Hurley Pre-School

Hurley Pre-School combines a substantial indoor and outdoor play environment with the personal scale of a 36-place community setting in Kennington. Children aged two to five can use three floors of indoor space, a Sensory and Relaxation Room, soft play and a ball pit, then move outside to a forest area, planting space, grassed play equipment and an enclosed sports area.

Ofsted rated the provision Good in March 2024, with Good judgements across education, behaviour, personal development and leadership. Children were secure with staff, absorbed in play and confident about making choices. Full days, morning sessions and flexible part-time patterns give families more than one way to arrange attendance.

The Early Years Foundation Stage shapes the curriculum, meaning play and adult-guided experiences develop communication, physical skills, relationships, literacy, mathematics, understanding of the world and expressive arts. Hurley's spaces make that broad framework tangible: sand, water and paint sit alongside the Home Corner, Book Corner, Soft Play area and Sensory and Relaxation Room.

Outside provision has unusual depth for a compact London setting. The combination lets children move between energetic physical play, quieter investigation and hands-on growing rather than relying on one generic outdoor yard. Recycled paper, cardboard, cartons and containers are also reused during creative activities. Children can explore the forest area, grow fruit and vegetables in the Planting Area and use the all-weather space. They also tackled an obstacle course, balanced, used wheeled toys and practised ball skills during the March 2024 visit. Children investigated pretend insects with magnifying glasses, counted what they found and arranged them by colour. Woodworking developed carpentry skills, while produce grown in the garden was picked and eaten with nursery meals.

Language is threaded through the day. Staff were seen extending children's talk during activities and helping them build words for emotions, including through picture cards. The book library also lets children take stories home. Regular local outings introduce community roles, cultures and different family lives, and the nursery publishes occasional music and sport sessions as well as trips to places of interest, including Legoland.

Settling is deliberately individual. Parents can stay during the early period, while a key person monitors development through daily activities and discusses next steps or concerns with the family. Newer children received reassurance, formed strong bonds and soon explored confidently. Parents can arrange conversations about progress, and the nursery works with Ethelred Children's Centre, local health centres and clinics when wider links are useful.

Inclusion was a clear strength. Staff observed what children knew, adapted in-the-moment experiences and worked with families and other professionals to secure early help for children with special educational needs and disabilities. Ofsted also found safeguarding arrangements effective and an open culture that put children first.

Fresh meals are prepared on the premises. Breakfast, morning snack, lunch, afternoon snack and tea follow a five-week rotating menu, with dietary requirements catered for. Staff and children ate together, talked about food and exercise, used cutlery and brushed teeth after meals.

Hurley occupies the ground floor of Hurley House, behind Hurley Doctors Clinic, on Kempsford Road, Kennington, London SE11 4PB. It opens for 50 weeks each year and closes for four staff-training days.

A full-time day runs from 8am to 6pm, while the published morning session is 9am to noon. Flexible and part-time places are also part of the model. The nursery's fees page sets out the session structure and supplies the route for a current quotation.

The setting offers 15- and 30-hour funded childcare. Its 15-hour offer is described across 38 term-time weeks, with paid additional hours and holiday-period attendance forming separate categories. Lunch carries a separate charge. The published allocation criteria give priority across several circumstances, including immediate need, residence on the Cotton Gardens Estate, siblings and children who do not already attend another under-five setting. Allocation is handled by the management committee, so this is a needs-led system rather than a promise that a preferred pattern can be secured simply by enquiring first.

Links with local schools support transition, but the nursery does not claim that attendance confers admission priority. Its designated buggy and scooter area is another useful practical detail, although items are left at the owner's risk.

• Group activities. The March 2024 improvement point asked leaders to help staff plan group activities that sustain every child's concentration and engagement. Families may want to see how focused group times now keep different children involved.
• Attendance fit. The clearly timed choices are a 9am-to-noon morning and an 8am-to-6pm full day, alongside flexible part-time care. Ask how the flexible pattern would be assembled for your preferred days.
• Food costs and dietary care. Lunch is charged separately and the nursery says dietary requirements can be catered for. Families managing allergies should discuss the current menu and controls directly.
• Admissions priorities. The setting uses published allocation criteria rather than a simple first-come model. Families should explain any priority circumstance when enquiring.

Hurley Pre-School is a strong fit for families who want a community-run setting with unusually varied play spaces, practical outdoor learning and a recent Good inspection. The forest and planting areas, carpentry, lending library and shared meals make the experience concrete rather than generic. It should suit both families needing a full 8am-to-6pm day and those seeking morning or flexible part-time attendance, provided the allocation criteria and separately charged lunch work for them.