Our Day Nursery

A former wildlife hospital, an outdoor art barn and a small Transition Room give Our Day Nursery a recognisable character. Its Beddington Park setting is reflected in the children's surroundings: planting, water play and contact with chickens and ducks sit alongside indoor spaces furnished with wooden toys and natural fabrics. For families who value exploration, the appeal is concrete rather than purely philosophical.

Children can attend from 6 months to 5 years, with 55 places across the setting. At its February 2025 inspection, Ofsted rated the nursery Good and judged its safeguarding arrangements effective. The important qualification concerns consistency: emotional support and language teaching were both identified for further development.

Four age-banded rooms separate the needs of babies, children approaching toddlerhood, toddlers and preschool children. The youngest two rooms have caps of 12 and 6 children respectively. Those are room capacities, rather than a promise about the number attending on any particular day.

Rooms and Ages

The Baby Room, for 6–18 months with a capacity of 12, combines sensory exploration and flexible, interest-led play with a separate cot room and its own garden, where a water wall, mud kitchen and sheltered quiet area give babies contrasting ways to explore or rest.

For children aged 18 months to 2 years, the Transition Room has a cap of 6 and emphasises growing independence, introducing sleep on floor mats and access to the larger garden's trikes, climbing equipment and art spaces before the move into toddler provision.

The Toddler Room, for ages 2–3 with capacity for 20, spreads investigative play across three indoor spaces and extends it outdoors through a potion station, a play-dough table and a loose parts kitchen, with opportunities to plant produce and look for bugs.

In the Preschool Room, for ages 3–5 with capacity for 20, phonics, early writing, reading and number work sit alongside independent self-care and creative play, with a light panel and microscope adding practical opportunities to investigate shapes, shadows and natural objects.

The distinctions matter. A baby has a dedicated sleeping space, while the next room introduces a different sleep arrangement; older children encounter progressively more structured learning. Room movement therefore involves changes in routine and surroundings as well as age.

Learning and Activities

The Early Years Foundation Stage provides the framework for learning through play, covering communication, physical and emotional development alongside literacy, mathematics, creative expression and understanding the world. It is the common foundation of the nursery day. Here, weekly opportunities include energetic movement, from baby yoga to sports activities, using outdoor areas or a purpose-built studio.

The Curiosity Approach adds an emphasis on carefully arranged environments, open-ended materials and children's own interests. Natural fabrics and wooden resources are part of that arrangement; practitioners also adjust invitations to play as children's interests emerge. The nursery is working towards accreditation in this approach, rather than presenting itself as already accredited.

Children's Nursery Association discussions give children opportunities to propose changes to their experiences. Choosing a story or the materials for messy play brings that participation into everyday decisions. Weekend Book entries provide another starting point for conversation, connecting experiences at home with discussion among children.

Storytelling also becomes practical activity. World Book Day examples include pouring and mixing inspired by The Tiger Who Came to Tea, and recreating The Smartest Giant in Town with figures and loose parts. For younger children, Stick Man was explored through sticks, leaves, sound and other props. These are examples of books prompting physical exploration and conversation, rather than simply being read aloud.

Outdoor and Community Life

The outdoor art studio is a substantial part of the offer. A vertical painting wall, chalk space and collage table accommodate different materials and movements; another area lets children draw overhead while lying down. The provision gives large movements a place alongside smaller, more controlled mark-making.

Elsewhere, covered sand play, den areas and water walls extend the possibilities for construction and imaginative play. Two chickens and two ducks share the outdoor environment, giving children opportunities to learn about caring for living things. A vegetable patch and planting area connect growing with healthy eating, while litter-picking walks and recycling introduce practical care for the surroundings.

In February 2025, babies explored cornflour scented with cinnamon, while older children investigated herbs mixed into play dough. Bike riding and running over different surfaces were also part of the day. Those examples show how sensory exploration and physical activity worked together at that time, rather than treating outdoor play as a break from learning.

Relationships and Communication

Parents contribute through All About Me sheets, Wow Moments and Parent Observations, giving practitioners information about children's interests and experiences beyond nursery. Each room also has a mascot that one child takes home each week, with adventures recorded in a diary. This creates a specific link between family life and the room's conversations.

