Lollipops

Confident play and close relationships give Lollipops its character in the November 2022 account: babies explored paint and physical play, while older children tackled woodwork and familiar stories. At its November 2022 inspection, Ofsted rated the nursery Good, judged safeguarding effective and found that children made good progress, with additional needs identified and extra support organised promptly.

Lollipops occupies 88 Southwood Road, London SE9 3QT, and has 48 places in total for children aged 3 to 60 months. The inspection gives a useful picture of its strengths, alongside clear weaknesses in curriculum delivery and staff induction.

The early years foundation stage sets the framework for children's learning, development and care, bringing play and learning together with their everyday wellbeing.

In November 2022, babies experimented with coloured paint to make handprints and practised moving through a tunnel and using a slide. Older children retold stories from books and worked with hammers, nails and wood under staff supervision. These examples brought language, coordination and practical exploration into the day.

Outdoor play took place daily in November 2022, with logs offering opportunities to balance, step and jump. Planting and pretend play also introduced healthy eating through activities children could take part in.

The November 2022 inspection identified uneven staff understanding of the curriculum and weaknesses in induction for new or inexperienced practitioners, with some activities failing to build on children's existing knowledge and some interactions missing opportunities to extend learning. This is the central caution beside the positive account of children's engagement.

In November 2022, staff took time to get to know children and developed close attachments; babies had settled despite recent staffing changes. Praise, explanations and distraction helped children practise sharing and taking turns. That gave everyday play a clear social purpose.

Communication with parents in November 2022 included information about care and learning, ideas for activities at home and opportunities to influence improvements. Developmental monitoring led to work with outside agencies, while additional funding supported disadvantaged children. Preparation for school included emotional and social skills, rather than learning activities alone.

The address is 88 Southwood Road, London SE9 3QT. Opening hours are 07:45 to 18:15, Monday to Friday, across the year, with closures for bank holidays, Christmas and two inset days.

In November 2022, the nursery provided funded early education for two-, three- and four-year-olds. Healthy food was also part of the care described that month.

• Curriculum consistency. November 2022 brought concerns about staff understanding what children should learn next. Families should weigh this alongside the positive examples of practical play.
• Staff induction. New and inexperienced practitioners needed stronger preparation in November 2022. Ask how induction now helps staff extend children's play and learning.
• Annual closures. Christmas, bank holidays and two inset days interrupt the year-round opening pattern. Families needing continuous weekday care will need to plan around these breaks.

Lollipops suits families seeking weekday childcare across the year, with practical exploration and relationships prominent in its November 2022 account. Its Good judgement sits alongside specific curriculum and induction concerns. Both deserve weight: the strengths concern children's everyday experience, while the weaknesses concern how consistently staff extend their learning.