Brook House Nursery

An allotment visited every week and a Giant African Land Snail that families can care for over a weekend give Brook House Nursery a character that extends beyond its playrooms. Growing food and looking after a living creature bring practical responsibility into early childhood. These are experiences children can carry home.

At its October 2023 inspection, Ofsted rated the nursery Good and found safeguarding effective, while identifying a need for staff to deepen their understanding of child development because some developmental information shared with parents was misleading. That qualification matters alongside the positive judgement. It concerns how accurately families understand their child's development, rather than simply how frequently they receive updates.

Brook House cares for children aged 7 to 60 months in Twickenham. Four bird-named rooms organise the nursery by age, with garden access and an allotment adding outdoor experiences to the day. Full-time and part-time attendance are both catered for; the practical conditions attached to those choices deserve attention.

Rooms and Ages

Robin Room, for children aged 7 to 17 months, combines mirrors and sensory resources with treasure baskets, accessible toy drawers and a book corner, giving babies several ways to investigate their surroundings.

Hummingbird Room, from 18 months to 2 and a half years, brings changing role-play arrangements together with construction, small-world play and art materials, so children can choose between imaginative, exploratory and creative activities.

Owl Room, for ages 2 to 3, links construction using magnets and Duplo with stories, early mark making and practical skills such as handwashing and using the potty, bringing independence into the same day as early literacy.

Magpie Room, for children over 3, develops problem solving, creativity and independent thinking through adult-led and child-initiated activities, with its own conservatory for role play and an additional garden reserved for preschool children.

Learning and Activities

The Early Years Foundation Stage (EYFS) provides the framework for learning through play and supporting children's development. Brook House adds its own room-based curriculum, organised around cooking, gardening, feelings and self-care. The combination gives everyday tasks educational purpose: children are learning about themselves and their surroundings as well as handling materials and trying new activities.

Choice has a clear place in the learning approach. Adults organise the day, but children can pursue activities that interest them, and tasks are adjusted to their abilities. Older children have opportunities to work alone and alongside others. For parents, the useful distinction is between a planned day and one in which every child must complete the same activity at the same pace.

Ballet, Football, Music and preschool Spanish add professionally led sessions. Weekly ballet is part of the physical activity programme, while indoor equipment includes tunnels, stepping stones and a ball pool. Movement therefore has both organised sessions and resources children can use in play.

In October 2023, staff responded to children's difficulty shaping sand by adding water, then allowing them time to experiment. Another activity involved children planning how to dry an imaginary pirate ship they had painted outdoors and dividing the work between themselves. Both examples show the practical texture of the nursery day at that time: adults supplied resources while leaving room for children to solve problems.

Outdoor and Community Life

Garden time happens at least twice daily. Gazebos partly cover the outdoor spaces, and waterproof mats and all-in-one suits allow non-walking children to spend time outside too. That makes outdoor provision relevant to babies, rather than an experience reserved for confident walkers.

The weekly allotment visit connects growing with eating: harvested produce goes into nursery cooking, and some is shared with families. The outings programme also includes nearby parks, supermarkets and the library, with parental permission required. These trips bring ordinary places into children's learning about the world beyond the nursery.

Wear it Pink is an annual fundraising event involving pink clothing for children and staff. Another home connection is the Giant African Land Snail: families can take the nursery pet home for a weekend, feed and care for her, and complete an activity slip together. Responsibility becomes something shared between nursery and home.

Relationships and Communication

Settling is organised as a gradual introduction. The first visit lasts about 30 to 45 minutes, takes place a week before the start date and includes a parent staying with their child. A favourite toy or comforter can come too. This gives the child familiar company while beginning to explore an unfamiliar routine.

The second visit's length is agreed individually with staff, and later sessions extend across the settling week. The longest lasts around 2.5 to 3 hours, with parents leaving their child for lunch or tea and possibly a nap. Including a meal or sleep gives settling a practical purpose beyond getting used to the playroom: it introduces parts of the day that can feel different from play.

