The Cottage Day Nursery

A church hall, a smaller space for babies and a fenced back garden give The Cottage Day Nursery its physical character. Based at St Hilda’s Church Hall in south-east London, it separates younger children from the hall used by toddlers and preschool children. That arrangement matters for families weighing how a baby’s day will differ from an older child’s.

At its October 2024 inspection, Ofsted rated the nursery Good and judged safeguarding effective. The same visit identified improvements needed in activity changes and the preparation of agency staff, alongside a failure to notify changes affecting staff suitability. Those concerns belong alongside the positive judgement.

Children can attend from six months to five years. Full-time and part-time attendance are offered, with a half-day option also priced. The strongest practical attractions are the different age spaces, daily garden play and a routine that combines group activities with rest and opportunities for children to choose how they join in.

Rooms and Ages

Babies aged six to 24 months use a smaller room, while a larger hall is divided for toddlers and preschool children. The physical separation gives parents a concrete distinction between the youngest children’s accommodation and the spaces used as children grow. The back garden is fenced and used for outdoor play each day.

In October 2024, babies explored sensory experiences and practised handling books, including turning pages and pointing at pictures. Toddlers encountered sea creatures through vocabulary and props. Older children’s interest in insects became material for learning, while construction pieces and drawing equipment gave them opportunities to practise coordination. These examples show how activities differed by developmental stage at that visit.

Learning and Activities

The early years foundation stage sets the requirements for children’s learning, development and care. Here, the day brings those strands together through play, language, physical activity and social interaction, rather than treating learning as a separate lesson block. The curriculum and daily routine combines planned group activities with room for spontaneous play.

Group activities run in the morning and afternoon, with a shorter activity period later in the day. Early morning activities allow children to participate at their own pace. This gives the routine a recognisable shape while leaving some choice about involvement.

During October 2024, stories and songs introduced younger children to vocabulary. Children speaking more than one language also used their home languages for counting and translating words. Language therefore featured in both adult-led experiences and contributions children could make themselves.

Outdoor and Community Life

Garden play is part of the daily offer, giving outdoor activity a regular place in the timetable. In October 2024, toddlers practised kicking a ball and older children attempted balancing along tyres. The examples connect outdoor time with movement and judging physical challenges, rather than simply a break between indoor activities.

Relationships and Communication

In October 2024, babies sought comfort from their key person, toddlers shared play with staff and older children talked about personal events such as birthdays. Staff also used play to help children share resources: counting toy vehicles became a way to discuss fairness. These are useful examples of care and social learning working together.

Parents receive a brief written account of their child’s activities at collection and can speak with staff; a member of management is also available. That creates a daily opportunity to connect home and nursery life, rather than relying solely on occasional progress discussions.

After lunch, younger children can have supervised sleep, while children who remain awake continue with activities. Rest is therefore built into the routine alongside play. In October 2024, staff and parents also worked together on toilet learning, including children’s confidence and emotional responses.

Inclusion and Wellbeing

At the October 2024 inspection, Ofsted found that children made good progress and were prepared for their next learning stage, with staff working alongside parents and professionals to support children with special educational needs and/or disabilities. Assessments informed additional support, and advice from health visitors contributed to individual children’s learning in October 2024.

The reservations were specific. In October 2024, some activity changes happened before children had enough time to finish and get ready for what followed; agency staff preparation also left occasional inconsistencies in teaching. Separately, the nursery had failed to notify changes that could affect the suitability of people working with children. A positive safeguarding judgement does not erase that notification failure.

Sessions and Attendance

The address is St Hildas Church Hall, Courtrai Rd, London SE23 1PL. Opening hours are 7.30am to 6pm, Monday to Friday. Attendance can be full-time or part-time, and the fee structure includes a half-day option as well as daily care.

The nursery operates across the year, closing for bank holidays and a week at Christmas. Fees remain payable throughout the year, so those closures need to sit within a family’s childcare and budget planning. Enquiries can be made through the contact form or by telephone on 0208 2917117.

Getting There

Honor Oak Park and Crofton Park Stations are both just minutes’ walk from the nursery. The church hall is in a residential area, making those named stations useful reference points when considering the journey.

Funding and Paid Extras

The nursery offers 15 and 30 hour nursery education grants alongside privately paid childcare. Children attending on a grant-only place are charged separately for meals if they do not bring food from home; those bringing their own meals are excluded from that charge.

Zebedee’s supplies nursery lunches. An onsite kitchen also supports food preparation, and breakfast, lunch and tea form part of the daily routine.

A deposit is required when registering, with repayment at the contract’s end conditional on the account being settled and one month’s notice being given. There is no registration charge. Payment is in advance, either monthly or weekly, with monthly payments due on the first day of the month and weekly payments at the week’s start. Current prices come in the nursery’s written quotation; the fees and payment terms explain the charge structure.

• Consistency between activities. October 2024 concerns covered rushed activity changes, agency staff preparation and notification of staff suitability changes. Use a visit to discuss the practical changes made in these areas and how temporary staff become familiar with children’s routines.
• Food and funded attendance. Grant-only children pay separately for meals unless they bring their own. Lunch supply through Zebedee’s sits alongside an onsite-chef description of meal preparation: clarify that arrangement and how meals fit your funded attendance.
• The youngest children’s space. Babies use a smaller room apart from the older children’s hall. During a visit, consider how that room accommodates your child’s play and rest, and how the move into the toddler space is organised.
• Year-round payments and closures. Fees continue across the year, including the bank holiday and Christmas closures. The deposit refund also depends on a settled account and one month’s notice, so factor both closure cover and departure terms into the decision.

The Cottage Day Nursery suits families considering full-time attendance, part-time days or half-day care, especially those who value a separate space for babies and daily outdoor play. Written daily updates and a timetable with supervised rest add practical substance to the offer.

Its Good judgement in October 2024 provides a positive inspection position, but the concerns about transitions, agency staff and suitability notifications deserve direct attention. The choice is strongest when the church-hall layout and attendance options fit the family, and the nursery can explain how those identified weaknesses have been addressed.