Mini Treasures Nursery, Croydon

A doll’s house turned into a firefighting exercise captured the character of Mini Treasures Nursery, Croydon in January 2023: play with a practical purpose. Despite its name, this setting is at Castlemead T & R Hall on Camberwell Road in London, SE5 0ET. It accepts children aged 3 to 60 months and has 24 places in total.

Ofsted rated the nursery Good at its 5 January 2023 inspection. That dated assessment provides the starting point for understanding its care and learning.

The early years foundation stage sets the framework for children’s learning, development and care, with play providing opportunities to practise language, thinking and physical skills.

In January 2023, children painted pretend flames on a doll’s house, then used foam and water to rescue toy figures. The activity connected imaginative play with understanding safety and the work of firefighters. Mathematics also surfaced in ordinary experiences: numbered pebbles, pretend shopping and comparing bubbles made counting, money and size tangible.

Conversation was woven into activities in January 2023. Staff extended vocabulary, allowed time for answers and encouraged children to discuss experiences from home. Stories and singing gave language practice another route. In the garden, running and bike riding supported physical activity.

Planning needed greater precision in January 2023. A recently introduced approach to child-led activities was not yet consistently connecting each child’s learning with what should come next. Enjoyable activities and a clear learning sequence are separate considerations for parents.

At the January 2023 inspection, Ofsted found safeguarding effective and judged that children, including those with special educational needs and/or disabilities, made good progress, supported by assessments and work with other professionals.

In January 2023, conversations included children’s home languages as well as English. Parents contributed stories and objects to celebrations of different cultures, giving children concrete ways to explore one another’s backgrounds. Children practised independence by managing their belongings, while clear routines and encouragement supported sharing and cooperation.

Daily feedback in January 2023 covered routines and achievements; books and activities also went home to extend learning. Children ate nutritious meals and snacks and practised handwashing. Staff received supervision and professional development, with colleagues observing one another’s practice. However, communication with other childcare settings attended by the same children needed strengthening.

The address is 238 Camberwell Road, Castlemead T & R Hall, London SE5 0ET. Opening hours are 7.30am to 6pm, Monday to Friday, across the year, with closures on bank holidays and for one week at Christmas.

In January 2023, the nursery received early-education funding for children aged two, three and four. That is a dated participation statement rather than a promise of a funded place today.

• Learning sequence. Planning needed more precision in January 2023. On a visit, ask how activities now build on your child’s next learning steps.
• Shared childcare. Links with other settings needed strengthening in January 2023. Families using more than one provider should discuss how learning and care information will be exchanged.
• Attendance and costs. The weekday opening window extends from 7.30am to 6pm. Ask which booking pattern fits your family and request a written quotation covering funded hours, meals and consumables.

Mini Treasures’ January 2023 inspection picture suits families seeking weekday childcare and an approach that connects play with everyday understanding. Its January 2023 examples give substance to that picture: imaginative rescue games, practical mathematics and conversation across languages. The two improvement points deserve equal weight when assessing how the nursery would support an individual child.