The Mall Nursery

A weekly swim, a theatre and reading companions from The Mall School give this Twickenham nursery a character shaped by its school connections. The indoor heated swimming pool and 160 seat theatre extend the children's experiences beyond their nursery rooms, while a large outdoor area provides space for everyday play. These are concrete reasons to consider it for a child who enjoys movement, stories and making things.

At its December 2024 inspection, Ofsted rated The Mall Nursery Outstanding overall. The setting welcomes children from six months to school age at 84 Hampton Road, Twickenham, TW2 5QS. Baby, toddler and preschool accommodation separates the stages of nursery life rather than treating the age range as one group.

Attendance centres on full days, with earlier starts and later collection by request. That practical model matters as much as the facilities: families need a weekly pattern that works alongside their child's routines.

Rooms and Ages

Baby Rooms, Toddler Room and Pre-Schooler Room form the main stages of provision. The youngest children have sensory experiences: a baby-room activity used a tuff tray with a paint-and-water mixture for a pretend car wash. It gives a concrete example of learning through touching and exploring materials, rather than expecting babies to join activities designed for older children.

Toddler Room 1 has used cereal and chocolate to make Easter cakes, with children spooning and pouring for themselves; Toddler Room 2 has decorated eggs with paint, using both hands to manage the materials. These examples make the educational purpose easy to understand. A creative activity also gives children practice controlling their movements and making their own choices.

In December 2024, babies joined songs through movement, toddlers handled scissors, and preschool children recalled stories and explored ideas about weight and how much containers could hold. The experiences differed with children's development. For parents, that is a more useful picture of the nursery day than a single list of activities for every age.

Learning and Activities

The EYFS guides learning through play, combining children's own choices with experiences organised by practitioners. Communication, physical development, relationships, early mathematics and creative expression sit within this framework. It is the foundation of early years provision; the nursery's school-linked activities add to it.

Weekly PE lessons are led by sports teachers from the school. Nursery staff help children notice changes such as a faster heartbeat and connect exercise and drinking water with looking after themselves. The weekly swim adds another physical experience, while theatre performances introduce a different setting for expression and participation.

Reading Buddies Programme pairs children in toddler and preschool rooms with older children from The Mall School for reading each week. The practical addition is regular shared time with an older child and a book. Preschool also has a weekly music lesson, and toddlers have explored fruit and textures alongside The Very Hungry Caterpillar, linking a story with an opportunity to taste unfamiliar foods.

In December 2024, children were also learning Greek and Spanish. Language learning sat alongside the nursery's wider emphasis on communication, rather than replacing everyday conversation and storytelling.

Outdoor and Community Life

A climbing frame, mud kitchen and water feature give the outdoor area several different uses: movement, imaginative play and exploration. These physical features deserve attention alongside the pool and theatre. They are part of the nursery's own play space, rather than activities dependent on leaving the setting.

World Book Day celebrations have included book-character costumes and a reading session in the main school's library alongside its Reception class. Random Acts of Kindness Day involved preschool children taking gifts and cards to local businesses. These examples connect stories and relationships with people and spaces beyond the nursery rooms; they should not be read as a promise of trips on a fixed timetable.

Relationships and Communication

An Online Learning Journey begins when a child joins. The key person and parents contribute information about interests, activities, achievements and care needs, helping planning follow the individual child. Photographs, videos and observations contribute to assessments, so the record is intended to connect daily experiences with development rather than simply collect pictures.

Assessments take place six to eight weeks after joining, at transitions and before moving to school. Parents also receive a written developmental summary between 24 and 36 months, covering communication, physical development and personal and social development. Family contributions are part of that process. What a child enjoys or manages at home can therefore inform the next nursery activity.

Inclusion and Wellbeing

At the December 2024 inspection, Ofsted found effective safeguarding, careful support for settling and room changes, and prompt responses to learning gaps, including speech delays, benefiting vulnerable children and bilingual learners. That dated judgement brings together care, inclusion and learning: attention to an individual child was reflected in both transitions and assessment.

In December 2024, routines around meals were adjusted to individual needs. Settling support involved the child's key person, giving the move from home a familiar relationship rather than relying only on a new room and timetable.

The registration charge includes joining administration and settling sessions. This gives settling a place in the joining arrangements themselves, alongside the key-person relationship and the continuing exchange of information with parents.

Sessions and Attendance

Core full days run from 7.30am to 6.30pm, Monday to Friday. Earlier attendance from 7am and collection up to 7pm can be requested. The nursery opens for 51 weeks each year and closes for a week between Christmas and New Year; bank holidays are also closure days.

The minimum booking is three full days. Funding arrangements specify a three-day weekly minimum for families using 15 hours and a four-day minimum for those using 30 hours. These conditions make this a substantial weekly attendance commitment, even where part of the childcare is funded.

Enquiries go to info@themallnursery.org.uk or 020 8898 3528. Registration involves returning the completed form by email, and fees are paid monthly in advance.

Getting There

The address is 84 Hampton Road, Twickenham, TW2 5QS. A buggy park provides storage for families travelling on foot, a useful practical detail when a pushchair is part of the daily routine.

Funding and Paid Extras

The nursery offers 15 and 30 hours funding, stretched across its 51-week year rather than confined to term time. Additional childcare is charged separately, as are early starts and late finishes. Families should obtain current prices in a written quotation, with their attendance pattern and funding arrangement specified.

Fees include meals, snacks and drinks, together with nappies, wipes and creams, including sun cream; formula is included only for children under one. Swimming is included subject to availability. These inclusions reduce the number of everyday items families need to arrange separately, while the swimming condition remains relevant to expectations about attendance.

Moving on to School

The nursery describes a close connection with The Mall School, sharing facilities and providing a programme to help preschool children prepare for their next school. Nursery attendance does not guarantee a Reception place: families pursuing The Mall School must use the school's own admissions process. School preparation and school admission are separate decisions.

• A substantial weekly commitment. The minimum is three full days, rising to four days for the 30-hour funding pattern. Discuss how the proposed days and any extended attendance would work for your child during a visit.
• The youngest room. Children can join from six months, and Baby Rooms sit within a setting serving children through to school age. On a visit, ask how the baby group is organised and how sleep and individual routines fit into its day.
• Included swimming has a condition. Swimming is included subject to availability. Discuss participation for your child's age and attendance days when reviewing the proposed booking.
• School links and admissions. Shared facilities and reading relationships create contact with The Mall School. Treat its Reception application as a separate process rather than a consequence of choosing this nursery.

The Mall Nursery suits families seeking either core full-day attendance or an extended day with an earlier start or later collection, and who can accommodate its minimum weekly booking. Its strongest practical appeal is the combination of nursery play space with swimming, theatre use, PE and shared reading with older children.

The December 2024 Outstanding judgement gives the review a clear quality reference, while the key-person system and Online Learning Journey explain how families participate in their child's development. The decision turns on fit: the attendance commitment, the youngest child's daily routine and the value a family places on school-linked experiences. Reception admission remains a separate choice.