Smarteenies Day Nursery

Music, movement and a garden that extends the indoor play space give Smarteenies Day Nursery its character. Teenie Bops combines singing with dance and active music, while Out and About takes learning into Greenwich through discovery walks and scavenger hunts. This is a family-run setting at New Haddo Community Centre, with practical independence running through its Montessori-inspired approach: children learn through experience and practise doing things for themselves.

There are 51 places in total for children aged two to five. At its February 2022 inspection, Ofsted rated it Good overall and found safeguarding effective, but asked for better staff supervision and training, especially in supporting children with speech and language difficulties. That improvement point deserves attention alongside the activity programme and outdoor space.

Weekday nursery care sits alongside Clippers, the breakfast and after-school provision. For families combining preschool care with an older child's school day, that makes the attendance offer broader than nursery hours alone.

Rooms and Ages

The Caterpillar room has separate areas for activities and nappy changing, accessible toys for children to choose themselves, and an emphasis on communication, movement and social and emotional development. Its layout gives care routines their own space while keeping exploration within reach.

Butterfly room combines an open layout, its own bathroom and changing facilities, direct garden access and a substantial role-play area, with activities supporting language, early literacy, mathematics and physical coordination. Children can move between indoor play and the garden, rather than treating outdoor time as an entirely separate part of the day.

In Butterfly room, children choose some activities themselves and join others led by adults. This balance matters: there is room to pursue an interest, alongside opportunities to learn with staff and other children. School preparation includes managing personal tasks, concentrating, communicating and handling emotions, rather than concentrating only on early writing and counting.

Learning and Activities

The Early Years Foundation Stage provides the shared framework for learning through play, covering children's communication, physical development, relationships and early understanding of words, numbers and the world. Alongside it, the Montessori-inspired approach emphasises learning by doing and increasing independence. The practical expression is child-led play and resources children can select, rather than a claim that a named philosophy alone guarantees better learning.

Teenie Bops brings songs, rhythm and movement together. For preschool children, its activities include rhymes, counting sequences and making instruments; music from different parts of the world adds different sounds to explore. Diddi Dance uses songs, props, games and dance exercises to practise coordination. These are concrete additions to the day, giving children different ways to join in beyond conversation or table activities.

Yogateenies introduces quieter moments through yoga, bells and classical music. Familiar movements and repeated vocabulary recur, with a different theme each month. That creates a contrast with the more energetic dance sessions and gives children another way to explore movement and feelings. The curriculum overview explains these activities together.

In February 2022, learning included interactive stories and a communication and literacy pack, with books taken home for families to share. Children practised recognising shapes and numbers, and older children were starting to form letters from their names. Those examples connect early learning with something parents can participate in at home.

Outdoor and Community Life

The garden has grass and a soft-surfaced play area, with equipment for climbing, sliding and riding. Children can continue their own play outside, adding larger movements to what they do indoors. In February 2022, children used tricycles and climbing equipment and took part in sporting activities each week.

Out and About includes nature walks, scavenger hunts and walks built around investigation and discovery. The surrounding area provides parks, a library and the riverfront; rail and DLR access also creates opportunities to explore further afield. These outings extend the places and objects children can talk about, bringing the local area into their learning.

Relationships and Communication

Daily communication includes spoken feedback and updates to children's profiles covering activities, sleep and food. That gives parents something concrete to discuss with their child and helps connect care routines at nursery with those at home. Personalised care plans also recognise children's backgrounds and individual needs.

In February 2022, an online app allowed families and staff to exchange messages, photographs and routine information. Staff shared learning priorities as well as care updates, so communication went beyond an account of what children had eaten or played with. Children also received explanations about how their actions affected others and help to work through small disagreements.

Inclusion and Wellbeing

At the February 2022 inspection, Ofsted found that assessment informed children's next learning steps and that children with special educational needs and/or disabilities received extra resources and support, while identifying occasions when help for younger children and those with SEND was too slow. The important distinction for parents is between having support resources and using them promptly during everyday play.

Safeguarding policies cover child protection, recruitment, risk assessment and concerns about staff, and families receive policies by email during enrolment. These give parents a written basis for understanding procedures and responsibilities. They should be read alongside the dated safeguarding judgement, rather than treated as a substitute for it.

An onsite cook prepares fresh food, with Spring/Summer and Autumn/Winter menus organised over a four-week cycle. The dietary policy provides alternatives for special requirements and includes staff training in allergy management; allergy-affected families should discuss its application to their child during a visit.

Sessions and Attendance

Opening hours are 7.30am to 6pm, Monday to Friday. Nursery attendance has a two-day minimum, with no half-day option; receiving the grant requires at least three days. The nursery operates across the year, closing on bank holidays and for one week at Christmas, so those closures need to fit the family's childcare arrangements.

Clippers runs during term time on weekdays. Breakfast Club operates from 7.30am to 9am, while After School Club runs from 3pm to 6pm. Activities include cooking, crafts, games, sport and homework support, giving school-age children their own provision rather than simply extending the preschool day.

The nursery describes its Clippers service as working in partnership with James Wolfe Primary School, including school collection. Nursery attendance does not guarantee a school place: families still use the local authority admissions process. The school-readiness activities in Butterfly room support preparation for Reception, rather than conferring an admissions advantage.

Getting There

The address is New Haddo Community Centre, 29 Tarves Way, Greenwich, SE10 9JU. Greenwich Train and DLR station is next to the setting, making rail access a useful part of its location for families whose daily route includes the station.

Funding and Paid Extras

Funded childcare through the NEG Grant sits alongside privately paid care. The grant attendance condition is a minimum of three days, distinct from the ordinary two-day booking minimum. Current prices come in the nursery's written quotation, with the charge structure explained on its fees page.

Fees include meals and snacks, as well as milk, nappies, nappy sacks and wipes. The fee terms also include participation in the additional activity classes they describe. These inclusions matter when comparing the complete cost of an attendance pattern, rather than looking only at the childcare element.

Payment is monthly in advance by standing order, due by the eighteenth day of the month. Illness, extra holidays and nursery closures do not reduce fees. Leaving requires written notice covering two full calendar months, or payment instead, so changing childcare arrangements has a contractual lead time.

• Speech and language support. The February 2022 improvement point concerned staff training and the promptness of support. During a visit, ask how practitioners now recognise a child needing help and adapt their interaction during play.
• Youngest children and room placement. The nursery's age range is two to five, and the Caterpillar room is designed around younger children's care and movement. Ask which room your child would join and how transitions into Butterfly room are managed.
• Attendance and costs. The nursery requires two days, rising to three for the grant, and does not sell half days. Review the written quotation against your intended days, including the treatment of closures and the notice period.
• Dietary needs. Menus change seasonally and alternatives are provided for special requirements. If allergies affect your child, ask how their plan is communicated to the cook and the staff supervising meals.

Smarteenies suits families seeking nursery attendance over several weekdays, as well as those needing the term-time Breakfast Club or After School Club through Clippers. Its strongest practical combination is garden access, programmes that alternate movement with quieter activity, and a station-side Greenwich location. Meals and everyday consumables are included in fees, which helps families assess the whole attendance package.

The balance is clear. There is a substantial activity offer and a Good judgement from February 2022, but that judgement also carries a specific teaching improvement point. For a child needing speech and language support, the quality and timing of individual help should carry more weight in the decision than the number of activities.