Nutkins Day Nursery

A garden stretching over 100 ft and outings ranging from library visits to farm days give Nutkins Day Nursery a clear emphasis on life beyond the nursery rooms. Ball skills, dance and gymnastics add regular movement to the week. These are concrete reasons to consider this Surbiton setting for a child who enjoys outdoor space and active play.

Nutkins has capacity for 34 children, with a current age range of three months to five years. At its July 2021 inspection, Ofsted rated it Good. That is a dated judgement, rather than an assessment of the nursery today.

Families can book whole days or morning and afternoon sessions, with term-time and year-round attendance serving different childcare needs.

Rooms and Ages

The room structure comprises Baby Room, Toddler Room and Pre-School Room. It separates the youngest children from the preschool stage, giving families a clear starting point for understanding their child's place within the nursery.

The garden is a substantial physical feature: its length exceeds 100 ft. Outdoor space was a central consideration in the nursery's development, rather than a minor addition to the premises. For parents weighing the environment alongside the timetable, that is one of Nutkins' clearest practical attractions.

Learning and Activities

The Early Years Foundation Stage (EYFS) sets out children's learning, development and care. At Nutkins, planning builds on children's interests and capabilities, connecting learning with what engages the individual child. The framework is the foundation; the additional activities give this nursery's week more recognisable shape.

Football sessions are included in the childcare fee, and visiting coaches teach ball skills twice weekly, involving children from the baby stage through to preschool. Dance and Gymnastics takes place weekly. Together, these provide recurring opportunities for movement alongside the ordinary nursery day, rather than relying entirely on occasional special activities.

Outdoor and Community Life

Outings include visits to a library and day trips to a farm. Those examples give substance to the nursery's emphasis on helping children develop an understanding of the wider world: experiences extend beyond its own garden and rooms.

External trips can carry an additional charge. Families who value outings should therefore consider both the experiences themselves and how those costs fit their childcare budget.

Settling is tailored to the child, with complimentary introductory sessions intended to establish a relationship between the family and the key worker. The usual plan has three stages: an initial 30/40-minute session accompanied by a parent or carer, then an hour apart, followed by two hours that include a mealtime.

That progression gives the child experience of separation and a care routine before ordinary attendance begins. It is an intended pattern, rather than a rigid promise: the child's requirements shape the arrangement. After each introductory session, the key worker gives parents feedback on the child's experience and progress.

For children aged two, the nursery's usual staffing ratio is one adult to four children, compared with the legal minimum of one to five. That is additional staffing for this age group; it does not establish a room size or a fixed number of companions.

Zebedees supplies the catering, an arrangement introduced from September 2025. Childcare fees include snacks and meals, as well as nappies, sun cream and wipes, reducing the everyday items families need to supply separately.

Sessions and Attendance

The address is 117 Tolworth Rise North, Surbiton, KT5 9EP. Nutkins opens on weekdays from 7.30am until 6pm and operates across the year, closing for bank holidays and Christmas.

The booking choices are a full day from 7.30am to 6pm, a morning from 8am to 1pm, or an afternoon from 1pm to 6pm. The morning starts later than the full day, a useful distinction when matching childcare to work commitments.

Year-round bookings require at least four sessions, while term-time bookings require at least six. For this rule, a session means a morning or an afternoon. The minimum commitment therefore matters alongside the choice of clock times, especially for families considering a smaller weekly pattern.

Funding and Paid Extras

Nutkins accepts 15-hour and 30-hour funding. Its funded offer includes eligible two-year-olds, the universal 15-hour entitlement for three- and four-year-olds, and working-family entitlement for eligible families from the term after their child turns nine months.

Early education entitlement can be used over 38 term-time weeks or spread across 51 weeks. The nursery limits entitlement use to 10 hours in a day. Families need to distinguish that funded-hours arrangement from the full-day booking window, rather than assume the two cover identical hours.

The childcare fee includes resource costs and football sessions alongside the food and care supplies described above. Additional costs may apply to external outings. Current prices come in the nursery's written quotation; the funding information explains the entitlement arrangements.

• Minimum attendance. Year-round and term-time bookings have different minimum commitments: four sessions and six respectively. At a visit, discuss how the morning-and-afternoon counting rule applies to the pattern you want.
• Settling around meals. The usual introduction ends with a two-hour session spanning a mealtime. Discuss how that stage will fit your child's feeding and separation routines.
• Funding and extras. Entitlement can stretch across 51 weeks, and external outings may cost extra. Ask for a written breakdown distinguishing funded hours, private hours and any charges for food or care supplies.
• Changing premises. Extension plans announced in January 2025 included changes to baby and toddler accommodation. At a show-around, establish which rooms are now in use and how the garden connects with your child's room.

Nutkins suits families seeking either whole-day childcare or morning and afternoon sessions, with a choice between term-time and year-round attendance. Its garden, recurring movement sessions and individually planned settling give parents specific features to weigh against the minimum booking commitment.

The Good judgement dates to July 2021. The strongest present-day reasons to consider Nutkins are its attendance choices, funded-hours flexibility and clearly described settling arrangements.