Little Gems Day Nursery

Little Gems combines an unusually broad physical setup with a long-established Lewisham identity: a separate baby building, toddler and preschool rooms, a sensory room, a music room and large gardens all sit at Clare Hall, Malpas Road. It cares for children from three months to five years and has capacity for 93 children.

Ofsted rated the nursery Good in October 2022, with Good judgements across education, behaviour, personal development and leadership. Children were happy and confident, knew the routines, selected their own play and treated one another and the resources with care. Half-day and full-day childcare are both published.

Rooms and Ages

The Baby Room takes children from three months to under two. Its day mixes singing, painting and talking with movement practice, heuristic play, sand, water and play dough. A separate sleeping room provides cots or beds, each child has their own bedding, and a member of staff monitors sleep and records its length.

The Toddlers Playroom covers 18 months to three years. Painting, sticking, play dough, sand and water sit alongside table play that develops sharing and turn-taking; pre-writing patterns, name recognition and letter sounds enter the programme during a child's final term in the room. The room page publishes one carer for every four toddlers. Because the stated age band crosses the under-two boundary, the age-specific staffing arrangement matters with a child’s age.

Preschool is for three- to five-year-olds. Its Reasoning Approach uses children's questions and ideas to help them find information and solutions during play. Numbers, shapes, letters and pencil control prepare children for the practical demands of Reception, while table routines, individual observations and planned next steps develop independence.

Learning and Named Experiences

The Early Years Foundation Stage provides the educational framework. In daily terms, that means practitioners plan play and activities around children's communication, physical, social, emotional and early academic development, then use observation to decide each child's next steps.

There is real specificity beneath that framework. In October 2022, children investigated dinosaur footprints by making them with dough and paint, then comparing size and shape. Reading areas supported independent book choices and shared stories, while staff deliberately introduced new vocabulary. Regular music sessions let children handle different instruments, and football sessions encouraged them to explore how their bodies move.

Outdoor and Community Life

The large all-weather gardens include bicycles, scooters, climbing frames, a sand or ball pit, and dedicated areas for digging and growing crops. That gives physical play and early food education a permanent place in the environment. In October 2022, children negotiated space on bicycles and took turns on a balancing beam, although the nursery was asked to provide more consistent opportunities to investigate nature.

The setting also publishes three trips each year to places such as farms, the zoo, seaside, museums and adventure parks, alongside regular visits to parks, libraries and shops. These outings widen children's reference points beyond the nursery rooms.

A key person is each family's main contact and builds an individual understanding of the child. Free settling sessions are arranged around family needs, and parents can telephone the child's room while they settle. Babies have a daily routine book; older children's development is recorded in an individual profile, with progress and next steps shared with parents.

Care was a clear strength in October 2022. Practitioners knew children well, and attentive staff reassured babies with close comfort. Children learned to recognise emotions, work through minor disagreements and find cooperative solutions. Parents also joined workshops, stay-and-play sessions, trips and cultural days.

SEND support is purposeful. The sensory room gives all age groups access to sights, sounds, textures, movement and specialist equipment. In October 2022, children needing additional help were identified early, with outside specialists brought into a coordinated response.

Ofsted found safeguarding effective in October 2022. Staff understood signs of possible harm, supervised children well and carried out daily safety checks; recruitment and vetting were also found to be thorough.

Sessions and Attendance

Little Gems publishes half-day and full-day childcare from Monday to Friday. The nursery is open all year apart from bank holidays and Christmas. The published material names both patterns but does not attach a clock time to the half day.

Funding and Paid Extras

Funded early education is offered for eligible two-, three- and four-year-olds. A provider-specific quotation will show how an entitlement fits a chosen half-day or full-day pattern.

Meals are freshly prepared on the premises using seasonal, locally sourced ingredients, and are included in the fee. The cooks can cater for most special dietary requirements and discuss them during settling; baby meals can be puréed during weaning. Parents provide nappies and wipes for toddlers.

Getting There

The nursery is at Clare Hall, Malpas Road, London SE14 6PX, close to the Brockley and New Cross border. Its site names Lewisham, New Cross and Brockley railway stations as local travel links, as well as Goldsmiths University and Lewisham College.

• Toddler staffing. The published one-to-four figure spans children from 18 months to three years. The age-specific deployment of practitioners is an important comparison point.
• Nature learning. The 2022 improvement point called for more opportunities to investigate nature. The current use of the growing areas and garden will show how that strand has developed.
• Younger children's role play. The same review called for richer real-life imaginative play for younger children. Current role-play resources in the Baby Room and toddler provision are the key evidence of progress.
• Half-day shape. Half-day childcare is available, but the current clock times and booking combinations materially affect comparison with a full day.

Little Gems has more character than a generic room-and-garden nursery. The separate baby accommodation, Sensory Room, Music Room, growing spaces and three age-based groups give children distinct environments as they move from close baby care towards preschool independence. The Good judgement is supported by concrete strengths in communication, emotional development, SEND support and parent partnership, balanced by clear improvement points around nature and imaginative play.

This suits Lewisham families seeking either half-day or full-day care, especially those who value regular outdoor activity, music, trips and a structured progression from three months to school age. For families of toddlers, age-specific staffing deserves attention; for anyone choosing shorter sessions, the half-day timetable is decisive.