SRC Community Nursery

Community ownership is the defining feature at SRC Community Nursery. This non-profit setting at 1 Gaza Street, Kennington, is supported by a voluntary committee of current and former parents, and it says any surplus goes back into childcare and education. That gives families a formal route into how the nursery is run, rather than limiting their role to occasional feedback.

The nursery has capacity for 58 children aged six months to five years. Ofsted judged it Good in November 2024, with Good judgements across education, behaviour and attitudes, personal development, and leadership and management. Children were happy and secure, with strong relationships supporting confident play.

Full days, half days, flexible attendance and term-time funded patterns are all published. This breadth should work for families whose childcare needs do not fit a single five-day model.

Rooms and Ages

The published age span runs from six months to five years. The sleep policy identifies baby, toddler and preschool rooms, although it publishes a firm age band only for preschool, from three to five. It also describes a sensory room and a cosy corner in every play room. For preschool children who still need an afternoon sleep, staff can arrange rest in the sensory room or alongside sleepers in the toddler room.

Sleep changes with development rather than at one abrupt room boundary. Babies use cots or sleep mats following discussion with parents, and the move from the baby room to the toddler room includes beginning to use a mat bed at around 12 months. Staff monitor sleep every 10 to 15 minutes and remain present while children sleep or rest. That gives families with a very particular sleep routine concrete practice to discuss during settling.

Learning and Named Experiences

The Early Years Foundation Stage shapes planning across seven areas, from communication and physical development to mathematics and expressive arts. In everyday terms, staff use each child's interests to choose experiences that build skills and knowledge, rather than running everyone through the same activity. SRC also explicitly includes supported risky play, intended to help children judge hazards, make decisions and adapt safely.

In November 2024, babies explored cornstarch through messy play. Older children practised scissors while making snowmen, choosing materials and learning descriptive vocabulary. Books were active experiences too: younger children used puppets and action rhymes, opened flaps in Dear Zoo, and older children acted out We're Going on a Bear Hunt. These are specific examples of language, concentration and motor skills developing through play.

Outdoor and Community Life

Physical challenge is deliberate. In November 2024, children selected balance bikes or pedal bikes at the appropriate stage, then climbed over, under and through garden furniture. This built coordination, confidence and a sense of manageable risk. At the time, managers planned further work on the garden to increase sensory and natural play.

The community model reaches beyond the committee. Parents are invited to contribute cooking, music and storytelling skills and to join trips. This can connect children's home experiences with nursery planning and gives the setting a more participatory character than a conventional parent-update model alone.

Relationships and Communication

Each child has a key person who leads welfare, learning plans and communication with home. Flexible settling sessions begin before the formal start and usually run for three to five days, with extra time where a child needs it. Optional play days take place three weeks before the start date, and parents can join for an hour. The approach is practical: staff learn about naps, feeding, home languages, preferences and familiar comfort items before expecting a child to adapt.

Communication continues through the Family App, review meetings and shared learning targets. Families can add observations and photographs to learning journeys, while twice-yearly individual meetings create space for a fuller discussion with the key person. In November 2024, parents felt well informed and valued personalised support plans. This is a genuine two-way system, not simply a daily handover.

Inclusion and Wellbeing

SEND support starts with the key person and family, then can extend to tailored plans, outside professionals, external referrals or an Education, Health and Care Plan application. For room moves, a familiar key person may settle alongside the child. For school transitions, the nursery can invite teachers to meet children and families, but it does not claim that attendance changes school admission decisions.

Emotional learning is visible in the daily curriculum. In November 2024, children named feelings during group time and discussed why they felt that way. Staff encouraged kindness, inclusion and independence, including self-feeding, finding belongings and clearing plates. Safeguarding arrangements were effective on that date.

Two inspection points deserve a direct conversation. Ofsted set improvements on reducing noise around older children so communication and language are fully supported, and on ensuring that children understand rules and instructions. These were points within a Good judgement, but both affect the quality of children's daily interactions.

Sessions and Attendance

SRC publishes full-day and half-day bookings, flexible attendance, and term-time funded childcare. The building opens from 8am to 6pm; exact full-day and half-day windows depend on the chosen arrangement. Extra days use a request process rather than a standing promise.

The current fee page describes both 15-hour and 30-hour funded options over 50 weeks, alongside term-time-only funded patterns. Eligibility and the way hours fit a child's timetable depend on the family's circumstances and agreed pattern. The closure page lists Christmas and summer closures, but its summer date range contains conflicting years.

Funding and Paid Extras

No fee amounts are reproduced here because they change. The nursery's fees page says private fees include breakfast, a morning snack, lunch, an afternoon snack, tea and extra-curricular activities. It also describes term-time funded childcare without an additional charge. The final quotation will depend on the child's funded and private-hour pattern.

Parents provide their child's nappies or pull-ups and personal creams; the nursery supplies non-perfumed wipes. That distinction matters when comparing the practical cost and packing requirements of a place.

Getting There

The nursery is at 1 Gaza Street, Kennington, London SE17 3RJ. Enquiries can be made by telephone, email or the website contact form.

• Older-room noise. The November 2024 improvement point concerned noise levels and their effect on communication and language. Ask what changes have been made and listen to how easily children and adults can hold conversations in the older room.
• Understanding instructions. A second point concerned children's understanding of rules and directions. Ask how practitioners now verify that a child has understood rather than simply repeating an instruction.
• Calendar clarity. The website's summer-closure dates mix 2025 and 2026. Obtain the current closure calendar before planning work or alternative care.
• Room boundaries. Baby, toddler and preschool rooms are named, but the website gives a definite age band only for preschool. Ask when children usually move rooms and how readiness influences that decision.

SRC's strongest proposition is the combination of a community-run structure and purposeful, play-based learning. Parent committee membership, shared targets and family contributions make participation unusually tangible, while dated examples show children learning through stories, messy play, bikes and practical independence. The Good judgement carries two communication-related improvement points that deserve attention.

This nursery best suits families wanting either full days or half days, flexible attendance, or a term-time funded pattern, especially those who value an active role in nursery life. The adaptable settling process and detailed sleep approach also give younger children a thoughtful route in.