judged the provision Good and safeguarding effective. That judgement sits alongside concrete concerns about communication between adults and the consistency of supervision routines, which matter when weighing the otherwise positive account of children's experiences.

The nursery opens on weekdays from 8am to 6pm. Its park setting and small published baby-room capacity are the clearest practical reasons to look closely at it; the supervision history deserves equal attention.

Rooms and Ages

Caterpillars accommodates babies up to two and has a published maximum of nine places; Bumblebees serves two- to three-year-olds with 12 places, while Butterflies covers ages three to five, accommodates up to 29 children and includes Sunflowers, the older children preparing to start school that year. These are room capacities, rather than a promise about how many children attend together on any particular day.

Each room connects directly to the fenced garden. That arrangement gives outdoor play a place in the everyday layout, rather than making it dependent on a separate trip through the building. For a baby-room choice, the nine-place Caterpillars cap is a useful starting point: it describes the scale of the room without confusing it with the nursery's overall capacity.

Learning and Activities

The Early Years Foundation Stage (EYFS) provides the framework for children's learning, development and care. In everyday terms, play, conversation and practical activity help children develop their skills, while adults follow their interests and next steps.

In January 2024, staff planned around monthly themes and adapted activities to children's interests. Traditional tales supplied one example: toddlers decorated gingerbread figures, experimenting when pieces would not attach and trying another approach with adult help. The value was in the process as much as the finished picture. Children had a reason to concentrate, handle materials and persist with a small problem.

Books also linked language with play that month. Children retold stories they knew and practised words for the characters. This made vocabulary part of something they wanted to talk about, rather than an isolated exercise. The account gives parents a concrete picture of how stories could lead into both conversation and making activities.

Outdoor and Community Life

Sanderstead Recreation Ground extends the nursery's outdoor options: woodland walks, a scooter track, a play area and basketball courts all feature in its park use. Nature walks and ball games offer different kinds of activity from the nursery garden, combining exploration with space to move.

In January 2024, children went outdoors daily, while babies travelled around the park in triple buggies. Older children splashed through puddles, collected leaves and practised balance on climbing equipment. Outdoor clothing and wellies supported play in different weather. The current garden and park access give this outdoor emphasis a physical basis, although those particular daily routines belong to the inspection period.

Considerate interactions stood out in January 2024. Adults sought children's permission before changing nappies or helping with clothes, giving them language for personal boundaries during ordinary care. Pictures helped children understand the sequence of the day, and staff responded gently when children struggled with their feelings. These are useful examples of how care and communication worked together.

There were weaknesses too. In January 2024, some messages to staff were missed or misunderstood, and older children sometimes left the room for the toilet without adults noticing. The improvement priorities were clearer communication and more consistent use of agreed routines. Independence needs adult oversight; the concern was about how staff kept track of children as they became more self-reliant.

In its compliance outcome published on 6 February 2026, Ofsted recorded a further supervision-related issue after a notification concerning staffing ratios, with head-count procedures reviewed and staff given fresh reminders to address it. The documented corrective action matters, but so does the recurrence of a concern about accounting for children. It warrants a direct discussion about the routines now used.

Meals are cooked on site each day. In January 2024, staff understood children's dietary and allergy needs, and children helped clear their bowls after eating. Food therefore formed part of the practical care routine as well as lunchtime itself.

Sessions and Attendance

The address is The Pavilion, Sanderstead Recreation Ground, off Limpsfield Road, Sanderstead, CR2 9EA. Opening hours are 8am to 6pm, Monday to Friday, across the year. Closures cover bank holidays, one annual staff-training day and the period between Christmas and New Year. The training closure is an extra date for working families to accommodate alongside the holiday closures.

Enquiries can be made by email, telephone or the contact form. For parents organising work around nursery attendance, the weekday opening window is a useful first practical reference.

Getting There

Parking accessed from Village Way is for collection and drop-off only. It supports the nursery handover, rather than providing parking for the rest of a working day.

• Supervision routines. Children sometimes went to the toilet unnoticed in January 2024, and the February 2026 outcome addressed another supervision-related issue through revised head-count procedures. At a visit, ask staff to explain how they account for children moving between rooms, the garden and the toilet.
• The baby-room scale. Caterpillars has a nine-place cap and direct garden access. A visit can help you judge how its play and care arrangements would work for your baby within that space.
• Attendance and the total package. The nursery opens from 8am to 6pm on weekdays. Which booking patterns fit your working week, and how would funded hours, meals and nappies or wipes be treated in a written quotation?
• Planned closures. One staff-training day joins bank holidays and the Christmas-to-New-Year closure. These dates need alternative care arrangements if your work continues.

Sanderstead Park Nursery suits families who value an age-based room structure, a baby room capped at nine places and frequent opportunities to use a park setting. Direct garden access and the recreation ground give outdoor activity a concrete place in the offer.

The January 2024 account contains engaging examples of storytelling, practical problem-solving and considerate care. The supervision concerns carry more weight in the final decision, especially given the further issue addressed in February 2026. Understanding the current head-count and movement routines should be central to a family's visit.