Carousel Day Nursery, New Malden

A rugby field gives Carousel’s outdoor life room to stretch. Daily walks, den building and nature exploration sit alongside a nursery based in a bright hall, with younger children and those preparing for school using separate areas. This is provision for children aged two to five, rather than a setting spanning babies through to preschool.

Carousel Day Nursery, New Malden occupies the first floor of the Old Blues Rugby Club on Arthur Road. At its 13 December 2023 inspection, Ofsted rated it Good overall and found safeguarding effective. Its practical character comes from accessible play resources, an emphasis on independence and close exchanges between families and practitioners.

Morning, afternoon and all-day bookings give families different ways to use the nursery. The educational offer combines play with smaller preschool sessions, while individual settling arrangements help staff learn about a child before expecting them to adapt to nursery routines. The important educational question is how mathematical thinking is extended during activities: that was the improvement priority in December 2023.

Rooms and Ages

The main hall has wooden flooring, carpeted sections and natural light. Its layout separates group 1, for two- to three-year-olds, from the pre-school group for children rising four, while quiet spaces let children pause, concentrate or spend time with a friend. These are areas within the hall, rather than a collection of separately named rooms.

Low storage puts toys within children’s reach, giving them opportunities to choose an activity and return to an idea. The mindful area contains books, soft toys and sensory cushions, providing somewhere quieter when a child needs time to settle their feelings or rest. That offers an alternative to staying in the busiest part of the play space.

Learning and Activities

The Early Years Foundation Stage (EYFS) provides the framework for care and learning: children develop language, physical skills and relationships through their experiences, with literacy, mathematics, creativity and understanding their surroundings extending that learning. For two-year-olds, communication, movement and social and emotional development receive the main emphasis.

Letters and Sounds adds a named literacy programme, beginning with Phase One through play, singing and games. Older children take part in smaller preschool groups in both the morning and afternoon, practising rhyme and how words can be broken into sounds or sounds joined together, alongside early mathematics and independence. The purpose is preparation through activities children can participate in, rather than an isolated programme name.

At its December 2023 inspection, Ofsted identified the need to extend children’s mathematical learning more effectively, while finding that accurate assessment and timely agency referrals supported progress, including expanding vocabulary among children learning English as an additional language. The current planning system uses observations of children’s interests and development to decide their next learning steps. Parents can see planning and take home ideas for continuing learning.

Outdoor and Community Life

Access to the Old Blue’s Rugby Field gives outdoor play a substantial physical setting. Daily field walks sit alongside bikes, ball games and running races; den building, growing flowers and investigating nature give children other reasons to spend time outside. Movement and exploration are both part of the offer.

Visits also take children beyond the nursery to local parks and businesses, including stables, shops, garden centres and a library. These outings connect play with places children can encounter in everyday life. In December 2023, outdoor activity included running and hopping, with staff maintaining sight and hearing of children during play.

Relationships and Communication

All About Me books carry practical information between home and nursery, including food and sleep routines, interests and ways of comforting a child. Settling is planned with parents around individual needs. A child therefore starts with familiar information accompanying them, rather than staff having to discover every preference after attendance begins.

Each child has a Key Person responsible for their care, assessment and planning, as well as building a relationship with the family. Daily conversations are supplemented by photographs and videos shared through a parents’ WhatsApp group or individual emails. Families can also contribute home observations and photographs, making communication a two-way exchange.

Progress reports and individual development plans are revisited every 12 weeks, with parents invited to comment. When a child moves to another setting, a written transition summary goes with them and parents receive a copy. This gives the next setting information about the child’s learning rather than leaving the move dependent on verbal handover alone.

Inclusion and Wellbeing

A named Safeguarding Officer and daily checks of equipment and areas form part of the nursery’s arrangements. New outings and activities are assessed before they take place. These are practical procedures; the dated safeguarding judgement is given above.

In December 2023, children practised independence by serving food, feeding themselves and getting dressed for outdoor play. Conversations about drinking water, food and exercise linked everyday routines with looking after their bodies. Singing during daily routines also gave children opportunities to listen and communicate together.

Illness and medication rules affect family planning. Following vomiting or diarrhoea, return is permitted only after 48 hours without another episode; children taking antibiotics must have completed at least 24 hours before returning. Medicines require a current prescription, a dispensing label identifying the child and dosage, and signed parental consent, including for Calpol.

Sessions and Attendance

The address is Old Blues Rugby Football Club, Arthur Road, New Malden, KT3 6LX. Opening hours run from 8am until 6pm, Monday to Friday, with a 7.30am start by request. The nursery operates for fifty weeks across the year.

Morning sessions run from 8am to 1pm, afternoons from 1pm to 6pm, and All Day attendance from 8am to 6pm. Full Time uses that same daily span from Monday to Friday; an hourly rate also supports flexible-hours attendance. Early Start is separately listed, beginning at 7.30am, so that request-based opening needs to be distinguished from the standard day.

Enquiries can be made by telephone or email. Closure periods cover a summer week incorporating the August Bank Holiday and the interval between Christmas Eve and New Year. Fees are not charged for those closure weeks, while other Bank Holidays and absences remain chargeable under the terms.

One month’s notice is needed to end a place or change agreed sessions. That makes the attendance decision more than a choice of clock times: families need to consider whether their working pattern is likely to change after a booking begins.

Funding and Paid Extras

Funded childcare includes the Universal Entitlement for three- and four-year-olds, Working Parent Entitlement for two-, three- and four-year-olds, and Early Learning funding for two-year-olds. The terms also cover the 30 hours extended provision. Additional attendance beyond funded provision is charged privately, and the full-time discount does not apply after funded provision.

Private session fees include food, drinks and snacks. Funded packages charge separately for meals, consumables and food preparation, with another package charge covering trips, festivals, parent events, seasonal activities and emergency medication. These are separate from the funded hours themselves, so families should compare the complete attendance package rather than the entitlement alone.

For funded-only attendance over 38 weeks, the deposit is returned within six weeks of starting; when extra days or sessions accompany funded hours, it is returned through the final invoice. Early Learning funding for two-year-olds requires no deposit. Current prices come in the nursery’s written quotation, with the charge structure on its fees and information page.

• Mathematics in everyday play. Extending mathematical learning was the December 2023 improvement priority. During a visit, ask how practitioners now build counting, comparison and other mathematical ideas into activities.
• A first-floor nursery with field access. Indoor provision is upstairs, while outdoor experiences use the rugby field and other spaces. Ask to see how the route between these areas works for your child, including any mobility needs.
• Choosing a sustainable booking. Morning and afternoon sessions sit alongside All Day, Full Time and flexible-hours attendance, with an early start by request. Discuss a settling pattern that fits your chosen attendance and remember the month’s notice required for session changes.
• Funded hours and package charges. Meals and consumables are charged separately on funded packages, alongside activity-related charges. Read the written quotation against the sessions you intend to use, including the deposit conditions for funded-only or mixed attendance.

Carousel suits families seeking morning or afternoon sessions as well as those needing all-day or full-time attendance for children aged two to five. The combination of a spacious hall, accessible resources and daily use of a rugby field gives children scope to choose, move and explore.

All About Me books, a Key Person and regular written reviews provide concrete ways for families to stay involved. The Good December 2023 judgement is balanced by a clear mathematics improvement priority. For parents weighing this nursery, the strongest decision points are its outdoor setting, communication arrangements and the complete cost structure of their chosen funded or private attendance.