The Little Garden Nursery

A guitar, bridge-building for pretend dinosaurs and forest-school sessions made learning tangible at The Little Garden Nursery when Ofsted visited in August 2022. The inspector rated this 42-place setting Good and found effective safeguarding. The nursery operates from Acton Vale Community Centre, Beech Avenue, London W3 7JZ.

The report described children as eager to learn and emotionally secure. Mathematics was a clear strength: staff modelled language about comparison and capacity, while older children tackled simple calculations. This is useful evidence of purposeful teaching, although it records practice on the inspection date rather than the current daily offer.

In August 2022, children moved freely between indoor and outdoor play and took part in forest-school sessions. They sang while a staff member played guitar, explored the instrument's strings and experimented with equipment to build bridges for toy dinosaurs. Staff used questions to extend that problem-solving. These examples show the Early Years Foundation Stage in action: the framework turns communication, physical, personal and mathematical development into guided play and everyday experiences rather than formal lessons.

The inspector also saw water play, including washing dolls and using water beads in an outdoor kitchen. Mathematics and language were threaded through activities, with bilingual staff helping children learning English as an additional language to acquire vocabulary.

Relationships appeared warm in August 2022. Babies sought cuddles from key staff, and staff helped children name emotions and express gratitude before lunch. Parents told the inspector they valued the nursery, while staff shared children's progress and ideas for learning at home.

Safeguarding arrangements were effective at that inspection. Staff understood signs of harm and local reporting procedures, and leaders had recruitment and vetting arrangements in place. Ofsted nevertheless asked leaders to improve staff deployment so adults engaged more consistently with children. It also called for clearer teaching about healthy food and healthy lifestyles.

The setting has 42 places and is recorded as full day care. Its current accepted ages, bookable sessions, clock times, opening weeks and funding arrangements require direct enquiry, alongside a written quotation covering meals and other extras.

• Current sessions and ages. Confirm today's accepted ages and bookable patterns before treating the nursery as a match for a particular working week.
• Improvements since 2022. Ask how staff deployment and healthy-food teaching have changed since Ofsted's two recommendations. The answer will help families judge how inspection feedback now shapes daily practice.
• Everyday costs and care. Request written details covering funded childcare, meals and other extras so the full cost of a proposed pattern is clear.

The Little Garden Nursery's strongest evidence is a Good 2022 inspection with memorable examples of mathematics, music, outdoor learning and emotionally attentive care. It will best suit families who value those features and are prepared to verify the current offer directly. Families needing a particular full-day or part-week pattern should decide only once the nursery provides that pattern, its hours and its costs in writing.