1st Choice Day Nursery

Treasure baskets, loose parts and a community food project give 1st Choice Day Nursery a character that extends beyond its Peckham High Street address. Its Curiosity Approach centres on exploration with natural materials and objects that children can use in different ways. The practical attraction is simple: children have materials to investigate, rather than a single prescribed use for each resource.

At its May 2025 inspection, Ofsted rated the nursery Good, judged safeguarding effective and found that children learning English as an additional language, alongside those needing communication support, made good progress. Two improvements remained: more consistent handwashing before snacks and stronger adult involvement in children's play early in the day. Those are useful points to weigh alongside the positive judgement.

There are 48 places in total, with the current age range extending from birth to five. The named groups are Ladybirds and Busy Bees, whose routines cover younger children and preschool ages respectively. Opening hours run from 8am to 6pm on weekdays, with year-round operation excluding bank holidays.

Rooms and Ages

Ladybirds covers three months to three years, with a routine combining creative activities, physical play, quieter periods and free play, alongside nappy changes. Busy Bees, for ages three to five, follows a similar rhythm of making, movement, rest and independent play. These are recognisable daily anchors, giving families a clearer picture of the balance between activity and downtime.

For younger children, treasure baskets bring together objects to investigate through their senses. Heuristic play develops this exploration through handling and experimenting with materials. The emphasis is on what children discover as they use an object, rather than completing a predetermined task.

The older children's environment uses neutral colours and accessible, open-ended resources. Everyday objects include cutlery, nuts and bolts: loose parts that can be combined and repurposed during play. This gives the approach a concrete form.

Learning and Activities

EYFS provides the framework for children's learning, development and care, with play used to build skills and understanding. Here, observation informs activities suited to individual children, and the day includes work with the whole group, smaller groups and individual adults. The Curiosity Approach sits alongside that framework through natural resources and open-ended exploration; it does not replace it.

In May 2025, stories about animals were supported with props, encouraging children to name animals and imitate their sounds. Water play with small boats and ducks became an opportunity to revisit colours and numbers, including through songs. These examples show how familiar play can carry language and early mathematical ideas. Learning was woven into an activity children already wanted to join.

Construction offered another route into imaginative thinking that May: children planned a house and added rooms as their ideas developed. Pretend ice-cream selling brought adults into children's make-believe play.

Spanish-speaking staff add a language element to the current offer.

Outdoor and Community Life

Outings include Hornimans Museum, Vauxhall Farm Visit and Crystal Palace Park. The activity list also includes an Annual Theatre Trip, giving families examples of experiences beyond the nursery's rooms. These destinations broaden the setting for exploration, with animals, cultural experiences and public spaces forming part of the programme.

In May 2025, regular park outings included collecting natural objects and using climbing equipment. Older children practised judging their movements as they moved onto a pole and slid down. This was outdoor play with opportunities to make decisions, share discoveries and practise physical confidence.

Community support is substantial in its own right. Free food is offered on Mondays and Thursdays, while a Sunday food-bank and hot-soup service operates at Electric Lane in Brixton without a referral requirement. This is support for local families and others needing food, rather than a claim about children's activities. It gives the nursery's family-facing role a practical expression.

Relationships and Communication

Each child is allocated a key worker to follow their development and work with parents. Monthly parent workshops cover practical ways to support learning, including creative play and increasing independence. That creates two routes for partnership: individual discussion about a child and shared guidance families can use at home.

In May 2025, staff assessed progress and shared information with parents to support learning outside nursery. Following staff changes, key-person arrangements were being revised, with existing practitioners sharing responsibilities in the meantime.

Younger children had formed warm relationships with practitioners that May, while older children approached adults to explain what they needed. Staff also helped children practise turn-taking and express feelings. For parents, these are concrete examples of how relationships supported everyday participation, from asking for help to sharing a resource.

Inclusion and Wellbeing

In May 2025, staff training addressed behaviour and the needs of children requiring additional support. Activities also introduced differences between people, including why someone might use crutches after an injury. The emphasis was practical: children encountered reasons for another person's needs and practised consideration during play.

The same month's improvement points deserve attention. Handwashing was established before meals but was less consistently encouraged before snacks; early in the day, adult interactions did not reliably take children's play further. Neither issue should disappear beneath the overall Good judgement. Both concern the detail of daily care and learning.

Food includes home-cooked lunch and supper, with breakfast, an afternoon snack and pudding also included in fees. The nursery's dietary policy covers allergies and food preferences, making current arrangements for an individual child's needs an important discussion for affected families.

Sessions and Attendance

The address is 186 Peckham High Street, London, SE15 5EG. Opening hours are 8am to 6pm, Monday to Friday, and the nursery operates throughout the year except bank holidays. This provides a substantial weekday opening window; it should be read as the hours of operation rather than a particular booked session.

Enquiries can be made through the contact form, and joining involves completing a registration form and returning it by email. Visit booking and Stay & Play are also offered.

Funding and Paid Extras

The nursery offers funded childcare and identifies 15h Funded Childcare and 30h Funded Childcare among its options. Tax-Free Childcare is also accepted. These are separate ways of supporting childcare costs, so the relevant arrangement depends on the family's circumstances rather than simply choosing the largest headline number.

For fee-paying care, food is included, while parents supply nappies and wipes as well as spare clothes. Meals are included in the fee; parents provide nappies, wipes and spare clothes. Current prices come in the nursery's written quotation; the fees and funding page sets out the charge structure and funding options.

• Early-day learning. In May 2025, adult interactions at the start of the day were less consistent in extending play. During a visit, ask how practitioners now organise this period and help children develop their ideas.
• Snack-time hygiene. The May 2025 improvement point concerned handwashing before snacks. Ask how this routine is reinforced now; families managing allergies should also confirm current food-handling arrangements for their child.
• The youngest children. Ladybirds spans three months to three years, within a nursery whose overall age range begins at birth. Ask about Ladybirds' group size and how care, rest and sensory play are organised for the youngest children.
• Funded attendance. Funded childcare and fee-paying care are both offered. Meals are included in fees; parents provide nappies and wipes. Before joining, ask for a written funded-attendance plan covering the hours, attendance pattern and any food or consumables charges.

1st Choice Day Nursery suits families drawn to natural materials, exploratory play and practical involvement with parents. Treasure baskets and loose parts give its approach substance; monthly workshops and community food support extend its work with families beyond the child's daily activities.

Its weekday opening window will matter to parents arranging care around work. The May 2025 Good judgement provides a positive inspection position, but the questions about early-day interactions and snack-time handwashing remain part of a balanced choice. The strongest fit is a family that values this style of learning and wants to understand how those everyday routines now work.