Little Garden The Worcester Park Day Nursery & Pre-School

Age-divided gardens give Worcester Park’s children space to climb, dig and grow, while four rooms separate the baby, toddler, nursery and preschool stages. This Longfellow Road setting accepts children from 3 months to 5 years and has 49 places in total. Its character rests on everyday exploration and relationships with familiar adults.

At its 7 January 2026 inspection, Ofsted judged achievement, behaviour and routines, welfare, curriculum and teaching, inclusion, and leadership to meet the Expected standard, with safeguarding standards met. The next step was to make fuller educational use of the outdoor provision. That gives families a useful balance: the gardens are a concrete part of the offer, but their contribution to learning still needed development.

Full-day, morning and afternoon bookings serve different attendance needs, within a year-round operating pattern.

Rooms and Ages

The baby, toddler, nursery and preschool rooms provide separate spaces for successive stages of development. Across the setting, reading areas give children somewhere to spend time with books. Outside, gardens divided by age accommodate climbing, growing and digging, bringing physical activity and investigation into the nursery day.

These spaces offer more than somewhere to expend energy. Growing and digging provide things to investigate; climbing gives children physical challenges. For parents comparing settings, the practical attraction is the combination of indoor rooms and outdoor areas organised around different ages.

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 experiences help children develop skills. Alongside it, the group-wide Critical And Creative Thinkers commitment encourages children to investigate ideas and solve problems, while Confident Communicators supports expression in ways suited to each child. Both sit within the wider group curriculum rather than being programmes unique to Worcester Park.

In January 2026, learning goals were arranged across age groups, with observations helping staff decide what each child should tackle next. Books were within children’s reach, and shared stories prompted them to remember details. Counting and sorting appeared in ordinary activities, making mathematics part of play rather than a separate exercise.

Children’s interests also shaped activities that month. An interest in water led staff to extend the opportunities to explore it. Children built a castle together that they could sit inside, combining construction with cooperation. These examples show the kinds of practical experiences used to develop language, thinking and social skills.

Outdoor and Community Life

Explorers of Our World is another group-wide commitment, connecting children with nature through outdoor experiences. Worcester Park’s divided gardens give that idea a physical setting, with opportunities to grow plants and explore through movement and imaginative play.

In January 2026, children used the outdoors to practise physical skills and investigate their surroundings. Leaders were planning further development of the space. The improvement priority was to extend what children could learn outside, so families who place outdoor learning high on their list should look beyond the size of the gardens to how activities use them.

Relationships and Communication

In January 2026, the key-person arrangement gave children a familiar adult to turn to, with babies seeking comfort and staff responding to their signals. Feeding and sleep routines were adjusted around individual needs. For a family with a young baby, that detail matters more than a general promise of care: the daily pattern was adapted to the child.

Parents received information about learning and ideas for supporting it at home that month. Staff also passed information between rooms to help children move to their next stage. This connects care with learning, allowing changes of room to build on what practitioners already know about a child.

Inclusion and Wellbeing

At the January 2026 inspection, Ofsted found that children with SEND and other barriers were making progress, supported by adaptations including visual prompts, sensory resources and calming strategies, with individual education plans reviewed alongside parents. The practical detail is the shared plan: support was documented so different adults could use an agreed approach.

In January 2026, staff helped children understand the effects of their behaviour and supported younger children with frustration. Older children practised working together to solve problems. Everyday independence included choosing play resources, managing coats and washing hands, giving children opportunities to do things for themselves.

Meals are cooked on the premises each day with seasonal ingredients. This makes food preparation part of the setting’s daily operation rather than an external delivery arrangement.

Sessions and Attendance

The address is 42-44 Longfellow Road, Worcester Park, KT4 8BB. Opening hours are 7.30am to 6.30pm, Monday to Friday, across 51 weeks, with public holidays and a Christmas week closed.

The Full Day runs from 8am to 6pm; Morning is 8am to 1pm, and Afternoon is 1pm to 6pm. Early Start covers 7.30am to 8am, while Late Finish covers 6pm to 6.30pm. These additions distinguish the opening window from the standard booked day.

The minimum weekly booking is two full days or four morning/afternoon sessions, including a Monday or Friday. That condition matters for families looking for a small amount of weekly care: the shorter sessions still come with a minimum attendance commitment.

Worcester Park station is a short walk away, with local bus routes nearby. A dedicated buggy store allows a buggy to remain at the nursery during the day. Enquiries can be made through the branch enquiry route or by email to worcesterpark@lgnurseries.com.

Funding and Paid Extras

Funded childcare is offered through the Government’s Early Education Entitlement for eligible children aged 9 months to 4 years, based on 15 or 30 hours per week for 38 weeks. The standard arrangement stretches these hours across the nursery’s operating weeks. The nursery also accepts early learning for 2-year-olds funding. Funded hours can be taken alone or combined with privately paid attendance, and can be used within the 8am to 6pm day, morning or afternoon patterns, subject to availability.

Private session fees include meals and consumables except nappies. During funded hours, food, consumables and enrichment are charged separately through the optional Essentials Package; families can opt out by contacting the manager before term begins. Its consumables cover cream, wipes, suncream and nappy bags. Opting out may involve supplying suitable alternatives or collecting and disposing of consumables under the nursery’s policies.

The Enrichment Programme covers additional experiences that may include gardening, baking, celebration days and specialist visits. These are possible elements, rather than a guaranteed activity timetable. Current prices come in the nursery’s written quotation.

A registration charge and a deposit refunded against the final invoice apply, with both waived for fully funded places. Fees are paid monthly in advance, and permanent session changes or cancellations require one calendar month’s notice. Normal charges continue through bank holidays, with no session exchanges, credits or refunds for holidays or sickness.

• Outdoor learning. Extending learning outdoors was the January 2026 improvement priority. On a tour, ask how the age-divided gardens now support planned learning as well as physical play.
• Weekly commitment. The minimum is two full days or four morning/afternoon sessions, including Monday or Friday. Compare that pattern with the days your family actually needs.
• Funded extras. The Essentials Package is optional during funded hours, and opting out may require alternatives from home. Discuss the food and consumables arrangements before choosing your package; families managing allergies should confirm current food preparation practice.

Worcester Park suits families choosing either full-day attendance or morning and afternoon sessions, who value separate developmental spaces and gardens organised by age. The January 2026 position supports a measured recommendation, with practical care routines and individual support alongside an outdoor-learning priority. The deciding questions are how well the minimum booking fits your week and which funded-hours extras your family wants.