Nannie Annies Day Care, Woodford Green

Water fountains within reach, a garden connected directly to the Great Oak Room, and a miniature working kitchen give Nannie Annies a practical character: children have spaces for doing things themselves. At 508 High Road in Woodford Green, the nursery accepts children from three months to five years.

At its August 2021 inspection, Ofsted rated the nursery Outstanding, with examples ranging from babies enjoying responsive conversations to older children investigating rain formation. The date matters. This is a strong assessment of the provision at that time, while the room arrangements and contractual terms provide the practical basis for choosing it now.

The Woodford rooms progress from a quieter space for pre-walkers towards a more structured preschool environment. Independence runs through the physical design, rather than appearing only as a curriculum ambition. Standard opening hours are 8am to 6pm on weekdays, with paid extensions possible from 7am to 7pm; the enquiry form specifies a minimum attendance of four days.

Rooms and Ages

Developmental readiness influences movement between rooms, so progression involves more than reaching a birthday. For parents, this makes the conversation about a child's mobility, confidence and social development central to understanding their next room.

Willow Room serves pre-walkers, using subdued colours, gentle lighting and padded furniture in a compact space where children also eat and sleep. Its home-like design provides continuity for babies adjusting to care away from home.

Chestnut Room combines generous daylight with spaces for sensory exploration, art, imaginative domestic play and literacy. Those different uses give children opportunities to switch between active experimentation and quieter engagement with language.

Great Oak Room supports greater independence through drinking fountains, a bathroom within the room and immediate access to the garden. The divided layout allows children to choose activities and move between them, with everyday tasks built into their surroundings.

Mighty Acorn Room introduces a classroom-style setting, with spaces for creative arts, literacy and STEAM learning. Its more structured organisation prepares children for a different rhythm of learning as school approaches, while retaining opportunities for their own choices.

The terms also explain that a child's curriculum follows their interests and development, rather than being determined solely by their room. That distinction is useful: a room move changes the environment, but should not require every child to learn at the same pace.

Learning and Activities

The nursery works within the early years foundation stage, the statutory framework covering young children's learning, development and care. In parent language, this connects play and exploration with developing communication, physical skills and everyday independence. It is the common foundation for the provision, rather than an extra programme.

The Reggio Emilia Approach adds an emphasis on children investigating their surroundings, with practitioners participating in learning and observing how children respond. Photographs and records of experiences help staff adjust activities and help parents understand what works for their child. This gives documentation a purpose beyond recording that an activity happened.

STEAM brings science, technology, engineering, arts and maths into exploration. Mighty Acorn Room has an area for this learning, placing practical investigation alongside literacy and creative work rather than treating preparation for school as reading alone.

In August 2021, construction play connected several kinds of learning: children counted, considered shapes, sketched designs and discussed buildings. A model of Big Ben provided a concrete example, with older children using vocabulary about architectural features. Building something became an opportunity to explain it.

Also in August 2021, a rain investigation used coloured water and shaving foam to explore how clouds work, while babies investigated paint through large movements. These were different experiences for different developmental stages. They illustrate the inspection-era emphasis on active participation rather than simply watching an adult demonstrate.

Outdoor and Community Life

The garden is used daily to extend learning outdoors, and Woodford also uses community spaces beyond its own premises. Written consent is required for excursions, while local walks have a separate consent policy. Parents can choose whether their child joins visits to cultural venues and other places of interest.

In August 2021, children used nearby woods and green spaces, alongside activities including tennis and yoga. Connections with local shops, a bank, a library and a post office also supported learning about everyday services. The value was practical: children could connect nursery conversations with places used in ordinary community life.

Relationships and Communication

Each child's Mentor or Room Leader is a point of contact for discussing development and room transitions. The terms link those discussions to both physical and social readiness, giving parents a clear subject for ongoing communication rather than treating a move as an administrative change.

