Galaxy Explorers Day Nursery

Daily trips to Stave Hill Ecological Park give Galaxy Explorers Day Nursery a clear outdoor identity. Alongside those outings, BOPPIN' BUNNIES encourages children to express ideas through imagination, while an ATHLETICS COACH adds opportunities for active play. These are concrete additions to a day built around discovery and play.

The nursery occupies Claremont House in Canada Water and accepts children aged 3 to 60 months, with 85 places in total. At its November 2022 inspection, Ofsted rated it Good and found safeguarding effective, with good progress for children with special educational needs and/or disabilities and those learning English as an additional language. That is a dated assessment, rather than a description of today's practice.

Full-day attendance has a minimum booking of two sessions. The practical attraction is a combination of outdoor activity, communication through eyLog and care that extends from babies into the preschool years.

Learning and Activities

EYFS shapes the learning here: children learn through play, combining activities they choose with activities adults organise. Personal relationships, language and movement provide the starting point, alongside reading, mathematics, creative expression and understanding the world. The important distinction is how those areas become things children actually do.

PHONICS connects letters with sounds and introduces reading and writing. FOREIGN LANGUAGES gives children opportunities to encounter language, while BOPPIN' BUNNIES encourages imaginative expression. These additions have different purposes: early literacy, language experience and space for children's own ideas. They sit alongside the EYFS rather than replacing it.

In November 2022, younger children explored mark-making materials, while older children practised writing using cards bearing their names. Mathematical activities also differed by stage: babies played with stacking rings as adults counted, and older children constructed solid shapes using magnetic triangles and squares. Those examples show learning taking place through handling objects and trying things out, rather than through a single activity pitched at every age.

Reading had a physical presence in November 2022. A lending library supplied books for families to share at home; babies handled sensory books, and puppets accompanied stories and rhymes. The home link mattered as much as the equipment: a borrowed book created another opportunity for an adult and child to read together.

Outdoor and Community Life

Stave Hill Ecological Park is part of the daily outing plan for all children. That makes outdoor exploration a recurring part of attendance, rather than an occasional change of scene. The ATHLETICS COACH provides a separate opportunity for movement and interaction.

In November 2022, a sports specialist visited weekly, and children also went to gardens, farms and parks. Indoors, babies had low furniture and room to move as they practised crawling and walking; older children used slides, stairs and soft-play areas for climbing and balance. These were practical opportunities to build movement skills at different stages.

Chinese New Year, Eid and Diwali featured in November 2022 activities exploring different cultures. Parents contributed food and talked with children about family traditions. The useful element was participation: children encountered those traditions through people and shared experiences, rather than names alone.

Relationships and Communication

A key person provides continuity in the nursery's approach to relationships. The two-full-day minimum is intended to help children become familiar with both that adult and the setting. For parents choosing attendance days, that relationship-building purpose belongs alongside the timetable and cost.

eyLog connects home with nursery through children's learning records. Parents can read observations, daily diaries and progress reports, exchange messages and view accident or incident information. It provides a practical way to follow a child's day and development between conversations with staff.

In November 2022, settling arrangements helped children establish relationships with adults, and staff planned around children's interests and next steps. Parents received ideas for supporting learning at home. Together with the lending library, that made the connection between home and nursery more substantial than a daily handover alone.

Inclusion and Wellbeing

In November 2022, staff used picture-based schedules and cue cards to make activities accessible, alongside communication in different languages. External agencies contributed to targeted plans for individual children. These are useful mechanisms to discuss in relation to a child's particular needs, rather than treating a general judgement as a substitute for individual planning.

The November 2022 inspection identified uneven confidence among staff in extending children's language through purposeful conversation and play, and asked the nursery to develop communication support across the team. This is the main improvement point for parents to weigh against the positive assessment.

An on-site chef prepares fresh food each day, and babies can have either purées or small finger foods, with lunch finger foods offered until age 2. The daily fee includes formula milk, wipes and nappies, reducing the supplies families need to pack.

Sessions and Attendance

The full-day session runs from 7.45am to 6.30pm, with at least two full days required. Opening days are Monday to Friday, and attendance runs across the year. This pattern needs to fit the family's weekly routine as a whole, because reducing attendance still leaves a two-day minimum.

December brings a festive closure of up to five days, for which fees are not payable, and there are three further staff-training closure days during the year. Advance notice is given for the training dates. Those interruptions deserve a place in the family's childcare calendar.

Getting There

The address is Units 1&2&3 Claremont House, 24-28 Quebec Way, Canada Water, SE16 7LF. Enquiries can be made through the nursery's enquiry form, by telephone on 020 3488 4742 or by email at contact@galaxy-explorers.co.uk.

Funding and Paid Extras

In November 2022, the nursery provided funded early education for children aged three and four. Families considering funded attendance should make the funding discussion part of their assessment of the full-day booking requirement.

Private attendance is charged through equal monthly payments across the year, with a partial first month charged for the days attended. A non-refundable registration charge applies when a completed registration form is received. Ending attendance or reducing sessions requires one month's written notice, with fees continuing during that period.

Current prices come in the nursery's written quotation. The fees page sets out the attendance minimum, included baby supplies, payment structure and notice terms.

• Language development. November 2022 brought a specific improvement point about extending children's communication. At a visit, ask how staff now develop conversation during play and how this work is supported across the team.
• Weekly commitment. The full-day pattern requires at least two days, including after a reduction in attendance. Weigh that commitment alongside the written-notice requirement and planned closure days.
• Funded attendance and food. Funded education for three- and four-year-olds was part of the November 2022 offer. Ask which entitlements apply now, how funded hours fit the full-day pattern, and what meals and supplies cost on those hours; families managing allergies should also discuss current food practice.

Galaxy Explorers suits families seeking full-day attendance on at least two days each week, with daily park outings and a digital connection to nursery life. Stave Hill Ecological Park, eyLog and the included baby supplies give parents concrete reasons to consider it.

The Good judgement from November 2022 provides a positive inspection position, but the communication improvement point deserves attention. The strongest decision will connect those practical attractions with how the nursery supports the individual child's language, settling and care needs today.