Dicky Birds Day Nursery and Preschool Wimbledon, Pelham Road

A growing garden, Forest School sessions and trips to Wimbledon Common give Pelham Road a clear outdoor thread. Children tend plants, explore nature and use a garden with spaces for reading, construction and messy creativity. These are concrete reasons to consider this Wimbledon nursery for a child who enjoys doing and exploring.

At its May 2024 inspection, Ofsted rated the nursery Good overall, while identifying uneven support for children's choices and a need to give parents more information about learning. Those qualifications matter alongside the positive judgement. Dicky Birds has capacity for 53 children aged 6 to 60 months, with babies, toddlers and preschool children represented in its activities.

Rooms and Ages

The Baby Room emphasises secure relationships and early exploration, giving the youngest children a familiar base as they begin to investigate their surroundings. Across the nursery, resources support physical, emotional, personal and cognitive development. The room emphasis starts with relationships, an important consideration for parents choosing care for a baby.

In May 2024, babies joined staff in singing, climbing and pretend rowing, while toddlers made play dough by measuring ingredients and working the mixture with their hands. Preschool children constructed a fire engine and worked out how to add a ladder, bringing mathematical language into an imaginative project. These examples show how practical activity gave children something to talk about and a problem to solve.

Learning and Activities

The early years foundation stage provides the framework for learning and care: in May 2024, children practised conversation, explored mathematical ideas through construction and learned to manage tasks for themselves. The curriculum then followed children's interests, personalities and developmental needs, with staff identifying what each child should learn next. For families, the useful detail is the connection between a child's interests and the activities planned around them.

Forest School adds learning in nature, with sessions intended to develop cooperation and problem-solving; a dedicated leader and purpose-built facilities support the approach. PE sessions provide energetic activity with other children and aim to develop coordination. These sit alongside the nursery's everyday learning, giving parents concrete examples of what its education programmes involve.

Outdoor and Community Life

A large sand pit, an outdoor reading area and a creative space make the garden useful for different kinds of play. Children can paint, build and get messy outside, while the growing garden gives them practical experience of caring for plants. The library provides another setting for books and storytelling. Outdoor learning here includes both active exploration and quieter activity.

Eco-Schools Green Flag status gives the environmental work a named point of reference, linked to teaching children about protecting the planet. Community outings include Wimbledon Common, farms and local libraries, extending children's experiences beyond the nursery. These outings offer opportunities to explore the surrounding area; no fixed frequency is attached to them.

Relationships and Communication

In May 2024, staff took time to learn about individual children and built affectionate relationships with them. Babies sought comfort from their key worker, and staff used encouraging expressions and language when introducing activities. For a family weighing baby care, those examples are more useful than a general promise of warmth: they describe how adults helped children feel comfortable enough to try something new.

Famly is the nursery's communication app, carrying daily updates, information about routines and progress reports. Regular family events also give parents opportunities to spend time with their child and meet the team and other families. Together, these arrangements create practical ways to remain involved in nursery life.

The May 2024 improvement point concerned the substance of communication: parents sometimes received too little information about learning to develop it further at home. An app can carry messages, but the useful question is whether those messages explain what a child is learning and what parents can do next.

Inclusion and Wellbeing

At the May 2024 inspection, Ofsted found safeguarding effective and children with special educational needs and/or disabilities well supported, including through help from other professionals where needed. A trained SENCo works onsite, providing a specific role for supporting children with additional needs. This gives families a clear starting point for discussing their child's circumstances.

Independence was part of the day in May 2024: children managed handwashing and replenished tissues, while some babies poured drinks and fed themselves. These small tasks gave children opportunities to practise doing things for themselves. Staff also had supervision and professional development opportunities, providing a mechanism for reviewing and developing their practice.

Sessions and Attendance

Opening hours are 8am to 6pm, Monday to Friday. The nursery operates across the year and closes on bank holidays, so families can assess its opening window against their working arrangements and plan for those closures.

Getting There

The address is 71 Pelham Road, London, SW19 1NX, on a residential street close to Wimbledon Station and bus stops. Wimbledon High Street is a short walk away, offering a useful connection to the surrounding town centre.

Funding and Paid Extras

In May 2024, the nursery provided funded early education for children aged two, three and four. That dated participation is relevant to families considering funded care, with the practical question about their proposed attendance set out below.

• Support for choosing activities. In May 2024, toddlers sometimes needed more help deciding what to do next, affecting their opportunities to sustain attention. On a visit, ask how practitioners now help children make choices and remain engaged.
• Learning updates for home. Communication about learning needed strengthening in May 2024. Ask to see an example of a Famly progress update and how it helps parents extend a child's learning at home.
• Attendance and funding. The 8am to 6pm opening window and year-round operation are useful practical facts. Ask which booking arrangement would accommodate your child's proposed attendance and funded hours.

Pelham Road suits families seeking year-round childcare with gardening, nature learning and opportunities to explore Wimbledon Common and other community destinations. Its garden offers concrete variety, from a sand pit to outdoor reading, and Famly provides a continuing connection with nursery life.

The May 2024 judgement gives a positive overall assessment with specific reservations about children's choices and learning information for parents. Those are useful priorities for a visit. For parents drawn to outdoor activity and practical learning, the combination of Forest School, plant care and community outings gives this nursery a clear character.