Old Kent Road Nursery & Pre-School

Two gardens, a sensory room and an on-site chef give Old Kent Road Nursery & Pre-School a clear practical character: room to move, different spaces for play and freshly prepared food within the setting. Books matter too, with a lending library alongside activities such as cooking, gardening and science experiments. These are useful details for families who want their child's day to include both hands-on exploration and quieter interests.

At its 10 July 2025 inspection, Ofsted rated the nursery Good and judged safeguarding effective. The positive picture came with two improvement priorities: checking how staff put training into practice, and helping children deepen their understanding through better-planned activities.

The nursery has capacity for 55 children and accepts children from 3 months to 5 years. Its address is 616 Old Kent Road, London, SE15 1JB, in Peckham. Across-year full-day plans provide the attendance model, with the booking conditions explained below.

Learning and Activities

The early years foundation stage sets the requirements for children's learning, development and care; in everyday terms, play, conversation and practical activity help children develop their skills. Here, current activities include construction, arts that involve messy materials, growing plants, cooking and experimenting. Children have several ways to investigate an idea, whether they are making something, handling ingredients or working with building materials.

In July 2025, imaginative play responded to children's family experiences. A pretend medical setting replaced the usual home corner after new babies had joined several families. That gave children a way to act out experiences they recognised and explore them with friends. It is a concrete example of interests shaping an activity rather than an activity standing apart from children's lives.

Language received attention through stories, songs and visual support. In July 2025, staff paired Makaton signs with picture cards to help communication, while animated storytelling encouraged children to join in and predict what would happen next. Older children also shared books with one another and recalled their stories. For parents, these examples show how conversation and reading could become part of play as well as an adult-led activity.

The same visit illustrated the limit identified in activity planning. Children investigated a mixture that resembled volcanic lava, discussing changes and smelling ingredients, but staff needed to provide more help with understanding what the experiment meant. Enjoying an experiment and understanding it are separate steps. That distinction is a useful one when judging how activities develop beyond the initial excitement.

Outdoor and Community Life

Separate rooms accommodate different age groups, and the two gardens extend play beyond the indoor spaces. A sensory room adds another physical resource. Together, these spaces give the nursery several settings for children's activities rather than relying on one shared play area.

In July 2025, outdoor play included climbing equipment and wheeled toys. Older children worked with herbs, mud and kitchen utensils in the mud kitchen; younger children explored textures and chased bubbles. The examples show different uses of outdoor time, from large movements to handling and investigating materials. The lending library adds a practical connection with books alongside these more active experiences.

Relationships and Communication

In July 2025, children sought comfort from staff, received encouragement and settled into activities with friends. Familiar routines included putting toys away and clearing up after eating. These small responsibilities made independence part of ordinary nursery life rather than a separate lesson.

Communication with families combined daily conversations with an app in July 2025. Parents received information about their child's experiences and learning, and described help with settling and understanding behavioural expectations. ParentZone is part of the current offer, giving families a named communication tool.

The staff-development concern deserves attention alongside these relationships. In July 2025, induction, supervision and training were in place, but managers needed to check their effect more precisely because some staff understood the routines and procedures but needed firmer knowledge and more consistent practice. Training attendance alone was not the issue: the priority was making sure learning translated into consistent practice with children.

Inclusion and Wellbeing

At the July 2025 inspection, Ofsted found that staff identified and supported special educational needs and/or disabilities effectively, collaborated with families and professionals, and considered individual needs during moves between rooms and on to school. For families needing additional support, the concrete strength was the connection between identifying a need, working with other adults and planning transitions.

Mealtimes also had a social and practical role in July 2025. Children discussed food, compared portions and counted vegetables, then took turns serving and clearing away. Staff included children with additional needs in these routines. Eating was therefore also an opportunity to practise conversation, early mathematics and everyday independence.

Sessions and Attendance

Opening hours are 8am to 6.30pm, Monday to Friday. Full-day sessions run from 8am to 6.30pm, and all-year booking plans cover two, three, four or five days per week. Full-day plans require at least two consecutive days, with a Monday or Friday included. That condition matters for families whose work falls mainly in the middle of the week.

The nursery operates across the year, closing for Christmas, bank holidays and three annual training days. Enquiries can go directly to oldkentroad@leyf.org.uk or 020 7639 3030, and visits can be booked.

Getting There

The address is 616 Old Kent Road, London, SE15 1JB; nearby rail options include South Bermondsey and Queens Road Peckham. Peckham Park Road bus stop WE serves routes 21, 53, 172, 453 and N21, giving families several public transport options to consider.

Funding and Paid Extras

Both private childcare and funded hours are offered. The funding options include Working Parent funding, the Two Year Old Offer, Universal funding and Extended Entitlement, subject to the relevant eligibility conditions. On all-year bookings, funded entitlement is stretched across 51 weeks: the 15-hour schemes provide 11 hours each week and the 30-hour scheme provides 22. Additional attendance is paid for privately.

Breakfast, lunch, tea and snacks are included in the all-year plans, including those combining funded and paid hours; the on-site chef cooks the meals and snacks. Dietary needs and allergies are catered for.

Private-place offers carry a non-refundable registration charge and a deposit payable when the offer is accepted. The deposit is returned if cancellation is at least six weeks before the agreed start, but retained for later cancellation; at the end of attendance it becomes a credit towards the final account. Current prices come in the nursery's written quotation. An optional Green LEYF contribution supports sustainability programmes.

• Teaching beyond the activity. The July 2025 priorities concerned staff applying training consistently and helping children consolidate learning. During a visit, ask how a recent activity was revisited and how managers check staff practice.
• Consecutive-day booking. Full-day plans require two consecutive days and include a Monday or Friday. Families needing only midweek attendance should compare that rule with their actual working pattern.
• Baby care and personal supplies. Children can start from 3 months, and age groups have separate rooms. On a visit, ask about the baby group's usual size and sleep arrangements.
• Allergy arrangements. An on-site chef prepares the food and the nursery caters for dietary requirements and allergies. Families managing an allergy should confirm current preparation and serving arrangements for their child.

Old Kent Road suits families seeking an all-year routine, whether a two-day consecutive booking or attendance throughout the five-day working week. Its gardens, lending library, sensory room and on-site cooking give that routine substance. The July 2025 findings also provide a balanced basis for a decision: positive relationships and support sat alongside specific work on staff practice and the depth of learning.