Tenderlinks Day Nursery, Norbury

Swimming within a health centre and gardening through Kindergarden give Tenderlinks Day Nursery, Norbury a recognisable character. Kindergarden is an outdoor education programme built around children exploring and caring for green spaces. The setting has capacity for 19 children, with a current age range of three months to five years. That is whole-nursery capacity, rather than a limit for any particular group.

At its June 2023 inspection, Ofsted rated the nursery Good and found safeguarding effective. The judgement comes with practical qualifications: learning needed greater precision around mathematics and technology, while staff conversations needed to stretch children's language further. These matter alongside the appealing activities.

The nursery is based at Nuffield Health, 1212 London Road, Norbury, London SW16 4DN. Its weekday opening window runs from 7.30am to 6.30pm.

Learning and Activities

The Early Years Foundation Stage (EYFS) provides the framework for children's learning, development and care: here, play and practical activities bring together language, number work, creativity and physical development. It is the shared foundation for early-years provision, rather than an extra programme unique to Tenderlinks.

Morning activities include creative work and phonics alongside problem-solving and numeracy. Later activities bring dance, music and role play together with nature walks. Cooking, gardening and stories also feature in the day. This gives children several ways to take part, from handling materials to moving, listening and talking.

Weekly specialist sports sessions include athletics and work with rackets and balls, with colour vocabulary and counting woven into the activities. Sessions use outdoor spaces or a local park. Physical activity therefore sits alongside opportunities to practise language and number skills, rather than occupying a completely separate part of the day.

Studio Cultivate's Kindergarden is a group-wide outdoor programme also used at this branch. Its weekly workshops combine gardening with art, drama and storytelling, organised around seasonal themes. The practical appeal is clear: growing things supplies something tangible to investigate and discuss.

In June 2023, younger children explored miniature animals held in coloured ice, while older children mixed earth with water and used vocabulary connected with plants. However, opportunities to develop understanding of patterns, numbers and technology were inconsistent. The breadth of activities should therefore be weighed against how deliberately staff build learning through them.

Outdoor and Community Life

Swim School at Tenderlinks adds swimming instruction within the health centre. Lessons last half an hour, with four children and an instructor in the pool and nursery staff supervising from poolside. Swimming follows the Learn to Swim framework, with nursery-age children working through Ducklings stages 1 to 4. This is an optional activity with a separate charge, running during term time; payment is due in full at the start of the term.

Outdoor experiences extend beyond specialist sessions. In June 2023, children grew vegetables in a vegetable patch and visited nearby open spaces. Those experiences provided opportunities to handle growing materials and be active outdoors. They belong to the dated account of nursery life, while the current activities include gardening and nature walks.

A daily period for naps or quieter activity allows rest to sit alongside the busier parts of the timetable. Older children can continue with activities during this period. For families comparing a baby's routine with an older child's day, that distinction matters: rest and activity need not follow one identical pattern.

In June 2023, the baby area had been made more enclosed and cosy. Children also practised everyday independence, including serving food, washing their hands and using the toilet. These are useful examples of care extending beyond adult assistance to children learning what they can do for themselves.

At the June 2023 inspection, Ofsted found that the special educational needs coordinator organised targeted help with staff and external professionals, supporting children's progress from their individual starting points. That gives a concrete account of how additional support worked at that time, rather than a general promise about inclusion.

Family involvement had practical consequences in June 2023: consultation with parents had led to weekly swimming lessons for older children. Staff also helped children identify emotions, and older children shared experiences from home during group discussion. The limitation was that conversations did not consistently extend language as far as they could.

A designated safeguarding lead role forms part of the current management arrangements. The role identifies responsibility for safeguarding within the nursery.

Sessions and Attendance

Opening hours are 7.30am to 6.30pm, Monday to Friday. The nursery operates across the year, with closures for bank holidays and Christmas. For parents whose work spans the school holidays, that calendar is a more useful starting point than the activity timetable alone.

The day includes breakfast, morning activities, lunch, a rest period, afternoon activities and tea, followed by stories or play. These describe the rhythm of care, rather than separate booking options. Enquiries can be made directly by telephone or email to the Norbury nursery.

Funding and Paid Extras

Swimming is an optional paid addition to nursery care, with term-time payment arrangements that need to fit the family budget as well as the child's interest. Its separate cost should be considered alongside the nursery's written quotation for current prices.

In June 2023, the nursery received early-education funding for children aged two, three and four. That is a dated participation fact, rather than a statement of a family's present entitlement.

• Learning beyond the activity list. In June 2023, mathematics, technology and language extension needed more attention. During a visit, ask staff to demonstrate how current activities develop these areas for your child's age.
• Swimming as a separate choice. Lessons are optional, charged separately and paid for at the start of each term. Consider whether that commitment suits your child and your budget.
• The youngest children's day. The age range starts at three months, and the dated account describes changes to the baby area. Use a visit to discuss settling and sleep for a baby of your child's age.
• The complete cost of attendance. Request a written quotation covering current funded-hour arrangements, additional private hours, meals and non-food consumables.

Tenderlinks Norbury suits families who value gardening, weekly sport and the option of swimming within the same health-centre setting. Its weekday opening window and year-round calendar also have practical value for working parents. The June 2023 judgement was Good, but the learning weaknesses deserve attention alongside the attractive activities. A visit should establish how staff now turn those experiences into precise mathematical, technological and language learning.