Oak Tree Pre-School Nursery, Carshalton Beeches

A mud kitchen, child-height resources and a morning that can finish at lunchtime give Oak Tree a clear preschool character. Based at Carshalton Beeches Baptist Church, it combines indoor play with an enclosed garden, while communication through Famly gives parents a way to share experiences from home as well as receive updates. The emphasis is on children doing things for themselves.

Ofsted rated the nursery Outstanding at its September 2023 inspection. That judgement is a dated assessment, rather than a description of every aspect of the current offer. The present arrangements include care for children aged two to five, a Toddler Room and a Pre-School room, with visiting activities including tennis, yoga, multi-sports and singing.

Attendance is term-time only, with morning and full-day sessions and a minimum booking of two sessions each week. For families with children at Barrow Hedges Primary School, closely aligned term dates offer a useful practical connection. Holiday childcare needs a separate plan.

Rooms and Ages

The Toddler Room combines large windows with low tables and labelled resources within children's reach, encouraging them to choose equipment and start play independently. That physical layout matters: independence begins with being able to reach and recognise the things a child wants to use.

In Pre-School, large windows brighten the nursery's biggest room, while planning follows children's interests and the daily routine emphasises responsibility and independence. The two rooms have a shared emphasis on purposeful play, but the older children's account places more weight on preparing for their next educational stage.

Learning and Activities

The Early Years Foundation Stage (EYFS) provides the educational framework: children develop their learning through planned activities, play and exploration. At Oak Tree, planning takes account of individual interests, and time for spontaneous play sits alongside adult-organised activities. The framework is the starting point; visiting sessions add experiences such as singing, yoga, multi-sports and tennis.

These additions give children different ways to participate, from movement to music. Their practical value lies in broadening the day beyond the room's usual resources. The funded-hours supplement includes sports and music activities, so the learning offer and the charge structure need to be considered together.

In September 2023, conversations around stories helped children practise listening and retelling, including The Three Little Pigs. Children also explored writing with different tools and worked on number problems. These were concrete examples of learning through participation.

Ball activities offered another kind of challenge in September 2023: children continued practising when a task proved difficult. Taking turns as helper of the day gave them small responsibilities, too. Those examples show how ordinary activities could provide opportunities to persist, contribute and make decisions.

Outdoor and Community Life

An enclosed garden extends the play spaces outside. Alongside the mud kitchen are a quiet reading area, a home corner and spaces for creative and imaginative play, giving children alternatives to energetic movement. Outdoor time can therefore include making, pretending or settling with a book.

In September 2023, community experiences included contact with firefighters and police officers. These encounters introduced children to work and responsibilities beyond their own families. They belong to that inspection-era picture of the nursery's day.

Relationships and Communication

Famly, Oak Tree's group-wide communication app, allows staff to send photographs, videos and messages, while parents can add accounts and photographs of experiences outside nursery. It is free for parents to use across phones, tablets and computers. This makes communication a two-way exchange: a child's interests at home can become part of the information shared with practitioners.

In September 2023, staff gathered detailed information about children's home circumstances and experiences, and offered parents ideas for extending learning at home. That provides a useful picture of how communication worked in practice at the time. The current app gives families a specific channel for continuing that exchange.

Inclusion and Wellbeing

At the September 2023 inspection, Ofsted found effective safeguarding and strong support for children's development, including work with speech and language therapists to set individual targets and support for children with special educational needs and/or disabilities. The important detail is the mechanism: assessments were shared with other professionals so that support could address particular needs.

In September 2023, staff also worked with parents on online safety and knew how to recognise and report concerns about a child. These are dated observations about staff practice. They should sit alongside the current arrangements a family discusses before starting, rather than substitute for that conversation.

School preparation is part of the Pre-School room's planning, with an emphasis on children becoming more independent and taking responsibility. Oak Tree also works with parents on choosing schools and maintains local school links. This describes preparation and communication, rather than an admissions entitlement.

Sessions and Attendance

The address is Carshalton Beeches Baptist Church, Banstead Road, Carshalton, SM5 3NL. Morning sessions run from 8am to noon, Monday to Friday; full-day sessions run from 8am to 3pm, Monday to Thursday. Friday finishes at noon. There is a minimum booking of two sessions per week.

Oak Tree opens for 38 weeks each year and closely follows Barrow Hedges Primary School's term dates. It closes on bank holidays. This is a sessional arrangement, with morning or full-day bookings rather than childcare sold by the hour, including when funded entitlement is used.

The enquiry form begins the joining process, followed by contact from the nursery team to discuss requirements. A non-refundable registration charge secures entry to the waiting list, but it does not apply to children attending only their funded 15 or 30 hours. Once a place is offered, the deposit is due within five working days and is retained if the family does not take up the place.

The deposit is returned within one week of leaving when three full calendar months' notice has been given and the nursery's policies and procedures have been followed. Monthly charges depend on the sessions booked for that month and are payable in advance on its first day; sickness and holidays do not attract refunds or discounts.

Getting There

Carshalton Beeches Station is within walking distance. The church setting is also a short drive from Carshalton and Wallington, making the location relevant to families considering those areas.

Funding and Paid Extras

Funded childcare includes Early Learning for eligible two-year-olds, universal 15-hour provision for three- and four-year-olds, and the working-parent entitlement of up to 30 hours, subject to eligibility and Oak Tree's minimum starting age of two. Funding is delivered across the nursery's 38-week year. Additional childcare beyond a child's entitlement is charged privately, and current prices come in the nursery's written quotation.

For funded attendance, food, consumables and activities are covered by a separate voluntary supplement. It includes breakfast and snacks, nappies, wipes, sun cream, outings, sports and music sessions, and special events. Families opting out discuss supplying food and consumables themselves; the policy requires at least one half-term's notice to opt out and provides for an alternative activity where a parent does not want their child to participate.

Breakfast and snacks are included in private fees, with milk and water provided during the day, while children attending a full day bring a packed lunch. Dietary requirements are catered for, so lunch planning remains a practical part of the family's routine.

Working-parent eligibility codes must be reconfirmed every three months, and the funding declaration must be signed each term. Funded booking patterns are agreed before the term starts: funding cannot be applied to additional ad-hoc sessions outside that agreed pattern. These administrative conditions matter as much as the headline entitlement when planning attendance.

• Term-time coverage. The 38-week calendar follows Barrow Hedges Primary School closely, and Friday ends at noon. Families need a workable arrangement for school holidays and the shorter Friday.
• Funded extras. The supplement covers food, consumables and activities, with an opt-out route and a half-term notice requirement. Discuss how parent-supplied items and alternative activities would work for your child before agreeing the arrangement.
• Starting nursery. During a visit, ask how settling sessions and the key-person relationship would be organised for your child across the Toddler Room or Pre-School day.
• Leaving terms. Deposit repayment depends on three full calendar months' notice and compliance with the nursery's policies and procedures. Factor that commitment into any planned change of childcare.

Oak Tree suits families seeking either mornings or full days during school terms, especially those who value a preschool routine with outdoor play and opportunities for independence. Child-height resources, the enclosed garden and Famly give the current offer substance; the September 2023 Outstanding judgement adds a strong dated assessment.

The deciding practical issues are the calendar, Friday's lunchtime finish and the funded-hours supplement. For families whose working and school routines fit those arrangements, this is a clearly defined option with two genuinely different attendance patterns.