Hodan Day Care

Reading, writing, numeracy and outdoor play areas give Hodan Day Care a practical, hands-on character. Based at Etta Community Hall in Deptford, it has 37 places in total. At its November 2023 inspection, Ofsted rated the nursery Good, while identifying two priorities: extending children's learning more consistently and giving them greater independence in everyday routines.

Children attending in November 2023 were aged two to four. That is a dated picture of the children present, rather than a description of every age the nursery can accommodate. The everyday offer includes spaces for reading, writing, number work and outdoor play, with meals cooked on site.

Morning and afternoon attendance sit alongside full-day care. This gives families different ways to organise childcare, rather than a single attendance pattern.

Learning and Activities

The early years foundation stage provides the framework for children's learning, development and care: play and everyday experiences help children build language, physical skills and understanding. Cooperative games and creative activities are part of Hodan's approach, with activities adapted to different age groups.

Designated spaces separate books and writing from number work, investigation and outdoor play. Those areas give children different kinds of activity to choose between, from looking at a book to exploring materials. Indoor and outdoor toys support that play.

In November 2023, children squeezed and shaped dough, poured with jugs and made marks using pens and brushes. These activities exercised the hands and arms used for writing later. Books also attracted children's interest, and staff read stories aloud. The emphasis was on building foundations through familiar materials.

Language received sustained attention that month. Adults repeated words and short phrases and spoke clearly to help children understand. Number learning extended outdoors, where children counted and recognised chalk-written numbers; painting with string introduced comparisons of length. Shapes were discussed during play, bringing mathematical language into an activity rather than reserving it for a separate lesson.

There was an important limitation. In November 2023, adults sometimes missed chances to build on what children already understood during play. For parents, the question is how a familiar activity becomes more demanding as a child's skills develop.

Outdoor Play

An outdoor play area forms part of the current facilities. In November 2023, children used crates for climbing and stepping stones for balance, alongside running. Those examples show how outdoor activity contributed to physical development at that time.

At the November 2023 inspection, Ofsted found safeguarding effective and reported good progress for children, including those with special educational needs and/or disabilities (SEND), children learning English as an additional language and children receiving additional funding.

In November 2023, staff adapted care to individual needs, including one-to-one attention to help some children with SEND settle into the day. Staff and parents worked with outside professionals to recognise additional needs early. Regular information about children's development, together with ideas for learning at home, connected nursery activities with family life.

Daily independence needed more attention that month. Adults sometimes dressed children in coats or aprons and handled table preparation and serving when children could have taken a larger role. This matters because care routines can also be opportunities to practise doing things for oneself.

Fresh meals are cooked on site, and meals are free for all children, including those attending through funded childcare. Fruit is served at snack times, so food provision includes something between meals as well as lunch.

Sessions and Attendance

Full-day care and part-time morning or afternoon sessions are offered. The nursery operates Monday to Friday, with an operating window of 8.30am to 4.30pm. The distinction between that window and the longer opening wording is a practical point to settle before arranging work commitments.

Getting There

The address is Etta Community Hall, Gosterwood Street, Deptford, London SE8 5PB. Families can make an enquiry using the contact form or request an application form.

Funding and Paid Extras

Funded childcare includes 15-hour and 30-hour entitlements, subject to the relevant eligibility conditions. The universal entitlement for three- and four-year-olds is spread over 51 weeks; the extended entitlement can be spread across the year or taken over 38 term-time weeks. Benefit-related funding for eligible two-year-olds provides 15 hours over 38 term-time weeks.

These arrangements make the funding pattern part of the attendance decision: a term-time allocation and one spread across the year organise childcare differently. Meals carry no separate charge for children. Current prices for paid childcare should come in the nursery's written quotation, alongside the funded arrangement being agreed.

• Opening and operating times. Opening wording includes 8am to 5pm, while the operating window is 8.30am to 4.30pm. Which hours can your child actually attend under the proposed booking?
• Challenge and independence. November 2023 identified missed opportunities to extend play and let children handle everyday tasks. During a visit, ask for examples of how adults now develop an activity and involve children in dressing and mealtimes.
• Funding across the year. The universal entitlement is stretched over 51 weeks, while the extended entitlement also has a term-time option. Ask how non-food consumables are handled within your proposed funded arrangement.
• Settling a younger child. The facilities include provision for babies, while children attending in November 2023 were aged two to four. Ask how the current age grouping and settling arrangements would work for your child.

Hodan suits families seeking either full-day attendance or shorter morning and afternoon sessions, with on-site meals and play organised around books, creative materials, number work and outdoor activity. Its November 2023 Good judgement provides a useful assessment of quality at that point. The decision should also take account of the two concrete improvement priorities: more consistent challenge in play and greater independence in daily care routines.