In February 2025, parent feedback had led to tours of children's next rooms before they moved. Staff also adjusted resources in response to what children were interested in. For a family facing a room change, familiarity with the next environment can be as useful as knowing its age band.

Sleep arrangements distinguish the youngest rooms. Babies have a separate cot room, while children in the Transition Room begin resting on mats within their room. Staff discuss individual baby sleep routines with parents, and the nursery's safer-sleep practices follow NHS and Lullaby Trust guidance. This makes the family's established routine part of the sleep conversation.

Inclusion and Wellbeing

A dedicated SEN lead and an Early Years SEND Co-Ordinator role provide routes for additional support. Plans are developed with parents and Sutton's local authority SEND team when needs are identified. The premises are on one level, supporting physical access without movement between floors.

The Early Years Neurodiversity Award recognises the nursery's work on neuro-inclusive practice, including team training and adaptations to the environment. Everyday communication mechanisms include visual prompts, audio cues, signing and songs. These are specific ways of making routines and activities understandable, rather than a general assurance about meeting every need.

Zones of Regulation provides a colour-based way to recognise and discuss feelings, using photographs and visual symbols within the rooms. Calm corners offer soft furnishings and quiet space, while Calm baskets contain sensory materials and items that adults can model using. The Umbrella Project, associated with the ADHD Foundation, is represented by 10 coloured umbrellas celebrating different kinds of minds.

At its February 2025 inspection, Ofsted found that additional needs were identified through observation, with professional referrals and parent-involved plans supporting children, but asked for stronger staff responses to children's feelings and more consistent language support. In February 2025, some older children missed sections of stories because bathroom visits interrupted story time. The concern is practical: having resources and strategies is only part of the job; their use across rooms matters too.

Sessions and Attendance

Standard opening hours are 8am to 6pm, Monday to Friday. An earlier start at 7:30am and later finish at 6:30pm carry additional charges. Attendance must cover at least 2 days each week, a requirement intended to support settling and continuity.

The nursery operates across the year, closing on public and bank holidays and from 24 December until 2 January. Fees are calculated using 51 weeks and paid monthly in advance. Charges continue during a child's illness or holiday, and changing booked days requires one month's notice, subject to availability.

Getting There

The address is Church Road, Beddington Park, Wallington, SM6 7NN. The park setting connects directly with the nursery's emphasis on wildlife, planting and outdoor exploration.

Funding and Paid Extras

The nursery accepts the 15/30 hours funding entitlement, childcare vouchers and tax-free childcare. Its fees and funding page describes an all-inclusive private package; current prices come in the nursery's written quotation. A non-refundable registration charge applies when a place is confirmed, and late collection attracts an additional charge.

Parents supply formula milk when needed and barrier cream; nappies, wipes, cow's milk and alternative milk are supplied by the nursery. Keeping these arrangements distinct helps families prepare what their child needs each day without treating supplied items as proof of how funded-hour charges work.

Preschool preparation includes putting on socks and shoes, managing belongings and becoming familiar with early reading and number activities. The nursery also supports parents applying for their preferred school places. This practical preparation concerns the move to school, rather than an admissions advantage.

• The small intermediate room. The Transition Room's cap of 6 and move to floor-mat sleep make it a significant stage between baby and toddler provision. On a visit, discuss how the timing of that move will fit your child's sleep routine and readiness for the larger garden.
• Consistency in emotional and language support. February 2025 improvement priorities concerned validating feelings and strengthening language strategies. Ask how staff now use the calm resources and protect uninterrupted storytelling across rooms.
• The attendance commitment. A minimum of 2 days each week, continuing fees during absence and one month's notice for day changes suit a relatively settled routine. Consider these terms alongside any changing work pattern.
• Funding and daily costs. The nursery accepts 15/30 hours funding and describes its private package as all-inclusive. Ask for a written breakdown of funded attendance, including delivery across the year and any meal or consumable charges, before comparing the total cost.

Our Day Nursery suits families drawn to a park-based setting, practical sensory play and clearly differentiated stages between babyhood and preschool. The outdoor art studio and small Transition Room give that proposition substance. Its attendance requirement will appeal most to families able to maintain a regular weekly routine, with the option of earlier starts or later finishes.

The Good judgement provides a useful inspection position, but the February 2025 priorities deserve equal attention. The strongest decision will weigh the physical spaces and published support mechanisms alongside how consistently staff use them.