Zebedee Nursery School

A church garden, topic-led trips and a day devoted to each child give Zebedee Nursery School a recognisable character. Based at Sulivan Hall in Parsons Green, this nursery combines a Christian ethos with art, practical learning and substantial family involvement. It accepts children aged two to four and has 36 places in total. This is a nursery where parents have a role beyond receiving updates: they contribute to special days, accompany trips and take part in events.

At its June 2022 inspection, Ofsted rated Zebedee Good overall. That dated judgement sits alongside a current offer built around small-group learning, a varied club timetable and preparation for Reception. Morning attendance can be combined with afternoons, with early starts booked separately.

The affiliation with St Dionis Church matters to the everyday experience. Kindness, consideration and inclusion form part of the nursery's Christian ethos, while Bible Time appears in the morning routine. Families should weigh that religious character alongside the activities and attendance commitments.

Rooms and Ages

Dolphins, Starfish, Turtles, Seahorses and Jellyfish are learning groups rather than a roster of separate age-banded rooms. Children are allocated each term, broadly by age but also with their individual development in mind. Joint stories, dance, music and outdoor play bring children together across the groups, so friendships need not stay within one group.

The morning moves from a shared topic into group learning, then creative activities and time outdoors. Numeracy, communication, early literacy and fine motor practice sit alongside cooking and craft. Afternoon attendance has a different rhythm, with downtime or a short nap followed by topic activities, games, stories and outdoor time. That gives families a useful distinction between adding more attendance and simply repeating the morning.

Learning and Activities

EYFS provides the educational framework: children learn through play, exploration and practical experiences across language, physical development, social development and the other areas of learning. Here, puppet theatre and story-making support communication, while number rhymes, shapes and sequencing introduce mathematical ideas. Baking, colour mixing and dressing up put learning into activities children can handle and join in with.

Weekly topics also extend into observations of the living world, including ducklings hatching at nursery. A topic-linked trip takes place each term. Possible destinations include the Science Museum, Battersea Park Zoo and Holland Park Ecology Centre; these are examples of outings, rather than a promise that every child visits each venue. Parents accompany trips with staff, making this another practical route into nursery life.

Clubs add specific experiences to that framework. Teddy Tennis runs on Monday afternoons, using music, pictures and teddy bear characters to introduce tennis. Tuesday afternoons bring Kids Fit Club, with ball handling and movement activities such as balancing and jumping. French is an optional Tuesday-morning session, introducing vocabulary through songs, stories, puppets and picture books.

In June 2022, children explored topics through imaginative play and hands-on activities, including counting candles on pretend cakes. Teaching also needed more consistent demonstrations, especially during physical activities and number formation, and more time to establish what children had understood before the next task. These were concrete development points beneath the overall Good judgement.

Outdoor and Community Life

Access to the neighbouring church garden gives outdoor learning a physical base. Wednesday afternoons include Forest School, a child-led approach involving exploration and practical experiences in a natural setting. Thursday afternoons bring Kindergarden, whose weekly seasonal workshops combine gardening with stories, drama and art. Tarka, an optional Thursday-morning exercise class, also uses the church garden.

Family events are woven into the year. My Special Day gives each child a morning with their parents, a photo board of important people, a personal letter and a favourite toy to share. Sports Day takes place on Parsons Green, with races and a picnic. At Christmas, older children perform the annual Nativity play and younger children join the singing. These occasions ask for family participation as well as offering children an audience.

Relationships and Communication

Settling starts before the regular attendance pattern. Children are invited to a settling-in day, and new parents receive a New Parent Booklet covering practical matters such as clothing, lunches and communication. The Parent and Toddler Group offers another introduction: children aged one to two explore play activities alongside their parent or carer, becoming familiar with the nursery and staff before separation.

For ongoing contact, Famly App carries messages, calendar events, daily activity photographs and the weekly newsletter. Individual written progress reports arrive each term. Group teachers are also available for conversations on two mornings each week, giving families a route for discussion beyond app messages. A Parents Committee contributes to nursery decisions, while coffee mornings help parents build relationships with one another.

The communication pattern is useful because it combines frequent glimpses of daily activity with a longer account of development. Photos show what a child has been doing; termly reports bring observations and next steps together. Parents therefore receive both everyday contact and a more considered review of progress.

