RIMU Music Day Nursery & Forest School

Music, a dedicated garden and regular Forest School sessions give RIMU’s Lee nursery its character. Alongside singing and creative activities, children have opportunities to explore nature through local park outings. This is a setting where indoor play and outdoor exploration both have a place in the nursery day.

RIMU Music Day Nursery & Forest School is based at Kings Church, 21 Meadowcourt Road, London SE3 9DU, with capacity for 75 children aged three months to five years. At its February 2025 inspection, Ofsted rated the nursery Good and judged safeguarding effective. That judgement sits alongside two specific priorities: more accurate spoken vocabulary from staff and better organisation of group activities to support listening.

Two rooms form the indoor setting, with a dedicated garden providing another space for play. The current activity programme includes yoga and French alongside sport, dance, drama, singing and music. For families attracted by creative learning, the appeal is the combination of movement, language and performance activities rather than a single specialist subject.

The early years foundation stage is the framework for children’s learning, development and care. In everyday terms, this brings learning into play, conversation and practical exploration. In February 2025, staff used children’s interests and information from parents to shape activities: older children cut or tore herbs for play dough, while younger children joined in familiar book phrases and recognised displayed numbers. Those examples show how an ordinary play activity can bring together hand movements, words and early number recognition.

Forest School adds outdoor learning through exploration of nature. Regular sessions, the garden and local park outings give children more than one setting in which to explore. In February 2025, children investigated plants and insects in the garden and nearby woodland, searched beneath logs and made bug hotels. The emphasis was hands-on: children investigated living things and made something for them.

Number work also grew out of play in February 2025. Children counted balls thrown into a box and discussed shapes and sizes; older children worked individually with their key person on simple addition and subtraction. This matters for parents who want early mathematics to connect with things children can handle and do, as well as more challenging individual activities.

Relationships were built through settling sessions in February 2025, with staff taking time to learn about each child. Children then drew adults into their play. Sharing, cooperation and turn-taking were practised during the day, while reminders about garden safety connected behaviour with the activity taking place.

At the February 2025 inspection, Ofsted found that staff worked closely with families and outside professionals, put individual learning plans in place while awaiting external help, and supported children to make very good progress from their starting points. The practical point for families needing additional support is the use of a plan while specialist input is pending, rather than waiting for that input before acting.

Fresh meals are cooked on the premises by the nursery chef. In February 2025, mealtimes also provided opportunities for conversation, and classical music played during the day. These are concrete elements of the daily routine, although the language used by adults remained an improvement priority.

The nursery’s address is Kings Church, 21 Meadowcourt Road, London SE3 9DU. Opening hours are 8am to 6pm, Monday to Friday. It operates throughout the year, closing on bank holidays and during the week between Christmas and New Year. Those closures matter when matching childcare with work commitments.

Government-funded childcare was offered in February 2025. Funding and private childcare terms deserve separate attention when planning attendance: a family’s required hours, meals and everyday supplies are different parts of the overall arrangement.

• Language modelling. In February 2025, adults sometimes used inaccurate word forms when speaking with children. During a visit, ask how staff now model vocabulary and help children build clear spoken language.
• Group listening. The February 2025 improvement priorities included reorganising shared activities because children’s attention sometimes drifted and they spoke over one another at story time. Ask how group activities are adapted to individual children and how listening is supported.
• Attendance and costs. The nursery opens across the working week and closes over bank holidays and the Christmas break. Before joining, request a written quotation covering the intended attendance pattern, funded hours, food and non-food supplies.

RIMU suits families drawn to a nursery day that combines creative activities with outdoor exploration. Its two-room setting, garden, local park outings and regular Forest School sessions give that combination a practical shape. The February 2025 judgement provides a positive inspection position, with clear questions for a visit about vocabulary and group listening. Those questions are especially relevant here because conversation, stories and shared activities feature in the account of children’s learning.