Camberwell After School Project

In July 2024, independence started with small jobs here: carrying a used snack bowl, pouring water and learning from an older friend. Camberwell After School Project's Beanstalk Climbers Early Years Service serves two, three and four-year-olds at Badsworth Road, with capacity for 20 children in total. The early years provision sits within a charity whose wider work includes childcare for school-age children and support for local families.

At the 22 July 2024 inspection, Ofsted rated the provision Good and judged safeguarding effective. The useful detail beneath that judgement is a day built around familiar routines, individual learning plans and opportunities for children to manage practical tasks themselves.

Morning and afternoon sessions run during term time. That makes this a relevant option for families arranging early education around part of the school day, rather than assuming the project's other childcare services share the nursery's hours.

Learning and Activities

Beanstalk Climbers Early Years Service emphasises language and communication, physical coordination and children's social and emotional development. These are practical priorities for this age group: expressing a need, handling objects and learning how to play alongside someone else.

The early years foundation stage provides the framework for children's learning, development and care, including learning through play. In July 2024, staff watched children during activities and used what they noticed to plan support for their key children. Those plans were displayed for colleagues to use too. The practical benefit is continuity: information about a child's next step can guide more than the adult who first observed it.

Daily routines also provided opportunities to practise independence in July 2024. Older children helped younger companions understand what to do after snack, including where to take their used cups and bowls. Children practised handwashing, using the toilet and getting themselves water. Learning was woven into ordinary tasks, rather than confined to organised activities.

Outdoor and Community Life

In July 2024, children used indoor and outdoor space for activities with different levels of challenge. Climbing apparatus gave them opportunities to test their movement while learning how to play safely. Staff considered how activities could work for the children attending, making the use of space part of planning rather than simply a break from indoor play.

The Badsworth Road premises also have a hall lit by skylight windows. Disabled access throughout the building and an accessible toilet with grab rails are useful physical details for families considering access needs. These describe the premises; individual care arrangements still depend on the child.

Relationships and Communication

In July 2024, children formed close relationships with their key person and other staff. Adults used calm guidance and consistent responses to behaviour, helping children understand boundaries and manage their feelings. Older children modelling routines added another source of familiarity for younger children finding their feet.

Communication had both face-to-face and electronic routes in July 2024, covering what children were learning and their next steps. Staff also adapted communication for parents who spoke other languages. For families, that matters because a useful conversation about development needs to be understandable as well as regular.

Inclusion and Wellbeing

At its July 2024 inspection, Ofsted found that the curriculum supported children with special educational needs and/or disabilities (SEND), with individual plans and outside-agency involvement when needed helping children make progress. This is a concrete account of support: identifying a child's needs, planning a response and seeking additional help where appropriate.

In July 2024, staff learnt words from children's home languages to help them settle. Respect and friendships were encouraged, although making fuller use of children's cultural experiences remained an improvement priority. Familiar words can help a child participate, while sharing family experiences offers a further opportunity for children to understand one another.

CASP's support for families extends beyond childcare. The Southwark Community Referral Pathway Scheme connects qualifying households with cost-of-living support; its criteria include low income, responsibility for home energy bills and identification of need by a referral partner. CASP also works with local agencies that can arrange foodbank vouchers and longer-term help. These are routes to practical assistance, rather than nursery learning programmes.

Sessions and Attendance

The nursery is at 14 Badsworth Road, Camberwell, London SE5 0JY. Its opening hours are 8.30am to 2.30pm during term time, with a morning session from 8.30am to 11.30am and an afternoon session from 11.30am to 2.30pm. The nursery timetable is separate from CASP's breakfast, after-school and holiday services.

Applications begin with a preliminary form, which must be completed in full. Families can use the contact form, telephone 0207 7082711 or email admin@caspuk.org for enquiries. The application asks about medical conditions, educational or behavioural needs and other agencies involved with a child, giving families a way to explain support needs at the outset.

Funding and Paid Extras

Funded early education is offered during term time: 15 hours for eligible two, three and four-year-olds, and a 30-hour offer covering up to eight places for eligible three and four-year-olds. Eligibility remains a condition of these arrangements. A funded entitlement and the session chosen are separate decisions, so the morning and afternoon timetable matters when planning attendance.

• Term-time timetable. Nursery opening hours end at 2.30pm, with separate morning and afternoon sessions. At a visit, discuss how the chosen session would fit your working or studying day.
• Individual support. In July 2024, individual plans and outside agencies were used when children needed additional help. Discuss how a key person would put your child's particular needs into a settling plan.
• Improvement priorities. The July 2024 priorities were helping parents protect children using internet-connected devices at home and making more use of children's cultural experiences. Ask how these now feature in family communication and activities.
• Financial continuity. CASP is fundraising because insufficient income threatens its continued operation. Before committing to attendance, ask about the nursery's plans for sustaining the service and how families would be informed of changes.

Beanstalk Climbers suits families seeking term-time early education through either morning or afternoon sessions, with funded provision for eligible children. Its July 2024 strengths were practical independence, familiar adult relationships and planning around individual children. The physical access arrangements and wider family-support routes add useful context. Financial sustainability deserves a direct conversation alongside the educational offer.