Sahan Preschool & Day Nursery

Treasure baskets for babies, weekly dance for preschool children and a gardening club give Sahan Preschool & Day Nursery a practical, hands-on character. Based in Forest Gate, it takes children from three months to under five. The progression from exploring objects to choosing equipment and serving food makes independence a recurring thread across its rooms.

At its February 2023 inspection, Ofsted judged the nursery Good overall, with Outstanding personal development, effective safeguarding and good progress for children, including those with special educational needs and/or disabilities (SEND). Those are dated judgements, rather than a description of every aspect of care today. The same visit identified a specific improvement: staff needed greater confidence in helping children move between activities.

Full days, morning and afternoon sessions, and flexible hours give families several ways to organise attendance. The strongest reason to consider Sahan, however, is the detail of what children do: sensory exploration, practical self-care, movement and conversation run through the nursery day.

Rooms and Ages

The Baby room combines treasure baskets, natural materials and low storage with spaces for play and rest, allowing younger children to explore through touch and movement while reaching resources themselves.

For children aged two to three, the Toddler Unit uses a bright, spacious room for indoor and outdoor activities, with mealtimes supporting independent eating and a key person helping with toilet training and the move to the next unit.

The Pre-School Unit serves children aged three to five, with resources arranged by areas of learning, freely chosen equipment, self-service meals and weekly dance supporting preparation for school.

Learning and Activities

The Early Years Foundation Stage (EYFS) provides the learning framework: children practise communication, movement, relationships, early literacy and maths through play and everyday experiences. Cooperation during construction play, expressive work with paint and dough, and exploring shapes and numbers give those areas a recognisable form. The curriculum page explains these connections between activities and learning.

Music sessions, story time and creative activities sit alongside the gardening club, which introduces children to plants, nature and living things.

In February 2023, older children experimented with coloured water and measured ingredients for dough. Both examples put children in an active role: predicting a result, testing it and handling materials themselves. Staff planned around children's interests, making the child's curiosity a starting point for an activity.

Outdoor and Community Life

Outdoor play forms part of the activity offer, and toddlers take part in planned experiences both inside and outside. In February 2023, physical activity included babies playing with large balls and older children using a rock-climbing wall.

The Very Hungry Caterpillar also became a starting point for a supermarket visit in February 2023, when children bought ingredients connected with the story. That linked a familiar book with a real community setting and food shopping. It is a useful example of learning extending beyond a room, rather than a promise about the frequency of outings.

Relationships and Communication

Continuity is part of the staffing arrangement, with a dedicated team attached to each room. For toddlers, the key person also supports the move between units and toilet training. This connects a familiar adult with changes that can matter greatly to a young child, rather than treating room moves as an administrative handover.

Parents can telephone during the day, and settling concerns are discussed between staff and families. The approach makes room for a shared response when a child finds separation difficult. In February 2023, babies and toddlers sought physical reassurance from staff when tired or unsettled, while babies rested in a quiet setting.

Communication has some clear procedures. Any injury is reported to parents, entered in the accident book and followed by a request for the parent to sign the entry. Collection by another nominated adult requires advance notification and a password. These are practical arrangements families need to understand before attendance starts.

Inclusion and Wellbeing

The registration form gathers dietary requirements, allergies, health information, permissions and collection arrangements. That gives staff child-specific information before attendance begins. Sahan also has staff trained to work with children with special needs, while its in-house training includes first aid, child protection and food hygiene; many staff have degree-level education.

In February 2023, children practised self-care through handwashing, preparing salad and learning about dental hygiene using large model teeth. These examples made wellbeing something children took part in themselves. They also sat alongside a less settled part of the day: some staff lacked confidence during changes of activity, and getting ready for outdoor play could become noisy enough to affect behaviour.

Meals are served in the toddler and preschool rooms, with children encouraged to feed or serve themselves. Parents normally supply personal consumables, including nappies, wipes, creams and sun protection.

Sessions and Attendance

Sahan operates throughout the year, Monday to Friday, with weekends and Bank Holidays closed. Booked sessions have their own times: the full-day session runs from 8am to 6pm, while the morning runs from 8am to 1pm and the afternoon from 1pm to 6pm.

Flexible hours are charged by the hour rather than as fixed sessions. There is also breakfast and afterschool provision, described as approximately four hours in total: an hour before school and three afterwards. This gives a broader attendance offer than the full-day nursery session alone.

Fees remain payable across 52 weeks, including absences, and payment is due monthly in advance. The nursery requests at least four weeks' notice for attendance-day changes, inviting discussion when this is not possible; changes depend on a permanent vacancy on the requested days. That condition matters for families whose working pattern changes: a request does not itself establish a new arrangement.

Getting There

The address is 12 Stukeley Road, Forest Gate, London E7 9QZ. Green Street and Upton Park station are nearby reference points for planning the journey.

Funding and Paid Extras

Funded childcare is offered, with a maximum of 15 hours a week described in the funding terms for eligible children. Those hours can be arranged across 1.5, three or five days; funded-only places can also be considered. Where a family selects a paid package, the funded hours are deducted from its fees.

Admissions terms include funding for eligible two-year-olds. Funded bookings are allocated in application order and may be made a term ahead. These arrangements describe the booking process rather than guaranteeing eligibility or a particular pattern.

Current prices come in the nursery's written quotation. The fees page separates fixed sessions from hourly childcare, an important distinction when comparing a regular weekly booking with a more flexible arrangement.

• Room moves and busy transitions. February 2023 identified uneven staff confidence when activities changed, including preparation for outdoor play. During the bookable 30-minute visit, ask how staff now organise these moments and support children who find them difficult.
• Hours, attendance changes and payment. Opening information conflicts between 7.30am to 6.30pm and 7am to 7pm: confirm the window for your booking. Fees are payable for 52 weeks. The nursery requests four weeks' notice for changing days and invites discussion when this is impossible; changes depend on a permanent vacancy.
• Admission priorities. Existing children, siblings and time spent waiting influence allocation; a full-time application may receive preference depending on work commitments, occupancy and room availability. Families seeking part-time attendance should understand how those conditions apply to their proposed booking.
• Food and personal supplies. Children eat within their rooms, and families normally send nappies, wipes and creams. What meal charges apply to the proposed booking, including funded hours, and how will any allergy be managed?

Sahan suits families seeking either a full day or a morning or afternoon session, with flexible hours providing another attendance route. Its room arrangements give independence a tangible form: babies can reach resources, toddlers practise self-care and preschool children make choices and serve food.

Weekly dance, gardening and practical learning give the offer substance. The positive February 2023 judgement sits alongside its concern about staff confidence during transitions. Families who value hands-on activity and a gradual increase in responsibility have clear reasons to consider Sahan, alongside its year-round payment and attendance terms.