Horizons Day Nursery & Pre-school

In October 2023, garden-grown tomatoes, volcano experiments and babies exploring a ball pool illustrated how everyday experiences became material for learning. At its October 2023 inspection, Ofsted rated the nursery Outstanding and found that children made exceptionally rapid progress, including those receiving funded early education and those starting behind their peers. That judgement belongs to that visit.

The Hither Green setting has capacity for 35 children, with a current age range of 3 to 60 months. Its address is 165 Hither Green Lane, Lewisham, London SE13 6QF. The scale is a useful starting point for families considering the nursery, although whole-setting capacity does not describe the number of children sharing an activity or attending on a particular day.

Learning and Activities

The early years foundation stage provides the framework for children's learning, development and care. In parent terms, learning and everyday care belong together: conversation, movement, stories and practical exploration all contribute to development.

In October 2023, story sessions involved expressive reading, songs and a cosy reading area. Children used vocabulary from their learning to explain ideas, including predicting what would happen when ingredients were combined to make volcanoes. The useful connection was between hearing language and putting it to work. An experiment gave children something concrete to describe, rather than leaving new words confined to a book.

Mathematics also appeared in ordinary routines in October 2023. Children counted on the stairs, while plastic blocks supported adding and subtracting. Staff extended activities for children with a stronger interest in numbers. This connected counting with movement and objects, giving children different ways to explore the same idea.

Questions encouraged children to explain their thinking in October 2023. Staff had received coaching in asking questions that allowed more than a short answer. Children also learnt the rules of simple games and explained them to friends. Conversation therefore served several purposes: expressing an idea, understanding an instruction and helping another child join in.

Outdoor and Community Life

In October 2023, babies crawled through tunnels and explored the ball pool, using their bodies as well as their curiosity. Garden growing offered a different kind of practical learning. On a shopping outing, children connected the fruit and vegetables they saw with tomatoes they had grown themselves. The garden experience gave a familiar reference point for understanding food beyond the nursery.

Outings in October 2023 included frequent visits to local parks, shops and the library. Children also explored festivals and different cultures. These experiences extended learning into the surrounding community; they were part of the nursery's activities at that time, rather than a timetable of current trips.

Relationships and Communication

In October 2023, babies developed close relationships with their key person, and feeding and sleep arrangements followed routines familiar from home. That made settling a matter of continuity as well as getting used to new adults. A baby's existing rhythm shaped the care they received.

Children who were hesitant about activities received gentle encouragement in October 2023. Staff supported participation rather than demanding an immediate response. Parents received guidance tailored to extending their child's learning at home, making communication useful beyond an account of what had happened during the day.

Inclusion and Wellbeing

At the October 2023 inspection, Ofsted found safeguarding effective and reported that families whose children might have special educational needs or disabilities were promptly directed to agencies for assessment and support. The safeguarding arrangements included checks on staff suitability, induction and risk assessments covering the nursery and outings.

Daily care also provided opportunities to practise independence in October 2023. Children persisted with fastening their coats, discussed handwashing before eating and, with close adult supervision, younger children brushed their teeth after lunch. These examples show how ordinary routines became opportunities to take responsibility for personal care.

Reception teachers were invited into the setting in October 2023 to help children prepare for moving on to school. This gave transition a practical connection with the adults involved in the next stage, rather than making school preparation solely a matter of nursery activities.

Sessions and Attendance

Opening hours are 8am to 6pm, Monday to Friday. The nursery operates throughout the year and closes on Bank Holidays. Those hours describe its opening window, which is a useful boundary when considering how childcare fits around work and family commitments.

Getting There

The Lewisham branch is at 165 Hither Green Lane, London SE13 6QF. Its telephone number is 0208 318 4125; families can also use the contact form or email horizonsday@btinternet.com.

• Settling for a baby. Feeding and naps followed home routines in October 2023. At a visit, discuss how your child's current routine would shape their settling arrangements and relationship with a key person.
• Attendance and the written quotation. The opening window runs from 8am to 6pm on weekdays. Which booking patterns could fit your required days, and how would meals, consumables and any funded hours be treated in the nursery's current written quotation?
• Support and moving on. In October 2023, families were directed to assessment agencies when concerns arose, and Reception teachers were invited into the nursery. Discuss how these arrangements would work for your child, especially if support or a school transition is approaching.

Horizons suits families looking for a setting with capacity for 35 children and weekday opening across the year. Its October 2023 account offers a clear picture of learning through stories, practical experiments, garden growing and community outings, alongside attention to babies' familiar routines.

The strongest decision value lies in those concrete examples. Children had opportunities to explain, experiment, practise independence and connect nursery experiences with the world around them. For families weighing this setting, the useful next step is to relate that dated picture to their own child's care and attendance needs.