The Old Station Nursery Tressillian Road

Paint, planting and practical independence give Tressillian Road its character: in August 2024, babies explored water and paint while older children cut herbs during a planned activity. Everyday tasks became opportunities to learn.

Ofsted rated the nursery Good on 7 August 2024 and judged its safeguarding arrangements effective. The setting accepts children aged 3 to 60 months at its Brockley address. Its appeal lies in the concrete experiences described below, balanced against teaching consistency and support for older children's emotions, both identified as improvement priorities in August 2024.

The early years foundation stage sets the requirements for children's learning, development and care, with play providing opportunities to build language, physical skills and independence. In August 2024, cooking and planting connected learning with looking after bodies and understanding food.

Stories took different forms across the age groups that month. Toddlers concentrated on listening, while preschool children acted out Goldilocks and the Three Bears and explained what happened in sequence. Babies learnt simple signs to express their needs; children speaking other languages could also use and hear their home language. These examples show how communication extended beyond a single story session.

Garden play added movement and exploration in August 2024. Children used a mud kitchen, experimented with ice painting and practised pouring and filling. Independence also appeared in ordinary routines: toddlers served food and dealt with used tissues, while babies received help to feed themselves and wash their hands. Learning was woven into care as well as planned activities.

Everyday conversation, songs and stories introduced new vocabulary in August 2024. Language learning therefore ran through ordinary exchanges with adults, alongside the signs used by babies and the storytelling enjoyed by older children. The learning areas were organised around activities intended to interest children and encourage their own choices in play.

Practical tasks also involved learning to use tools. During a planned activity that month, children who had already learnt to cut used scissors and knives on herbs. Staff supported age-appropriate risk taking, giving children opportunities to practise a skill rather than simply watch an adult do the task.

At the August 2024 inspection, Ofsted found that staff worked closely with parents to address individual needs, including additional learning support, and that children made good progress. That is a dated assessment of support, rather than a promise about any individual child's experience.

In August 2024, families received information about their child's key person, current learning and next steps. Babies turned to familiar adults for comfort, and staff responded to their needs. For parents choosing infant care, the useful detail is the connection between a recognisable adult and reassurance.

Older children's emotional support needed more attention that month. Small disputes sometimes upset preschool children enough to interrupt their play. Some practitioners also lacked clarity about the intended learning or did not carry out planned activities effectively. These findings make consistency across rooms an important consideration.

Room observations and staff supervision sessions were part of management practice in August 2024, used to identify strengths and areas needing attention. The remaining weakness concerned translating those checks into dependable teaching. For families, the distinction matters: reviewing an activity and helping every practitioner deliver its intended learning are separate tasks.

Staff also encouraged sharing, taking turns and talking about feelings that month. The preschool concern was more specific: helping children cope when those social expectations became difficult during a disagreement.

The address is 71 Tressillian Road, Brockley, London SE4 1YA. Opening hours are 7.30am to 6pm, Monday to Friday, with year-round opening and bank holiday closures.

In August 2024, the nursery received early education funding for children aged two, three and four. This dated participation should be distinguished from the terms of any future booking.

• Teaching consistency. In August 2024, some staff needed clearer learning aims and better delivery of planned activities. On a visit, ask how room observations now translate into support for practitioners.
• Preschool disagreements. Managing minor disputes was an August 2024 improvement priority. Ask staff to explain how they help an upset child return to play.
• Your attendance and costs. The weekday opening window extends from early morning into the evening. Before joining, ask which booking pattern fits your routine and request a written quotation covering funded hours, meals and consumables.

For Brockley families needing year-round childcare, the August 2024 observations of practical learning, independence and communication through stories, songs and everyday conversation provide reasons to consider Tressillian Road. Its August 2024 picture combined practical learning, garden experiences and attention to communication. The balance rests on how consistently practitioners deliver activities and support preschool children's emotions. Those are the most useful subjects to explore alongside the nursery's everyday care.