Inclusion and Wellbeing

At the June 2022 inspection, Ofsted found safeguarding effective and described support for children with special educational needs and/or disabilities through individual plans and work with external professionals. These are dated findings, rather than a promise about every child's current support package.

In June 2022, children practised independence by managing coats, selecting resources and pouring drinks. Future teachers were invited to meet children at nursery before their move to school. These practical steps connected preparation for Reception with familiar adults and everyday skills, rather than treating readiness solely as early reading or writing.

Lunch is a hot, two-course meal cooked by V&Me and delivered to the nursery, with provision from Monday to Thursday and no Friday lunch. The afternoon routine includes rest or a short nap, allowing a quieter period within the longer attendance pattern.

Sessions and Attendance

The address is Sulivan Hall, 4 Parsons Green, London SW6 4TN. Nursery attendance follows school terms, with half-term breaks and staff-training closures. The term calendar matters for families arranging care around work: this is an attendance pattern to plan alongside the nursery's daily timetable.

Morning sessions run from 9am to 1pm on Monday to Thursday, finishing at 12.10pm on Friday; afternoons run from 1pm to 3.30pm, Monday to Thursday. The minimum commitment is three mornings a week for two-year-olds and five mornings for three-year-olds. Afternoons can be added to mornings, so the pattern can extend beyond the morning session without requiring every afternoon.

Early starts begin at 8am and require a weekly commitment booked for the term. They are not an ad hoc arrangement, and unused bookings are non-refundable. The morning routine begins with welcome and registration at 8.55am; the difference between that timetable and the session start needs resolving when agreeing attendance.

The separate Parent and Toddler Group meets on Thursdays, 3.45pm to 5pm during term time. Children who have applied for a nursery place receive priority for the group, and joining it requires a separate application from nursery admission.

Getting There

Parsons Green Tube Station is nearby. Enquiries can be made by telephone on 020 7371 9224 or by email at zebedee.nurseryschool@gmail.com.

Funding and Paid Extras

The nursery offers the universal grant of 15 hours a week from the term after a child's third birthday, with participation reviewed annually under the local authority's terms. The funded arrangements are term-based. Private hours beyond the funded entitlement are charged separately.

For private attendance, the term package includes the Monday-to-Thursday hot lunch; during funded hours, meals, snacks and non-food consumables sit within a separately charged Extras and Essentials package. That package also covers additional services, including enrichment and app access. The charge is voluntary, and families declining it must discuss arrangements before registration; Funded Entitlement Only attendance uses a set booking pattern.

French and Tarka are optional, separately charged clubs. Early starts, trips, puppet shows, smocks and bags are additionally billed when applicable. A non-refundable registration charge applies on application, and a non-refundable deposit is due a year before starting, credited against the final term subject to the leaving and notice terms. Fees are paid in advance; cancellation requires a term's written notice or payment in lieu. Current prices come in the nursery's written quotation.

Preparation for Reception is an explicit aim, and children move on to different schools. That preparation should be considered as support for the next stage, rather than an admissions advantage.

• Morning timings. The session terms start mornings at 9am, while the daily timetable starts at 8.55am. Resolve this difference during the visit before agreeing the regular attendance arrangement.
• Faith and family participation. Bible Time, the St Dionis Church affiliation and the annual Nativity play make the Christian character tangible. Use the visit to discuss how these fit your family's preferences, alongside the time needed for trips and parent events.
• Funded attendance and extras. The voluntary Extras and Essentials package covers meals, snacks, consumables and additional services during funded hours. Before registration, discuss the set Funded Entitlement Only pattern if you intend to decline that package, and obtain the applicable deposit terms in writing.
• Teaching and individual support. In June 2022, adult demonstrations and time to consolidate learning needed attention. During a visit, ask how these now work within group activities and how the group teacher plans support for your child's needs.

Zebedee suits families seeking term-time morning sessions or mornings extended with afternoon attendance, who welcome a Christian ethos and regular involvement in nursery life. The church garden, topic-linked trips, My Special Day and varied clubs give the offer substance. Communication is structured around both daily contact and termly reports.

The attendance minimums require a clear weekly commitment, and funded entitlement needs to be considered alongside the voluntary extras package and additional charges. The June 2022 Good judgement provides a dated quality benchmark, with specific teaching improvements to weigh alongside the current programme.