The Meadows Nursery School, Rosehill

An extra-large garden divided into several areas gives Rosehill a clear outdoor identity. Based at Thomas Wall Pavilion in Thomas Wall Park, Morden, The Meadows Nursery School, Rosehill accepts children aged 1 to 5. The garden is designed for use throughout the year, making outdoor space a substantial part of the setting rather than an occasional addition.

At its November 2023 inspection, Ofsted rated the nursery Good, judged safeguarding effective and found that children made good progress, including effective support for children with special educational needs and/or disabilities. The detail behind that judgement matters: children explored household objects, practised independence and carried their interests between indoor and outdoor activities. One improvement remained: more opportunities for children learning English as an additional language to hear and use their home languages.

Full-day, morning and afternoon attendance sit alongside term-time and all-year options. That gives families several ways to organise care, although the funding calendar and the booking pattern need to work together.

Learning and Activities

The early years foundation stage sets the requirements for children's learning, development and care. In parent language, this means that play, communication, physical activity and everyday care all contribute to learning, rather than education being confined to a formal teaching session.

In November 2023, staff built activities around what caught children's attention. An interest in cars became an opportunity to recognise numbers when practitioners added numerals to the vehicles. Children also investigated onions and experimented with an old guitar. These were ordinary objects used for purposeful exploration: something to handle, examine or make a sound with, rather than simply watch.

Language developed through shared books, conversation and familiar songs in November 2023. Younger children communicated through gestures and sounds, while older children asked questions and discussed what interested them. Small-group book sharing gave children something concrete to talk about. The emphasis was on participation, with different ways for children to contribute according to their stage of development.

Outdoor and Community Life

Rosehill's multi-area garden was designed with children's involvement and is used across the seasons. Its practical attraction is space for different kinds of outdoor experience within the nursery's own grounds.

In November 2023, children practised balancing on beams and taking part in ball activities. They grew vegetables and brought the produce home to their families. An indoor interest in sending cars through tunnels continued outside through balls and drainpipes, linking experimentation across the two environments. Outdoor activity extended an idea children already cared about, giving them another way to explore movement.

Relationships and Communication

In November 2023, building car tunnels together gave preschool children practice in cooperation. Yoga and meditation brought quieter moments into their day, while sensitive support during settling helped children form relationships with adults. The combination made room for both shared activity and calm.

Learning journeys were shared with parents in November 2023, and families could contribute examples from home. The home library scheme allowed children to borrow books, taking a familiar nursery experience into family life. Communication therefore included children's learning and interests, rather than being restricted to practical messages.

Inclusion and Wellbeing

In November 2023, the nursery worked with other professionals and exchanged information about children's additional learning needs. Home-language support was less developed: displayed words in different languages were accompanied by too few chances for children to listen and speak in those languages. For multilingual families, the distinction is important. Seeing familiar words and using a familiar language are different experiences.

Everyday independence was practised in November 2023 through dressing, clearing spills and putting toys away. Older children mixed paint themselves, while younger children attempted tasks such as blowing bubbles. Adults also discussed feelings and encouraged children to persist with activities. These examples connect preparation for the next stage of learning with manageable responsibilities in the nursery day.

Current family information collects details of dietary needs, allergies, home language, sleep and existing professional support. Collection arrangements use photographs and a password to identify authorised adults. These are practical mechanisms for sharing a child's needs and agreeing who may collect them.

Sessions and Attendance

The address is Thomas Wall Pavilion, Thomas Wall Park, Green Lane, Morden, SM4 6SL. Opening hours are 8am to 6pm on weekdays, with operation across 50 weeks and national bank holidays excluded.

All-year attendance uses a repeating weekly pattern. Morning sessions run from 9am to 1pm and afternoons from 1pm to 5pm; the full-day option runs from 9am to 5pm. Wraparound care can extend attendance from 8am to 9am or from 5pm to 6pm. The minimum all-year booking is two four-hour sessions each week.

For term-time attendance, the options include mornings from 8am to 1pm, afternoons from 1pm to 6pm, a full day from 8am to 6pm and an alternative day from 9am to 4.30pm. Extensions after the alternative day run to 5pm or 6pm. The minimum term-time booking is two five-hour sessions weekly, and term-time attendance requires government funding eligibility. Switching between all-year and term-time funding arrangements midway through a term is not permitted.

Booking requests are reviewed before sessions, funding and a start date are confirmed. Children are added to a waiting list when a requested place cannot be offered. Cancelling or reducing regular attendance requires six weeks' written notice; illness and family absences do not bring a refund for booked sessions.

Funding and Paid Extras

Universal and extended funding are accepted, subject to the relevant entitlement. Term-time funding covers 38 weeks, while the standard stretched arrangement spreads funding across 49 weeks. A separate No Fee stretched option uses 47 weeks, with no regular bookings outside its funded periods. These are different attendance calendars, so the choice affects holiday care as well as the weekly allocation.

Additional attendance beyond funded hours, or outside funded periods, is charged separately. Families receive a current written quotation based on their bookings, extras and funding.

Breakfast and tea carry separate charges, and lunch is charged when parents do not supply it; snacks during funded sessions also carry a separate charge when not supplied. Nappies, cream and wipes are charged when families do not provide them, so these costs sit alongside attendance rather than being included automatically.

The nursery's food policy excludes nuts and sesame and sets preparation rules intended to reduce choking risks. For infants using formula, it requires ready-made formula in sterile bottles supplied from home, served at room temperature.

• Home languages. In November 2023, children learning English had too few opportunities to hear and use their other languages. At a visit, ask how your child's language would feature in songs, conversation and everyday play.
• Funding calendar. The term-time, standard stretched and No Fee stretched arrangements cover different periods. Compare the proposed booking calendar with the weeks your family needs care, including holidays and days outside funding.
• Food and allergies. Nursery food and consumables can add charges when families do not supply them, and the food policy excludes nuts and sesame. Allergy-affected families should confirm current handling arrangements and how meals from home are managed.
• Settling for the youngest children. Children join from age 1, and the family forms collect sleep patterns and individual care needs. During a viewing, ask how settling sessions and rest arrangements would work for your child.

Rosehill suits families looking for morning or afternoon sessions as well as full-day attendance, with a choice between funded term-time care and an all-year pattern. Its substantial garden is the clearest current physical attraction; the November 2023 account adds concrete examples of practical exploration, independence and learning shared with home.

The decision needs equal attention to the child's day and the family's calendar. Multilingual support deserves discussion, while funding periods, food charges and notice terms can materially affect how well a booking works. For families whose needs fit those arrangements, Rosehill offers a useful combination of outdoor space and several attendance patterns.