Big 'N' All Preschool and Day Nursery

Wooden climbing equipment, arts-led learning and three flower-named groups give Big 'N' All Preschool and Day Nursery its character. Based at St John's Church Hall in Peckham, it combines play and creative work with an increasing emphasis on language, number and preparation for school as children grow. The progression matters: babies' sensory exploration and preschool children's problem-solving have different purposes here.

At its 12 March 2025 inspection, Ofsted rated the nursery Good and found safeguarding effective, with children, including those with special educational needs and/or disabilities (SEND), making good progress. There were also two clear priorities: using children's assessments more precisely when planning their learning, and involving parents in evaluating the nursery. Those are useful distinctions between a positive overall judgement and practice that still needs refinement.

The nursery has 32 places in total and accepts children from 8 to 60 months. Buttercups, Daisies and Orchids organise the younger-to-older progression; morning and afternoon half-days provide alternatives within the weekday opening window.

Rooms and Ages

Buttercups covers 8 months to 2 years, with an emphasis on weaning, first steps, sensory discovery and expressing emotions through play. These are practical priorities for children whose learning and care are closely connected: movement, feeding and communication all belong in the same account of their day.

For children aged 2 to 3, Daisies brings together conversation, social development, daily routines and physical coordination through interactive play. Orchids, for ages 3 to 4, shifts towards literacy, number, reasoning and solving problems in preparation for the next stage of education. These are learning groups, rather than a promise that each child will follow an identical timetable or progress at the same speed.

Learning and Activities

The EYFS provides the foundation: children's learning, development and care are brought together through play, language, creative work and physical activity. Big 'N' All adds an arts emphasis, while combining adult-organised activities with opportunities for children to choose their own play. That gives creative work a place alongside early literacy and numeracy rather than treating it as an occasional extra.

In March 2025, children painted characters drawn from stories and shared their finished pictures with staff. Singing with actions supported participation in group activities, while adults extended babies' language and held conversations with older children. Drawing and other mark-making activities included help with pencil handling. The examples show several routes into communication: listening, talking, movement and making marks.

Number work also had a practical setting in March 2025. Children counted pancake toppings, compared their choices and explored adding more; messy play used paint, water, flour and sand to explore shape, colour and size. Learning could grow from something children were already doing. The limitation was precision: staff understood children's interests and achievements, but did not consistently turn that knowledge into activities matched to their abilities and next developmental steps.

Outdoor and Community Life

The playground includes wooden play structures, climbing frames, benches and sensory elements installed by Precision Timber. Responsibly sourced timber was used for the redevelopment. The combination gives children opportunities for active play and sensory exploration, with seating incorporated into the outdoor space.

In March 2025, older babies practised balancing on large stepping blocks; older children used wheeled toys, climbed and built constructions outdoors. These are concrete examples of how the outdoor area supported different stages of movement. Work on developing the outdoor curriculum was also under way at that time.

Family celebrations include an annual Easter Celebration and an annual Christmas Celebration, both involving activities for children. They add shared occasions to the nursery year. Their value is participation, rather than an implied programme of weekly events or outings.

Relationships and Communication

Communication has several routes: daily reports, newsletters and meetings with parents. In March 2025, daily conversations accompanied photographs and information shared through an online app; staff discussed children's achievements with families and offered guidance on feeding and toilet training. Books could be borrowed for use at home. For parents, these are different kinds of contact: an account of the day, a conversation about development and something practical to continue together at home.

There is a distinction between keeping families informed and giving them a voice in how the nursery develops. In March 2025, staff contributed ideas to the nursery's evaluation, but leaders were not yet gathering parents' views for that purpose. Regular communication therefore did not, by itself, settle the improvement priority around parental involvement.

Inclusion and Wellbeing

In March 2025, staff monitored children's development and worked with parents and other professionals on individual support plans for children with SEND. Daily activities in small groups supported communication and language. This gives a concrete account of the support mechanisms used at that time, rather than a general promise about every child's future experience.

The daily routine includes quiet or nap time as well as stories, outdoor play and music with movement. Secure entry, regular cleaning of toys and surfaces, first-aid-trained staff and emergency drills form part of the nursery's practical arrangements. These arrangements describe how care is organised; the dated safeguarding judgement remains the relevant assessment of effectiveness.

Breakfast, lunch and tea are provided, together with two snacks during the day. The team includes a nursery cook. Food therefore forms part of the daily routine, including for children at the weaning stage, rather than sitting outside the account of their care.

Sessions and Attendance

Opening hours are 8am to 6pm, Monday to Friday. The half-day booking choices run from 8am to 1pm and from 1pm to 6pm. Those are actual attendance patterns, so a family seeking mornings can consider a different arrangement from one seeking afternoons.

Holiday planning needs to distinguish funded attendance from fee-paying attendance. During the 2026 summer half-term period, funded sessions stopped while fee-paying provision continued, apart from the bank holiday closure. The 2026 Easter and summer notices also gave funded children a longer break than the closure applying to all children. Families should treat the calendar for their attendance arrangement as part of the childcare decision, rather than assuming every child follows the same holiday pattern.

Getting There

The address is St John's Church Hall, 10a Meeting House Lane, London SE15 2UN, with the entrance on Springall Street. That entrance detail is useful when planning the practical route to the nursery.

Funding and Paid Extras

Funded childcare is offered, with the named entitlements including 15hr entitlements for 2 year olds, 30 Hours Funding and 15 Hours Universal. Private attendance is also offered through the daily and half-day fee structure. Funding and paid attendance should be considered separately, especially where their holiday calendars differ.

Contact the nursery for current prices and request a written quotation for the intended attendance pattern. Fees depend on the child's age and chosen schedule. The fees page sets out the attendance choices and named funding options.

If a child is unwell, the nursery asks families to keep them at home until they have been symptom-free for at least 24 hours. Parents are contacted to collect a child who becomes ill during the day. This is another practical planning point for families arranging care around work.

• Planning the next step. March 2025 assessments were not consistently translated into sufficiently precise activities. On a visit, ask how a child's current achievements now shape the next opportunities offered to them.
• Parents' influence. In March 2025, parental views were not yet part of the nursery's evaluation. Ask how families can contribute to decisions about what works well and what needs changing.
• Funded attendance and the total charge. The 2026 calendar distinguished funded breaks from fee-paying attendance. Ask how funding is delivered across the year and how meals and non-food consumables are treated in the quotation for the intended pattern.

Big 'N' All suits families looking for either morning or afternoon half-days, with an arts emphasis and a clear progression from sensory play towards early literacy and number. The wooden playground, Buttercups' practical baby-stage priorities and Orchids' preparation for the next stage give parents concrete features to weigh.

The March 2025 judgement provides a positive starting point, but the two improvement priorities deserve attention: individual planning and parents' influence on development. For families using funding, the different holiday arrangements are equally consequential. The best fit depends on both the child's day and the calendar supporting it.