Chairbears Day Nursery

Deptford market, local parks and a strong Spanish influence give Chairbears Day Nursery a character rooted in its neighbourhood. Children explore beyond the nursery as well as using its inside-outside play space, while language sessions bring music into learning. For families who value everyday contact with the surrounding community, those experiences are a substantial part of the appeal.

At its June 2023 inspection, Ofsted rated Chairbears Outstanding and found that children developed close relationships with their key persons, showed considerable independence and behaved thoughtfully towards one another. That judgement provides a strong starting point for considering the nursery. It is a dated assessment, rather than a description of every aspect of today's provision.

Chairbears cares for children from 3 months through preschool at 9-12 Deptford Broadway, London SE8 4PA. Babies, toddlers and preschool children have provision suited to their stage, including an adjoining sleep room for babies. Full-day and half-day private care can be booked for term time or throughout the year.

Rooms and Ages

Babies have natural play materials inspired by the Curiosity Approach, here expressed through resources that encourage exploration, alongside songs, simple stories, sensory play and opportunities to practise movement. An adjoining sleep room separates rest from the main play space. Feeding and sleeping follow individual routines, so the youngest children's day can accommodate their needs rather than revolve around a single timetable.

For toddlers aged 2-3 years, the emphasis combines conversation and friendships with movement, building, mark-making and sensory exploration; their sleep area allows a rest after lunch, with quiet activities for children who do not need a nap. This gives active children opportunities to develop both larger movements and the smaller hand skills used in early drawing and self-care.

Preschool learning uses stories, songs and conversation to develop expression and listening, while self-serving at meals encourages independence and calm spaces allow rest after lunch. Spanish and children's home languages are part of daily communication. Preparation for school therefore includes practical habits and relationships as well as early learning.

Learning and Activities

The early years foundation stage provides the required framework for learning, development and care: children learn through play and adult guidance, developing communication, physical skills and relationships alongside early literacy, mathematics and creative experiences. Chairbears builds its approach around children's interests, using hands-on exploration, questions and problem-solving. The practical distinction is how learning takes shape around what a child is curious about.

Language Sessions combine music with a Spanish influence, giving children another context for using and hearing language. Yoga and Mindfulness uses gentle movement to practise balance and calm attention. These additions sit alongside the nursery's everyday play, rather than replacing its learning framework.

In June 2023, children followed instructions to prepare lemonade from fresh ingredients, then shared the finished drink at lunch. They also counted the cups and cutlery needed when helping to prepare tables. These examples show how ordinary tasks brought together following a sequence, handling materials and using number for a purpose. Learning had an immediate use.

Outdoor and Community Life

Forest School involves exploring nature through outdoor activities in local parks. The inside-outside space provides another setting for play, while visits to Deptford market and the library connect children's experiences with places in their neighbourhood. The attraction is the combination: nature, local commerce and books all become starting points for discovery.

In June 2023, children also participated in charity activities supporting vulnerable people nearby. Alongside their cooperative play and shared responsibilities in the nursery, this gave consideration for others a practical expression. Community life extended beyond outings to include helping people.

Relationships and Communication

Gentle settling-in sessions give families and staff time to establish the child's nursery routine. Babies build a relationship with a key person, and communication with parents helps staff follow familiar feeding patterns, including breast milk, formula and the introduction of solids. For a young baby, continuity between home and nursery is a practical priority.

Famly, the nursery's communication app, brings messages, daily news, invoices and payment information together. Parents can also update permissions and contact details once their account access has been granted. That makes it useful for the administration of care as well as keeping in touch with the child's day.

In June 2023, parents received frequent updates that helped them continue learning at home, and staff worked with families to use children's home languages when developing English. Reading, singing and talking to babies during play were part of that language work. The connection between home and nursery supported communication rather than treating the two settings separately.

Inclusion and Wellbeing

A SENCo provides a point of contact for special educational needs support. The nursery's arrangements include observing children with parents, developing individual learning plans and adapting support strategies; speech and language therapists or health visitors can be involved where needed. These are concrete mechanisms for discussing a concern and planning a response, rather than a general promise about inclusion.

Families can receive guidance on Early Years SEND Inclusion Funding, Education, Health & Care Plans and other support routes. The practical value is help understanding the steps around additional provision. Any child's support still needs to be shaped around their individual requirements.

At the June 2023 inspection, Ofsted judged safeguarding effective, with staff understanding how to recognise concerns, maintain shared procedures and assess risks. Current arrangements include controlled entry, visitor procedures, ongoing safeguarding training and daily safety checks. These describe how care is organised; the effectiveness judgement belongs to the dated inspection.

Sleep remains an option beyond the baby stage: toddlers can rest after lunch, and preschool children can nap or spend time quietly. Meals and snacks are freshly prepared by the nursery chef, with menus changing seasonally. The nursery's dietary policy is to accommodate allergies, intolerances and other dietary requirements.

Sessions and Attendance

Opening hours are 7.30am to 6.30pm, Monday to Friday. Private booking choices include full days, half days and flexible sessions, with term-time and full-year attendance options. The enrolment form also allows families to select morning or afternoon attendance on individual weekdays, making the distinction between shorter sessions and full days useful when planning a working week.

Chairbears operates throughout the year, closing for bank holidays and 3 staff training days. Families balancing nursery with school-age siblings can therefore consider term-time attendance, while those needing continuity through the holidays can consider the full-year option. Those are different patterns within the same setting.

Joining follows an application process, with settling-in sessions forming part of enrolment. The application includes space to explain additional support requirements, allowing those needs to enter the conversation early. Contact is possible by telephone, email or the nursery's enquiry form.

Funding and Paid Extras

Funded childcare is offered alongside private sessions. Eligible working parents may receive up to 30 hours a week; all children aged 3 and 4 are entitled to 15 hours, while some 2-year-olds qualify through benefits-related eligibility. Funding can begin from the term after a child reaches 9 months, subject to the relevant entitlement conditions.

For babies and toddlers, the care package includes meals, snacks, dairy or plant-based milk, nappies and wipes, together with outings, language activities, yoga and nature sessions. That combination matters when comparing the practical content of care packages, rather than considering attendance hours alone.

Chairbears also accepts Tax-Free Childcare and offers guidance around Universal Credit support. Current prices come in the nursery's written quotation. The sessions and funding page explains the support routes alongside private attendance choices.

• Shorter sessions and funded care. Full days, half days and term-time attendance are options here. At a visit, ask how funded hours fit your proposed sessions and what the written quotation includes for meals and consumables during those hours.
• A baby's individual routine. The adjoining sleep room and individual feeding arrangements are useful starting points. Discuss how your child's current sleep pattern and feeding stage would shape settling-in sessions.
• Dietary requirements. Chef-prepared food and an allergy accommodation policy are part of the offer. Families affected by allergies should confirm current preparation procedures and their child's care arrangements before starting.

Chairbears suits families seeking full-day or half-day care, including those choosing between term-time attendance and care throughout the year. Its strongest practical attractions are the baby's adjoining sleep room, Spanish-influenced language experiences and outings that use Deptford's parks, market and library.

The June 2023 Outstanding judgement adds weight to those concrete features. For parents, the decision is how the attendance pattern, individual routines and support arrangements fit their own child, with the funded-hours package a useful subject for the joining discussion.