Treehouse Nursery and Pre schools

Water play, dressing-up and children helping one another give Treehouse's June 2023 nursery day its character. Based at the Bede Anandappa Centre in Stanmore, the setting has 25 places in total. Its strongest appeal is the practical, social learning captured in that dated account: children counted together, prepared fruit and helped care for their surroundings.

At its 7 June 2023 inspection, Ofsted rated Treehouse Good, found safeguarding effective and judged support for children with special educational needs and/or disabilities positively. Literacy was the improvement priority. Children needed more frequent opportunities to explore books and join in stories, poetry and rhymes.

Government-funded childcare is offered for two-, three- and four-year-olds. In June 2023, the children attending were aged two to four; the opening pattern then was mornings during term time.

Learning and Activities

The early years foundation stage is the statutory framework for children's learning and care, bringing development and learning together through experiences such as play, conversation and practical activity. In June 2023, Treehouse emphasised the prime areas of learning, with attention to the needs of children learning English alongside another language.

Mathematics had a practical setting that month. Circle time gave children a reason to count their companions; water play introduced ideas about how much a container held. Shape play included recognising a hexagon and joining semicircles. These examples connected mathematical language to things children could handle and discuss.

Music also grew out of play in June 2023. A bus jigsaw prompted staff to begin a familiar song, and quieter children eventually joined the refrain. That is a useful example of an activity giving children a manageable way into shared participation.

The literacy concern deserves equal weight. Although books were accessible outdoors and indoors, in June 2023 children had too few shared conversations around stories and books. Access to books and active engagement with them are different things; the improvement action addressed the latter.

Outdoor and Community Life

Diwali, Holi and Christmas featured in the learning programme in June 2023, with parents contributing to activities. These celebrations gave families a part in children's learning about different religions and cultures.

Practical responsibility also featured that month. Children used sponges to collect water left in the water tray and helped put away outdoor play mats. The physical environment included a home corner, where older children helped younger companions with dressing-up clothes. Cooperation had concrete tasks attached to it.

In June 2023, staff used observations and assessments to respond to children's needs, and developmental concerns prompted early contact with other agencies. The account also describes adults helping children who found managing their behaviour difficult. Consistent expectations, discussed at circle time, gave children a shared reference point for taking turns and treating one another considerately.

Fruit preparation made snack time participatory in June 2023: older children sliced bananas and served their companions using a large spoon. It was an opportunity to practise hand control and take responsibility for a small task.

Safety routines that month included clearing spilled water after play and supervising the front door during collection and drop-off. These are specific examples of the daily arrangements behind the dated safeguarding judgement, rather than a basis for assuming that every routine remains unchanged.

Treehouse's address is Bede Anandappa Centre, Binyon Creascent, Stanmore, HA7 3AP. Enquiries can be made by telephone or through the contact form.

Sessions and Attendance

In June 2023, opening hours were 9.30am to 12.30pm, Monday to Friday, in term time. This was a morning opening window, which matters for families weighing childcare against work and other commitments.

Funding and Paid Extras

Funded childcare is offered for children aged two, three and four. Current prices come in the nursery's written quotation.

• Literacy in everyday play. The June 2023 improvement action concerned how often children actively engaged with stories, poems and rhymes. On a visit, ask how shared reading now fits into the day and how children are encouraged to discuss a book.
• The morning timetable. Opening hours in June 2023 ran from 9.30am to 12.30pm in term time. Before joining, establish the current attendance arrangement and how it fits your family's schedule.
• Funding and everyday costs. Government funding is offered for two-, three- and four-year-olds. Ask for a written explanation of funded attendance and the arrangements for food and consumables alongside the quotation.

Treehouse merits consideration by families seeking a preschool setting with funded childcare and an emphasis on learning through practical, social experiences. The June 2023 account gives substance to that appeal: water play, fruit preparation and shared celebrations each had a part in the day. The same account leaves a clear question about literacy. Families should give the response to that improvement action real weight in their decision.