In August 2021, babies responded warmly to familiar staff who sang, read and answered their early vocalisations. An online application sent parents daily photographs and learning updates. These are dated examples of how relationships and communication worked then, including a way for families to continue a child's interests at home.

Staff development is part of the nursery's approach, with ongoing learning intended to keep practice current. In August 2021, coaching and targeted training supported practitioners, and interests such as reading and music contributed to the education offered. The useful detail is the connection between staff development and children's experiences, rather than a qualification list.

Inclusion and Wellbeing

At its August 2021 inspection, Ofsted found safeguarding effective and reported excellent progress for children with special educational needs or disabilities, children receiving additional funding and those learning English as an additional language, supported by early identification of learning gaps and advice from other professionals. That finding gives a dated account of how support operated, rather than a blanket promise about every future child's experience.

The nursery's collection procedure requires authorised adults, with changes communicated in writing. Emergency arrangements include identification and a temporary password. These are concrete procedures for controlling who takes a child home.

Health rules also affect family planning: a child with nausea or diarrhoea must stay away until 48 hours after the final episode, and regular medication requires the relevant paperwork and a prescribed, labelled supply. Such conditions can affect working arrangements even when the nursery itself is open.

Food is prepared with an in-house chef, and children have a miniature functioning kitchen for supported cooking and baking. Eating together and taking part in preparation connect meals with practising independence and social skills.

Sessions and Attendance

The address is 508 High Road, Woodford Green, IG8 0PN. Enquiries can be made through the contact form, by email at enquiries@nannieannies.com or by telephone on 020 3848 7508; the form allows families to select Woodford specifically.

Opening hours are 8am to 6pm, Monday to Friday. Extended hours run from 7am to 7pm at an additional hourly charge, and early attendance or later collection must be arranged. The standard window and the extended arrangement serve different working schedules, but the extension should be part of the booking rather than assumed.

The enquiry form requires a minimum of four days. That is a substantial attendance commitment for families seeking occasional care. The nursery operates across the year, with bank holidays, staff training days and a Christmas break affecting the calendar.

Funding and Paid Extras

The nursery accepts the funding described in its terms as 15/30 hour, 2- & 3-year government funding. Private care and additional charged hours sit alongside that participation. Funding should therefore be considered together with the actual attendance pattern, rather than treated as a description of the whole booking.

A non-refundable registration charge places a child on the waiting list. Once a place has been confirmed, a deposit and advance payment are required before the start. The deposit is linked to the chosen attendance pattern, and repayment depends on settling outstanding liabilities and giving the required written notice; it is not refundable if the accepted place is never taken up.

Leaving or reducing attendance requires at least two calendar months' written notice. Absence through holidays or illness does not produce a fee refund, so families should weigh the ongoing commitment as well as the initial booking. Current prices belong in a written quotation, alongside the applicable terms and conditions.

• Four-day commitment. The enquiry form sets a minimum of four days. This makes the attendance pattern a significant part of the decision for families seeking fewer days.
• Room progression. Children move according to development as well as age, and the rooms become progressively more structured. During a visit, discuss how the next room would match your child's readiness and interests.
• The complete funded booking. Funding is accepted alongside private care and charged extensions. How would your proposed booking handle funded hours, meals and non-food consumables, including any separate charges or items supplied from home?
• Changing arrangements. Reducing days or leaving requires two calendar months' written notice, and absence does not generate refunds. This matters for families whose work pattern or childcare needs may change quickly.

Nannie Annies suits families looking for either standard weekday attendance or an arranged extended day, with a minimum four-day commitment that fits their routine. Its strongest practical attractions are the progression between rooms, the Great Oak Room's facilities for independence and the opportunity for children to cook in a working miniature kitchen.

The August 2021 Outstanding judgement provides a strong dated inspection position. The choice now turns on how well the rooms, attendance commitment and contractual terms fit a particular child and family. Parents seeking regular care with active exploration and increasing independence have concrete reasons to consider Woodford.