Crane Park Day Nursery

China tea sets, cable reels and a garden hut used for shop play give Crane Park Day Nursery a recognisable character. Everyday objects become play materials, while outdoor space gives children another setting for conversation, movement and make-believe. This is a nursery for families who value exploration with real objects.

At its July 2022 inspection, Ofsted judged the nursery Outstanding, finding ambitious teaching, effective safeguarding and strong support for children with special educational needs and/or disabilities. That judgement belongs to that inspection date. The current setting has 65 places in total and accepts children aged 3 to 60 months, on Norman Avenue in Hanworth.

Learning and Activities

The early years foundation stage sets the requirements for children's learning, development and care: play, communication and developing skills belong together in the nursery day. Alongside that framework, the Curiosity Approach uses everyday and natural materials for play that children can shape for themselves. A cork or wooden disk can take on different roles rather than having a single prescribed use.

The materials are unusually concrete: shells and gems sit alongside bike wheels and cable reels. China tea sets introduce objects that require careful handling. The practical appeal is the variety of ways children can investigate, arrange and imagine with the same resources, rather than simply completing one activity with one intended answer.

Forest School adds outdoor learning led by children's interests, with opportunities to experiment, take risks and try again. Families drawn to this combination should recognise that handling real materials and exploring outdoors are central parts of the offer.

In July 2022, children recalled hatching butterflies and used the word chrysalis in their conversations. Mathematical ideas also appeared in play: babies and older children explored predictions, quantities, shapes and size. These examples give substance to the curriculum, showing how an experience could become something children remembered and discussed, rather than a disconnected activity.

Outdoor and Community Life

Daily outdoor time includes a garden with a climbing frame, sand pit and secret garden. A small hut becomes a shop in children's play. These spaces give movement and imaginative play different settings, with opportunities for children and staff to interact around what the children are doing.

The emphasis on language continues outside. Across the current offer, staff talk with children to develop listening and communication, and use objects and toys to support both independent play and play with others. For parents, the useful distinction is between a garden that merely provides fresh air and one that also supplies material for shared play.

Relationships and Communication

Settling is arranged with parents around the individual child. Staff work with families to decide how to help their child become comfortable, rather than applying one described timetable to everyone. That makes the parent partnership a practical part of starting nursery, especially for a child's first experience of care away from home.

In July 2022, children had close relationships with their key persons, and staff supported home languages and children's different cultural backgrounds. Stories, songs and conversation helped children recognise feelings; older children practised waiting and negotiating turns. Younger children used Makaton signing, including a sign for thanks, giving them another means of communicating alongside speech.

Inclusion and Wellbeing

In July 2022, staff worked with parents and external agencies around children with additional needs. During care routines and adventurous play, they sought children's permission before helping. This gives a concrete picture of how support and respect for personal boundaries operated at that time, rather than treating inclusion as a general promise.

The nursery's 2024 parent update described a manager trained in mental health practice who could support parents and direct them towards professional agencies. It also described activities encouraging children to talk with an adult about their feelings. Food was supported by a cook, with children and staff encouraged to try unfamiliar foods and eat a balanced diet.

Sessions and Attendance

Opening hours are 8am to 6pm, Monday to Friday. A 7.30am start can be arranged through the manager, which gives an earlier option for families whose working day starts before the standard opening time. The nursery operates across the year and closes on bank holidays.

Enquiries can be made by telephone, email or the contact form. Current prices come in the nursery's written quotation. A sibling discount applies to the oldest child, so families arranging care for siblings should keep that condition in mind when comparing quotations.

Getting There

The address is Norman Avenue, Hanworth, TW13 5LN, beside Crane Park Primary School and opposite Crane Park Children's Centre, near the Apex roundabout. Parents can use the nursery's large car park.

Nearby buses serve Hounslow, Kingston, Twickenham, Richmond and Feltham station. Feltham station can be reached by bus, giving families a public transport option alongside driving.

Funding and Paid Extras

In July 2022, the nursery provided funded early education for children aged two, three and four. This is a dated account of participation, rather than a promise about a family's present entitlement or booking.

• Real materials. Play includes china tea sets and loose objects such as shells and corks. During a visit, discuss how staff select materials and support their use for your child's age.
• Starting nursery. Settling is planned with parents around their child. Discuss how that arrangement would work alongside your return to work and your child's existing routines.
• The complete quotation. The sibling discount applies to the oldest child. Request a written quotation showing how the sibling discount applies to your family's childcare.

Crane Park's strongest appeal is the connection between real materials, imaginative play and outdoor exploration. The Curiosity Approach and Forest School give families concrete reasons to consider it, supported by an Outstanding judgement from July 2022. It suits parents seeking weekday care across the year who value this style of learning, with a standard 8am opening and an arranged earlier start for those who need it.