Fountain Nursery

Weekly cooking, visiting sports coaches and a garden sensory space give Fountain Nursery a recognisable rhythm. Close to the Fountain Roundabout in New Malden, it combines activities beyond the nursery with play inside its converted building. The practical attraction is the mix: children can explore their neighbourhood, make something in a cooking session and return to familiar routines.

At its June 2022 inspection, Ofsted rated the nursery Good and found safeguarding effective, with positive findings on children's learning and progress. That judgement belongs to that visit. Two improvements were required: more effective questioning, especially for older children, and better control of indoor noise so children could concentrate.

Fountain has capacity for 40 children, with a current age range of 12 to 60 months. It opens on weekdays throughout most of the year, with a minimum attendance of two days each week. Families seeking continuity across the year should pay attention to that attendance requirement and the scheduled holiday closures.

Rooms and Ages

Robins is the baby room, where care follows individual routines from home and allows children to develop at their own pace. That makes the connection between home and nursery practical: familiar routines form part of the care arrangement rather than being replaced by a single timetable.

Sparrows serves children aged 24 to 36 months, combining creative play, construction and early mark making with direct access to low-level toilets, a quiet area with sleep mats and opportunities to prepare snacks, set tables and serve themselves. These small responsibilities give toddlers things they can actually practise doing independently.

From 36 months onwards, Owls extends learning through imaginative play, including a home corner and dressing-up area. The emphasis moves towards preparation for school while keeping play as the vehicle for learning. These are different stages of nursery life, rather than simply different room names.

Learning and Activities

The Early Years Foundation Stage shapes the day through play and its seven areas of learning. Planned activities sit alongside children's own choices and adult-led experiences, both outside and indoors. For parents, that means learning is woven into play, conversation and practical tasks rather than reserved for a formal lesson.

Weekly Love the Ball sessions bring visiting coaches to the toddler and preschool groups for physical activity. Monkey Music runs weekly too, using songs, games and music through a progressive curriculum; the daily routine includes it for all age groups. Weekly cooking adds another practical experience. Together, these activities give children different ways to participate, through movement, listening and making.

The daily timetable makes room for both shared and smaller-group experiences. A morning circle brings songs and nursery rhymes together, followed by planned learning for individuals or small groups. Later activities return to that smaller-group pattern. This gives the day some predictable landmarks while leaving space for activities suited to individual children.

In June 2022, babies explored blocks and wooden rings with staff, toddlers experimented with fabrics, and older children used costumes in imaginative play. Early number work included counting songs and comparing the height of constructions. Those examples show the practical form of learning at that time: objects, movement and conversation supplied the material.

Outdoor and Community Life

A sensory space in the garden is used with small key groups. Library visits, outings to local parks and trips along the high street also take children beyond the nursery building. These experiences connect nursery life with places children may recognise from family outings, while the garden offers another setting for activities closer to their rooms.

In June 2022, cultural celebrations included Diwali and Chinese New Year, alongside activities exploring gender diversity. Children also practised catching and kicking balls outdoors. The celebrations introduced similarities and differences between people; outdoor ball play provided a concrete opportunity to practise physical skills.

Relationships and Communication

Every child has a key person, the main contact for parents, who gathers information to personalise care. This is a useful organising principle for families: information about a child's routines and needs has a clear person to go to, rather than relying solely on whichever member of staff is present.

Blossom carries photo updates, learning journals and communication between practitioners and parents. Journal entries connect activities with the EYFS, helping parents see the learning behind an everyday experience, and a daily diary is sent before the nursery day ends. That gives families both a picture of what happened and a way to keep conversations going between home and nursery.

In June 2022, children needing reassurance received individual attention and cuddles, while staff supported younger children with sharing and older children with understanding feelings. Parents received regular information about learning. These are dated examples of how relationships and communication worked during that period.

Inclusion and Wellbeing

Robins follows home routines, while the wider timetable offers sleep after lunch or quiet activities for children who remain awake. Rest is therefore a planned part of the day, with an alternative for children who do not need a nap. Toddlers' accessible toilets and practical mealtime responsibilities also make independence part of ordinary care.

Care Catering prepares the meals and delivers them hot for serving, with arrangements to accommodate allergies and dietary requirements. Food, refreshments, nappies and baby wipes are included in the nursery's all-inclusive fee arrangement, reducing the everyday supplies families need to bring.

The leadership structure includes a safeguarding lead, deputy safeguarding roles and a health and safety role. Practitioners undertake continuing professional development through Noodle now. In June 2022, staff received opportunities to develop teaching skills, including training in supporting behaviour; the relevant parent question is how that learning translates into daily practice.

Sessions and Attendance

Opening hours are 8am to 6pm, Monday to Friday. Fountain operates for 50 weeks each year, closing on bank holidays, during the last week of August and from 23 December until the New Year. These closures matter for families planning work and holiday cover across the year.

Attendance must cover at least two days a week, and places run across the year rather than on a term-time-only basis. Fees are spread over 12 months and paid in advance. The minimum attendance rule is intended to support settling and continuity, so it should form part of a family's planning from the outset.

The address is 10 Burlington Road, New Malden, KT3 4NY. Enquiries can be made through the nursery's enquiry form or by telephone on 0208 703 0827, and visits can be arranged by phone.

Funding and Paid Extras

Working-parent funding is offered for children from nine months to four years, subject to eligibility and the nursery's accepted age range. Funding begins the term after the relevant age threshold, following application for the child's code. Entitlement covers 38 weeks, but Fountain stretches it across its 50-week operating year. This spreads funded hours across the year rather than concentrating them into school terms.

Completely free funded places follow a first-come booking rule, with a waiting list for that arrangement. Families using funding should distinguish the entitlement from any privately paid attendance and obtain a current written quotation. The fees and funding information explains the payment structure.

Joining involves a non-refundable administration charge and a deposit. The deposit is paid by bank transfer rather than childcare vouchers. Those upfront commitments sit alongside advance monthly payment, so families should consider the whole payment arrangement when deciding whether the nursery fits their budget.

• Indoor concentration. The June 2022 findings identified noise as a barrier to some children's learning. During a visit, ask how quieter activities and group sessions are organised now.
• Challenge for older children. Questioning needed to do more to develop older children's thinking in June 2022. Ask how practitioners extend ideas during Owls activities, beyond giving instructions or checking an answer.
• Attendance across the year. A two-day weekly minimum and the absence of a term-time-only option make this a continuing commitment. Consider how the August and Christmas closures fit family arrangements.
• Funded care and dietary needs. Funding is stretched, while meals and supplies sit within an all-inclusive fee arrangement. Ask how meals and consumables are treated on your proposed funded booking, and confirm current allergy practice where relevant.

Fountain suits families wanting regular attendance across the year, play-based learning and recurring music, sport and cooking activities. Robins' attention to home routines, Sparrows' practical independence and the Blossom diary give the offer useful detail beyond a list of activities.

The June 2022 Good judgement provides a dated quality reference, with questioning and indoor noise the clear points to test on a visit. For families comfortable with the minimum weekly commitment and holiday closures, the combination of included everyday supplies and a structured but varied day has practical appeal.