Apples and Honey Nightingale

Daily friendships with care-home residents give Apples and Honey Nightingale its defining character. Children share gardening, cooking and songs with older people at Nightingale House, rather than meeting them only for occasional celebrations. The nursery occupies its own bungalow in the care home's grounds, with a garden that extends learning outdoors. For families drawn to relationships across generations, this is a substantial part of the child's day.

At its July 2022 inspection, Ofsted rated the nursery Outstanding and found that teaching developed children's vocabulary and that babies had close relationships with practitioners. That judgement belongs to that date. Today's offer combines a Jewish ethos with a welcome for families of every faith and none, and capacity for 42 children from three months to under five.

Attendance can follow the nursery year or school terms, with full days and a shorter core-day option. The minimum commitment is three days each week.

Rooms and Ages

Baby Bees, Apples and Honey each have a room-leader role. The physical setting includes bright classrooms and a dedicated outdoor play space; garden access allows children to move between indoor activity and outdoor exploration. The value lies in the connection between the two, rather than treating outdoor time as an occasional addition.

A climbing tree house, mud kitchen and covered sandpit give children different ways to play, while the wormery and bug hotel bring small creatures into their investigations. These are useful contrasts: climbing demands movement and coordination, whereas watching insects invites slower attention. Children play outdoors in different weather, and families provide waterproofs and wellington boots.

Learning and Activities

The Early Years Foundation Stage (EYFS) provides the statutory basis for learning, covering language, physical development, relationships, early literacy and maths, creative expression and understanding the world. Here, those areas are explored through activities shaped around children's interests and stages of development. The Jewish year adds a recurring source of themes, expressed through dance, art and singing with the older residents.

The intergenerational programme adds daily shared activity to that framework. Children and residents grow vegetables, care for animals, cook and play together. Sharing an activity gives children something concrete to talk about with people whose experiences differ from their own. Workshops with visiting musicians and drama therapists, alongside pottery and exercise, broaden the experiences available within the Nightingale community.

Weekly Shabbat celebrations mark the Jewish day of rest. Children make challah on Friday mornings, bake it at nursery and share it as a snack; a different child takes the hosting role each week, with families invited to join and the host bringing flowers. It gives the celebration an active role for children, rather than leaving them as an audience. Havdalah ceremonies also form part of the weekly programme.

In July 2022, babies investigated textures through treasure baskets, while toddlers explored sea life through stories with rhythm and rhyme. Older children used vocabulary from a topic about bodies in their own conversations. These activities linked sensory exploration, stories and conversation.

Outdoor and Community Life

Wandsworth Common is a weekly destination and an extension of outdoor learning. Children experience seasonal change and learn about caring for their surroundings; gardening and looking after bees with residents bring those ideas back into the nursery grounds. Tennis sessions are another activity children can sign up for.

In July 2022, children harvested ripe strawberries for snacks, practised balancing on crates and used a pole during outdoor play. Those activities combined growing food with physical exploration. The current garden's play equipment and regular Common visits give families concrete reasons to consider the outdoor offer alongside the intergenerational programme.

Relationships and Communication

Each child has a key worker responsible for observing their development and planning activities around their needs. Before starting, families complete an All about me form covering important people, interests and previous childcare experience, and children are offered settling sessions. This gives practitioners information about the child before the regular attendance pattern begins.

The Intergenerational Baby and Toddler group meets on Mondays from 10.15am to 11.15am. Local families and residents make things, sing and play together, allowing relationships with older friends to begin before nursery attendance. Its community setting makes it more than a session solely for enrolled children.

An online learning journal gives parents access to observations and achievements, with a spring parents' evening and a summer written report adding scheduled opportunities to discuss development. A weekly newsletter covers nursery news, and parents can contact their child's key worker by email. These different channels serve different purposes: a record of learning, a conversation about progress and an account of the week.

Inclusion and Wellbeing

Support for special educational needs and disabilities includes a SEND co-ordinator role, joint planning with parents and an Assess; Plan; Do; Review process. Existing Education, Health and Care plans inform support, and outside agencies can be involved with parents. The local offer also sets a material boundary: severe physical disabilities may be beyond the nursery's space, facilities or specialist staffing, with individual cases assessed for possible adaptations.

At the July 2022 inspection, Ofsted found that support for children with SEND involved close work with families and other agencies, and judged safeguarding arrangements effective. Those are dated findings, rather than a current assurance based on nursery policies.

Current emotional support includes helping children name feelings, discuss disagreements and reflect on their reactions. Families supply nappies, wipes and cream when needed, plus a blanket and comfort item for naps. Toilet training is supported when the child and family are ready; being toilet trained is not an entry requirement.

Sessions and Attendance

The address is Nightingale House, 105 Nightingale Lane, London SW12 8NB. General enquiries go to welcome@applesandhoneynightingale.com or 020 8772 6620, and an enquiry form is also offered.

Full-day attendance runs from 7.30am to 6.30pm, Monday to Thursday; Friday closes at 2pm for Shabbat. The shorter core-day option starts at 9am, with the Friday early finish applying to all children. Children attend at least three days per week, reserved as full or core days before placement.

The nursery operates for approximately 50 weeks, with a 38-week term-time option. Closures include public and Jewish holidays, staff-training days, Christmas week and a week around Pesach and Easter. Planned closures are not charged. The Friday finish deserves attention when matching childcare to a working week.

Funding and Paid Extras

Funded childcare includes the 15-hour early-education entitlement over 38 weeks for three- and four-year-olds, alongside 30 Hour Funding for parents who meet the eligibility conditions; two-year-old funding is also offered. Private attendance is paid monthly in advance, with payments averaged across the year or the term-time payment cycle. Tax-free childcare and childcare vouchers are accepted payment methods.

A non-refundable registration charge accompanies the application, and registration alone does not secure the requested start date or sessions. An acceptance deposit is refundable after attendance ends only when outstanding liabilities are settled and the relevant notice requirements have been met; it is not refundable if the accepted place is never taken up. Current prices come in the nursery's written quotation.

Lunch combines vegetarian and fish dishes, with snacks during the day. The allergy policy does not promise an allergen-free setting: individual allergy information is shared with the kitchen and room teams, and severe allergies require an action plan involving the manager, kitchen and key person.

• Core-day finish. The shorter day has two stated finishes, 3.30pm and 4pm. Establish which applies to your booking, alongside the 2pm Friday close, before committing to the three-day minimum.
• Daily intergenerational contact. Shared activities with Nightingale House residents are central to attendance. On a visit, ask how your child's age, interests and need for quieter time shape participation.
• Individual support and allergies. Severe physical disabilities are assessed case by case, and the allergy policy allows ingredients carrying trace warnings unless an individual risk assessment rules them out. Discuss the practical adaptations and current allergy procedures relevant to your child.
• Funding and the total bill. Funded hours sit alongside private attendance and families supply nappies, wipes and cream. Ask for a written breakdown of meals, other consumables and any activity charges for the funded and private parts of your booking.

Apples and Honey Nightingale suits families who want everyday contact across generations, substantial outdoor play and a Jewish calendar that welcomes participation from all faith backgrounds. The daily resident programme, weekly Wandsworth Common visits and child-led Shabbat hosting give that character practical substance.

It serves both families choosing full days across the nursery year and those preferring core days or term-time attendance. The three-day minimum, Friday early finish and individual support boundaries should carry real weight in the decision. The Outstanding judgement from July 2022 is useful context; the strongest current reason to choose it is the specific experience children share with their older neighbours.