Chestnut Nursery School, Woodgrange

A large garden connected to the classrooms gives Woodgrange a clear physical identity: children can move between indoor play and outdoor exploration, with climbing apparatus adding a challenge. This purpose-built nursery on Sebert Road, Forest Gate, has two rooms and capacity for 50 children aged 3 to 60 months.

At its March 2024 inspection, Ofsted rated the nursery Good and found safeguarding effective. Language development was a clear thread through the day, from conversations about growing plants to dinosaur vocabulary used in play. The practical offer includes morning, afternoon and full-day sessions, alongside an afterschool club for children attending Woodgrange Infant School.

Learning and Activities

The early years foundation stage sets the requirements for children's learning, development and care; here, playing and exploring provide the route into learning. Resources are positioned where children can reach them, making it easier to choose an activity and investigate it independently. One room brings different ages together, with activities adapted to children's stage of development rather than a single expectation for the whole group.

In March 2024, the story of the month linked language work with physical play: children used words about position while tackling an outdoor obstacle course. A story therefore supplied language children could put into action, rather than vocabulary confined to listening time. Dinosaur play offered another route into conversation, with children comparing sizes and describing how the models felt.

Planting also gave children something concrete to explain. In March 2024, they recalled their planting experience and discussed the part played by sunlight and water. These examples give parents a useful picture of the nursery day: talk grows out of an activity, with children encouraged to describe, compare and remember.

Outdoor and Community Life

Free-flow Outdoor Play lets children move between the classrooms and garden, making outdoor exploration part of everyday play. Climbing apparatus provides an additional physical challenge, while the connection between spaces allows children to continue exploring beyond the room. For families who value movement alongside indoor play, this is a substantial part of the setting's appeal.

In March 2024, children practised balancing through obstacle courses and handled tools to prepare fruit and vegetables. Physical development involved both large movements and smaller, controlled actions. Sand timers helped children share toys, providing a visible way to understand waiting rather than relying solely on an adult's reminder.

Knowing each child matters here. In March 2024, practitioners used children's interests and preferences when choosing activities, and knew the children for whom they acted as key person. Parents valued the settling process and the learning ideas shared for use at home. That connects the nursery day with family life, giving parents something practical to continue together.

At the March 2024 inspection, Ofsted found that children with special educational needs and/or disabilities were supported well, with staff working alongside outside professionals, updating parents frequently and using shared strategies. The useful detail is the coordination: support involved communication between adults around the child, rather than relying on a single activity within the room.

In March 2024, children explored different beliefs and festivals through experiences linked to individual families. This gave conversations about similarities and differences a personal connection. However, the same visit identified uneven support for younger children's involvement in group activities and inconsistent encouragement of self-care, including dealing with a runny nose independently. Those are meaningful questions for parents, especially where a child needs help joining in or taking greater responsibility for everyday tasks.

Sessions and Attendance

Full Day runs from 8am to 6.30pm, Morning Session from 8am to 1pm, and Afternoon Session from 1pm to 6.30pm. The nursery opens Monday to Friday and operates for 51 weeks, excluding bank holidays and inset days. These different patterns allow families to choose a morning or afternoon rather than committing to the whole opening day.

The afterschool club runs from 3.30pm to 6.30pm for children attending Woodgrange Infant School. The nursery adjoins an infant school; nursery attendance does not guarantee a Reception place, and families still use the local authority admissions process.

Sessions cannot be swapped. Private attendance terms require one month's written notice to end a place or change sessions, while funded-contract terms specify four weeks' written notice to leave. Fees remain payable during closures and when a child is absent through sickness or a holiday. These terms matter for families whose working pattern changes regularly.

Getting There

The address is Sebert Road, Forest Gate, London, E7 0NJ. Forest Gate and Wanstead Park are the nearest stations, and bus routes 330, 58, 678 and 308 serve the area.

Funding and Paid Extras

Funded childcare includes 9–23-month-old funding, disadvantaged funding for two-year-olds, the working-parent entitlement for two-year-olds, universal funding for three- and four-year-olds, and extended funding for eligible three- and four-year-olds. Additional attendance beyond the entitlement is privately paid. The Woodgrange fees page sets out the charge structure.

Private session fees include the meals listed for that session: breakfast, snacks and lunch in the morning, a snack and tea in the afternoon, and these meals across a full day. During funded sessions, lunch and tea are separately charged if chosen, with a suitable packed meal required otherwise; children using a disadvantaged funded place are not required to pay for meals.

Funded-only attendance attracts neither a deposit nor a registration fee. A deposit applies when private hours are taken beyond the entitlement, with its return governed by the contract and payment of outstanding fees. Trips and additional services are optional, with charges agreed beforehand, although attending a trip carries its charge.

Invoices arrive monthly through Parent Zone and email, and fees are paid ahead of attendance by direct debit. Families need an email address for Parent Zone communications. This is a practical system for keeping funded hours and additional charges together in the same bill.

• Younger children in mixed-age activities. March 2024 findings called for better involvement of younger children during group work. On a visit, ask how practitioners adapt a shared activity so your child can participate.
• Independence in daily care. In March 2024, encouragement of self-care was inconsistent. Ask how staff now help children manage tasks such as wiping their nose while giving support when needed.
• Funded attendance and extras. Funded terms cap a session at 10 hours, while the Full Day pattern runs from 8am to 6.30pm. Ask how your chosen funded pattern and any additional paid attendance fit together.
• Changing your routine. Sessions cannot be swapped, and changes require written notice. Consider whether fixed bookings will work with your family's timetable.

Woodgrange suits families choosing between morning, afternoon and full-day attendance who value a garden connected to the classrooms and learning built around conversation and play. Its March 2024 examples make that approach tangible: stories carried into obstacle courses, planting discussed afterwards, and toys used to develop descriptive language.

The balance is practical rather than glossy. Mixed-age participation and self-care deserve attention, while the fixed-session terms reward a predictable family routine. For children already attending Woodgrange Infant School, the separate afterschool club adds another useful attendance pattern.