The New Spring Nursery School

A church-hall setting, a garden used across the seasons and older children's learning in the church vestry give The New Spring Nursery School its character. Based at All Saints Church Hall in East Sheen, it combines practical play with opportunities for children to share their interests from home. At its September 2024 inspection, Ofsted rated the provision Good and found safeguarding effective.

There is capacity for 36 children, with a current age range of 24 to 60 months. This is whole-setting capacity, rather than the number attending a particular session. Morning and afternoon sessions sit alongside breakfast and extended-hours options, giving families several ways to organise attendance during term time.

The strongest detail is the connection between home and nursery: photographs, objects, messages and children's interests help shape activities. Two priorities from September 2024 also deserve attention: more consistent encouragement of books and stories, and more time for children to complete tasks themselves.

Learning and Activities

The Early Years Foundation Stage (EYFS) provides the framework for learning and care: children develop language, physical coordination, social confidence and early mathematical understanding through play and planned activities. Planning draws on children's interests, with daily observations, photographs, notes and examples of their work helping staff decide what comes next.

Indoor choices include construction, a home corner, paint and natural materials. These give children different ways to explore an idea, whether through making, pretending or handling objects. Weekly topics add shared activities, and parents can contribute objects for the display table. From January in the spring term, the oldest children can pursue the topic in a smaller group in the church vestry, with closer adult attention.

Show and Tell gives children an opportunity during registration to share a book, photograph or object from home. It creates a concrete starting point for conversation. Music, dance and movement take place on most days; group instrument activities happen a couple of times each week, while instruments are also accessible for independent use each day.

In September 2024, staff used animal names during threading activities and questions during water play to extend children's conversation. Dough activities involved cutters, scissors and flour shakers, giving children practice with the hand movements needed for later mark-making. At the September 2024 inspection, Ofsted also asked staff to encourage engagement with books and stories more consistently and to leave children enough time to respond to instructions and finish tasks independently.

Outdoor and Community Life

The garden supports seasonal exploration rather than a single type of outdoor play. Summer activities include growing plants and watering flowers; winter brings mud digging, puddles and fallen leaves. Sand and water offer further opportunities to investigate materials outside.

In September 2024, physical play included a basketball hoop and garden activities involving balls, tubs and hula hoops. These examples add substance to the outdoor offer: children were practising throwing and coordinating their movements, alongside quieter investigation and imaginative play.

Relationships and Communication

A key worker is allocated during the first few weeks, after staff have had time to learn about each child's personality and interests. Siblings share the same key worker. Younger starters can begin with shorter sessions, making the first stage of attendance a gentler introduction to the routine.

A settling review reaches parents after six weeks. A more detailed curriculum report usually follows during the second term, although it can come later for younger children or those attending part-time; a parent meeting follows that report. The Learning Journey, a folder of photographs, observations, projects and activities, gives families a record of their child's experiences across the year.

Communication also works in the other direction. The message book lets parents flag an outing or a new interest that their child might want to discuss. Conversations, email updates and termly meetings can be adapted to family circumstances, within the nursery's stated limits on time and suitability. Parent representatives collect suggestions and meet staff once a term, providing another route for family views.

Inclusion and Wellbeing

Snack time happens in small groups, allowing conversation with adults and other children. Children practise pouring drinks, and photographs help them understand the choices on offer. Parents can notify staff about foods their child does not eat, while a snack information board keeps families informed.

In September 2024, adults explained sharing and turn-taking, and children helped one another during sand play. The independence concern from that month matters here too: support is most useful when it leaves a child time to try, rather than taking over the task.

Sessions and Attendance

The address is All Saints Church Hall, East Sheen Avenue, London, SW14 8AU. Attendance is term-time. Morning sessions run from 9am to 1pm, Monday to Friday; afternoons run from 1pm to 3pm, Monday to Thursday.

Breakfast runs from 8am to 9am. Extended sessions run from 3pm to 6pm, with the later finish offered Monday to Thursday; Friday finishes at 3pm. Full-day attendance is also offered. Morning attendance has a minimum booking of three mornings.

For autumn 2026, term ends on 9 December, with the half-term break running from 26 to 30 October. The nursery also closes on polling days, whose dates are subject to confirmation. The contact form accepts visit requests and requests for a registration form.

Funding and Paid Extras

Both 15 hour and 30 hour funding are offered, and the funded attendance arrangements are term-time. Paid hours can sit alongside funded hours. Current prices come in the nursery's written quotation; the fees page sets out the different attendance and funding arrangements.

Food and non-food consumables are included in unfunded morning fees. Snacks and consumables are included in the 15-hour funded morning arrangement, which also includes additional paid hours; afternoon fees include lunch and consumables. For the 30-hour arrangement, two-year-olds have no additional fee, while children aged three and four have an additional charge covering consumables and extra hours. Extended-session fees include consumables. The distinction matters: the treatment of consumables changes with the funded arrangement and the child's age.

• Books and independence. September 2024 brought improvement priorities around story engagement and allowing children time to act for themselves. On a visit, ask how story sessions and everyday tasks now address those priorities.
• Morning booking minimum. Morning attendance requires at least three mornings. Consider how that commitment fits your family's week.
• Funding changes the extras. Consumables are included in the 15-hour morning arrangement, but the 30-hour arrangement for three- and four-year-olds adds a charge for consumables and extra hours. Compare the written quotation for your child's age and intended attendance pattern.

The New Spring Nursery School suits families seeking term-time morning attendance, or a combination of mornings and afternoons, with breakfast and later sessions adding flexibility. The garden, church-vestry learning and home-to-nursery communication give that offer substance. Its September 2024 Good judgement sits alongside specific development priorities: books need consistent adult encouragement, and independence needs time. For parents, those are useful points against which to assess the daily experience.