Parents can telephone or email during the day. Famly is also used to record explained absences, while unexplained non-attendance triggers calls to carers and, if necessary, emergency contacts. The procedure moves to email or the app if telephone contact fails, with further welfare action where there is cause for concern. This is a defined communication process, rather than reliance on a single unanswered call.

Inclusion and Wellbeing

At the October 2023 inspection, Ofsted found that staff knew children well and worked to meet individual needs, including special educational needs and disabilities, but required more targeted staff development to improve the accuracy of developmental advice given to parents. Warm relationships and reliable developmental guidance are separate considerations. Families should weigh both.

In October 2023, staff sat with children during meals, supported conversations and helped children practise serving themselves and putting on shoes and socks. Home-cooked food was prepared around a seasonal menu, with the cook contributing to its design and staff managing children's allergies. These are dated examples of care that combined eating, communication and growing independence.

Current physical activity arrangements include suitable activities for children with SEND. The immunisation procedure collects information when children join so that families needing notification during an outbreak can be identified. These are specific mechanisms for accommodating needs and communicating health information; they should be considered alongside a child's own circumstances.

Sessions and Attendance

Brook House Nursery is at 110 Cole Park Road, Twickenham, TW1 1JA. It opens Monday to Friday, from 8am to 6pm, for 51 weeks annually, closing on bank holidays and for a week at Christmas. Full-day care is offered, with full-time and part-time attendance considered through the admissions process.

For bookings of two or three days a week, the nursery reserves the right to require Monday or Friday as one of those days. Its allocation priorities begin with existing children needing additional days, followed by siblings, then full-time and part-time applicants. Those rules make the choice of weekdays a meaningful part of planning attendance.

Enquiries can be made through the contact form, by telephone on 020 8255 1365 or by email at office@brookhousenursery.com. A deposit is required when a place is accepted or held, with repayment subject to settled fees and the notice conditions. Fees are paid monthly in advance, and illness or holiday absence does not remove the payment obligation.

Reducing booked days before starting requires three months' written notice; after joining, the requirement is one month. Leaving requires two months' written notice. These are practical commitments for families whose working pattern may change after booking.

Funding and Paid Extras

Funded childcare includes the universal entitlement and the expanded Working Families Entitlement, stretched across 51 weeks. Extended hours are offered to children attending four or five days weekly. Eligibility and the nursery's attendance conditions are separate: qualifying for an entitlement does not itself determine the booking pattern here.

Additional hours outside funded childcare are charged. Parents provide nappies when needed.

Current prices come in the nursery's written quotation. The fees and funding information provides the route to its charging policies and fee schedules.

Getting There

Families cycling or scooting can leave bikes in the bike rack and scooters in the shed. This gives those journeys a practical storage arrangement at the nursery.

• Developmental guidance. The October 2023 improvement point concerned staff knowledge and occasionally misleading advice to parents. During a visit, ask how staff now explain developmental observations and maintain their understanding of child development.
• Part-time weekday choice. Two- or three-day bookings may need to include Monday or Friday, while extended funded hours are tied to four- or five-day attendance. Consider those conditions against the days your household needs.
• Settling and visiting. Tours have appointment slots at 10.15am and 3.15pm, and visitors must bring identification and leave phones in the office. Use the visit to discuss how the individually agreed settling sessions would accommodate your child's meals and sleep.
• Funded-day arrangements. Funding is stretched across 51 weeks, and parents bring nappies when needed. What are the current arrangements and charges for meals, activities, wipes and suncream during funded days, and how would any allergies be managed?

Brook House suits families seeking either full-time attendance or a part-time pattern of nursery days, who value gardening, practical self-care and opportunities to share experiences at home. The allotment, bird-named rooms and weekend pet care give that offer tangible character.

The Good judgement from October 2023 supports a positive assessment, with an important qualification about developmental advice. Attendance conditions also need to fit the household. For families comfortable with those terms, the strongest appeal is an everyday programme built around doing, choosing and taking responsibility.