Dicky Birds Day Nursery and Preschool Surbiton, Maple Road

A growing garden and Forest School sessions give Maple Road a clear outdoor thread, while creative activities and practical exploration shape its nursery day. Children tend plants, take part in sport and explore the surrounding community. There is plenty here for families who want nature and physical activity to sit alongside communication and independence.

Ofsted rated the nursery Outstanding at its May 2024 inspection. The detail behind that judgement includes children investigating plumbing, preparing food and practising everyday care tasks, with staff adapting activities to their interests.

Dicky Birds Day Nursery and Preschool Surbiton, Maple Road accepts children aged 3 to 60 months and has 125 places in total. Its address is Claremont Hall, Claremont Road, Surbiton, KT6 4RL. Opening hours are 8am to 6pm, Monday to Friday, with closures for bank holidays and Christmas.

Learning and Activities

The early years foundation stage provides the framework for learning and care: here, children develop communication and social skills through creative play, guided activities and independent exploration. Practical experiences give those skills a purpose. The current curriculum includes preparation for school, with children encouraged to explore and develop independence as they progress through the nursery's rooms.

Forest School, an approach involving learning through outdoor experiences, sits alongside PE, yoga and creative activities. Sport gives children opportunities to practise movement and motor skills. For parents, this makes physical development a visible part of the offer, alongside the quieter concentration involved in creative play.

In May 2024, an interest in toilets prompted staff to introduce pipes, fittings and u-bends for preschool children to investigate. It is a memorable example of planning that takes a child's question seriously. Familiar objects became materials for exploring how things work, giving children something concrete to examine and discuss.

During that same month, toddlers manipulated dough to exercise their fingers, while older children practised cutting fruit for kebabs. Preschool children also worked together on planning a pizza activity. These experiences brought hand control, practical skills and cooperation into activities children could take an active part in.

Outdoor and Community Life

Growing Garden gives children a hands-on role in caring for plants and learning about the environment. A spacious garden also supports outdoor play each day. The combination matters: children have opportunities both to move freely outside and to spend time noticing and caring for living things.

Regular outings include parks, shops and community spaces, extending exploration into the local area. In May 2024, staff planned walks each day to investigate nature and gather materials for further exploration back at nursery. That dated example shows how an outing could continue to shape an activity afterwards; the current offer retains regular community outings.

Relationships and Communication

The nursery app provides updates about children's activities and development, while parent evenings offer another opportunity for communication. For families, the practical benefit is a connection between home and nursery: parents can see what their child has been doing and discuss their development with staff.

In May 2024, staff followed each child's routines closely, and babies responded warmly to familiar adults. Comfort objects were used at sleep times to help children settle. Those details are especially relevant to parents of babies, for whom the handling of sleep and familiar routines can matter as much as the activity programme.

Home learning also had a practical form in May 2024. Families received resource bags, including materials about toothbrushing, alongside updates on development. These gave parents an activity to continue at home. Children practised independence through serving food, pouring drinks and taking responsibility for washing and clearing up, connecting care routines with learning.

Inclusion and Wellbeing

A SENCo role supports children with additional needs. At the May 2024 inspection, Ofsted found that personalised plans and information sharing with families and professionals supported excellent progress for children with SEND, and that safeguarding arrangements were effective.

Fresh, nutritious food is served, and mealtimes give children opportunities to socialise and practise independence. This places eating within the wider nursery day, with conversation and everyday routines forming part of the experience.

Sessions and Attendance

The nursery opens from 8am to 6pm on weekdays and operates across the year, closing for bank holidays and Christmas. That opening window is useful for families planning work and care around a weekday routine.

Enquiries and personal tours can be arranged through the nursery's contact form. Families can select either a visit booking or a question and include details about their child and intended start date.

Getting There

Claremont Hall is on Claremont Road in Surbiton, KT6 4RL. Surbiton train station is within walking distance, making the location relevant to families travelling towards central London or the surrounding area.

Funding and Paid Extras

Funded childcare forms part of the nursery's offer. In May 2024, the setting received early education funding for children aged two, three and four.

For current prices, ask the nursery for a quotation.

• Outdoor learning. Forest School sessions, the Growing Garden and regular community outings are part of the offer. During a tour, ask how these experiences fit into the day for your child's age group.
• Baby routines. In May 2024, care included individual routines and familiar comfort objects at sleep times. Discuss how your child's sleep and settling needs would be handled.
• Attendance and costs. The weekday opening window runs from 8am to 6pm. Ask which booking pattern would fit your routine and request a breakdown of funded hours, private hours, meals and care products.

Maple Road suits families who value outdoor exploration, practical learning and regular communication about their child's day. The garden, plant care and community outings give that offer substance, while the May 2024 examples of food preparation and investigating plumbing show children taking an active role in learning.

Its weekday opening window and station location also make it relevant to parents combining nursery care with work or rail travel. The strongest reason to consider it is the combination of purposeful activities and attention to children's everyday routines.