The Osterley De Lacey Day Nursery

A small garden opens up a much bigger outdoor offer here: access to more than 20 acres of fields and woodland, alongside Montessori inspired learning and Forest School sessions involving challenging outdoor play. The Osterley De Lacey Day Nursery occupies the Osterley Sports & Wellbeing Centre in Norwood Green, Southall. Natural materials, practical activities and outdoor space give it a recognisable character.

Ofsted rated the nursery Good at its June 2024 inspection, with children learning through practical experiences and independence forming an important part of the curriculum. There were also clear improvement priorities: allowing children more thinking time during conversations and making staff development more consistent. Both matter when judging how well an appealing activity becomes useful learning.

There are 59 places in total for children aged two to five. Attendance can combine shorter sessions and full days, subject to a minimum weekly booking of 15 hours.

Rooms and Ages

Natural and everyday materials feature in the indoor environment, while classrooms other than the baby provision combine children of different ages. The Montessori inspired approach emphasises learning by doing and developing independence, giving practical tasks an educational purpose rather than treating them simply as something to fill the day.

The Baby Room has sensory equipment, toys, mobiles and soft play mats for exploration. Its sleep provision includes cribs and sleep mats, with routines adapted around those used at home.

Learning and Activities

The early years foundation stage provides the framework for learning, development and care: children build language, physical skills and understanding through play and everyday experiences. Montessori inspired practice sits alongside that framework here, adding an emphasis on handling real materials, doing things independently and learning through experience. It is the approach to the day, rather than a substitute for the framework.

In June 2024, children investigated frog development through a sensory activity, with adults introducing vocabulary linked to what they were exploring. Another practical example involved cutting fruit with safety knives in pretend play. These activities connected new words and physical skills to something children could actually do, giving learning a concrete starting point.

Regular music and cooking sessions add other ways to participate. Cookery Club lets children investigate flavours and textures, while staff also lead yoga and Tai-Chi sessions.

Conversation needs room for the child as well as the adult. In June 2024, some staff moved through their explanations too quickly for children to think before responding. Planning needed to give communication and thinking skills more attention. This is a specific reservation about adult interaction, rather than the choice of activities themselves.

Outdoor and Community Life

The garden provides a smaller outdoor space, with the surrounding fields and woodland extending the possibilities beyond it. Forest School sessions use challenging play to develop confidence and independence. That combination will interest parents who want outdoor activity to have a substantial place in nursery life, alongside indoor practical learning.

Family involvement also had a place in the June 2024 nursery day. Parents received invitations to sports day and coffee mornings, offering opportunities to take part rather than receiving updates alone.

At its June 2024 inspection, Ofsted found safeguarding effective and support for children with special educational needs and/or disabilities (SEND) strong, with external agencies involved and targeted help enabling children to participate alongside their peers.

Assessment in June 2024 involved staff reviewing children's needs and deciding what to work on next. Individual and group support followed from that process. Language and independence also formed part of preparation for primary school, keeping the transition connected to skills children used during the nursery day.

Daily routines gave children practical responsibilities. In June 2024, they served food themselves and helped clear their dishes afterwards, while stories read with expression held the attention of younger children. These are small experiences with a clear purpose: participation in daily tasks and engagement with books, rather than relying only on organised activities.

For the Baby Room, staff work with families on settling and incorporating home routines. Updates cover feeding, sleep and development, allowing parents to follow the parts of the day that matter most for a younger child. Parents may visit under an open-door policy. The emphasis is on maintaining a connection between nursery care and home life.

A chef prepares a fresh vegetarian hot meal on site each day, with fruit and vegetables for snacks and milk and water to drink. Children eat together using china bowls and proper utensils, making mealtimes another opportunity to practise everyday skills.

Staff support deserves scrutiny as well as the activities. In June 2024, mentoring for less experienced practitioners was not consistently used as effectively as it could have been. Strengthening support for staff was therefore an improvement priority, relevant to how consistently children experience the curriculum across different adults.

Sessions and Attendance

Full days run from 8am to 6pm, and the school day option runs from 9am to 3pm. Morning and afternoon attendance can be combined with full days within a booking of at least 15 hours a week. Hours are arranged in advance, and changing the agreed pattern requires notice. This gives families scope to build a mixed week, while keeping the nursery's staffing and attendance arrangements predictable.

For two-year-old funding and universal funded hours, shorter morning sessions are offered, and afternoon sessions run from 1pm to 4pm. Additional private hours can be purchased beyond a child's funded entitlement. The nursery opens Monday to Friday from 8am to 6pm and operates for 48 weeks, closing for a week at Christmas, a week at Easter and two weeks in August.

Holiday Club provides paid holiday attendance for de Lacey children, including those on term-time arrangements. Its hours are 8.30am to 4.30pm, and families can book the hours and days they need. The shorter holiday window matters for anyone whose usual nursery day extends to 6pm.

Getting There

The address is the Osterley Sports & Wellbeing Centre, Osterley Cricket Club, Tentelow Lane, Norwood Green, Southall, UB2 4LW. Parking is provided at the nursery. Enquiries can be made through the contact form, by telephone on 07946 700653 or by email to osterley@delaceynurseries.co.uk.

Funding and Paid Extras

Working parents funding, two-year-old funding and universal 15-hour funding are accepted, with term-time and stretched arrangements. Funded attendance attracts an additional services charge covering food and activities including Cooking Club, Forest School, Tai-Chi and Montessori activities. Cooking Club forms part of the cooking offer; the charge also covers celebration events across the year.

For funded attendance, meals are charged separately, including when families request to opt out of the additional services charge. The nursery cannot accept outside food. Private attendance fees are paid monthly ahead of attendance, and remain payable for sickness, family holidays and bank-holiday closures. Current prices come in the nursery's written quotation; the fees and funding information explains the attendance and charging structure.

• Age fit and the Baby Room. The current age range is two to five, while a Baby Room is also promoted. At a viewing, establish which provision applies to your child's age and how the room arrangement works.
• The funded calendar. General attendance is arranged across 48 weeks, but the two-year-old and universal funding arrangements also specify a 50-week stretched option. This unresolved difference needs a written attendance calendar before families commit to holiday cover.
• Conversation and staff support. The June 2024 priorities concerned children's thinking time and more consistent staff development. Ask how practitioners now allow children to respond and how mentoring supports that practice across the team.
• The full cost of attendance. Food charges continue when families opt out of the additional services charge. Request an itemised quotation for your chosen sessions, including meals and activities.

This nursery suits families drawn to Montessori inspired practical learning, regular cooking and music, and substantial outdoor space. Its attendance model can serve parents wanting morning or afternoon sessions as well as those combining school days and full days. The minimum weekly booking means that flexibility still comes within an agreed pattern.

The June 2024 strengths and reservations fit that picture: practical independence and additional support were positives, while adult conversation and staff mentoring needed refinement. For families comparing options, the most useful decision points are the age fit, the funded calendar and the itemised cost of the exact attendance pattern they intend to use.