Woodlands Day Nursery

A pretend doctors’ surgery gives Woodlands Day Nursery a fitting connection to its hospital setting: children practise bandaging their friends while exploring what caring for someone means. Based at St. Helier Hospital in Carshalton, Woodlands serves the children of staff working at Epsom and St Helier hospitals. That staff connection is central to who it suits.

Children can attend from six months to five years. At its June 2025 inspection, Ofsted judged Woodlands Good overall and found safeguarding effective. The strongest practical attractions are the hospital location and early weekday opening; the most memorable detail is play that connects with the working world around the children.

Learning and Activities

The early years foundation stage sets the requirements for children’s learning, development and care, with play providing opportunities to practise skills and explore ideas. In June 2025, activities followed children’s interests and the skills they were developing. Paper cutting, for example, gave children practice coordinating their hands and eyes, while leaving room for their own inventions: children experimented with cutting and rolling paper to make a broom. The activity had a purpose, but left room for their own ideas.

The role-play doctors surgery brought a different kind of learning. In June 2025, children used plasters and bandages on one another and expressed concern for their friends. This connected imaginative play with cooperation and care. Older children also tackled puzzles and number games, bringing early mathematics into familiar activities.

There were weaknesses alongside these examples. In June 2025, organisation varied between rooms, and some changes between activities left children disengaged and behaviour unsettled. Some practitioners also needed further training to explain mathematical ideas accurately. For parents, these are useful points to explore alongside the activities themselves: how a room manages the spaces between activities matters too.

Outdoor and Community Life

A sizeable garden with plentiful play resources formed part of the nursery day in June 2025, alongside recurring sports sessions. These gave children opportunities for active play beyond indoor activities. Movement was part of the account of healthy living, rather than an isolated event.

Families were also invited into nursery life. In June 2025, invitations included the summer fair and nursery celebrations, giving parents another way to take part beyond conversations about their own child.

Relationships and Communication

In June 2025, staff helped children adjust both when starting nursery and when changing rooms. Familiarity with individual children informed their responses, and children had opportunities to choose resources and involve adults in their play. For a parent considering the move from home to nursery, the handling of those changes deserves as much attention as the activity programme.

An online application gave parents updates and development reports in June 2025. This provided a continuing connection with the nursery day, rather than leaving communication entirely to brief conversations. Staff meetings, supervision and training also formed part of the working arrangements then; recent training had explored following children’s interests during play.

Inclusion and Wellbeing

At the June 2025 inspection, Ofsted found that staff monitored development, responded when learning stalled and worked with families and other professionals to support children’s needs and progress. The practical mechanism was attention to each child’s next steps, followed by changes to the support offered.

In June 2025, children practised handling more of mealtimes themselves, including serving food and pouring drinks. These small tasks gave them opportunities to exercise independence in an everyday routine.

School preparation also included practising independence and exploring what school would be like. In June 2025, practitioners took part in events with local schools and exchanged information with receiving teachers. This was transition work to help teachers understand the children moving into their care.

Sessions and Attendance

Woodlands is at St. Helier Hospital, Wrythe Lane, Carshalton, SM5 1AA. Opening hours are 7.15am to 5.45pm on weekdays, with year-round opening except bank holidays. The early start is useful for employees whose working day begins before conventional office hours, although the closing time remains an important boundary for shift planning.

Nursery enquiries go to the manager on 020 8296 2467. Woodlands also runs a school-holiday play scheme for children aged 5 to 12, with activities and outings. This is separate from its early-years provision.

Funding and Paid Extras

Government-funded childcare is offered, and childcare support includes funding of up to 30 hours, subject to eligibility. Families should obtain a current written quotation for their childcare costs.

• Staff eligibility. Woodlands serves children of employees working at Epsom and St Helier hospitals. Establish that your employment meets the nursery’s entry condition before planning care around it.
• Room routines and mathematics. The June 2025 improvement points concerned engagement during changes between activities and practitioners’ explanations of mathematical ideas. During a visit, ask how the room now handles both.
• Your booking and costs. The weekday opening window begins at 7.15am and ends at 5.45pm. Ask which attendance arrangement fits your shifts and how funded hours, meals and consumables enter the written quotation.

Woodlands suits eligible hospital employees who value childcare on the St Helier site and an early weekday start. Its June 2025 account combines imaginative play, outdoor activity and practical independence with clear improvement points around room routines and mathematics. The hospital connection gives it character; the fit with a family’s working hours is the decisive practical consideration.