Bertrum House Nursery

A private field with a carpentry shed, allotment and mud kitchen gives Bertrum House Nursery a character that goes well beyond classroom play. Children use it each morning whatever the weather, making outdoor exploration part of the daily routine.

At its September 2024 inspection, Ofsted rated Bertrum House Outstanding overall. There are 70 places in total across the setting, for children aged 24 to 60 months. Entry begins in the term after a child turns two, and the two classroom stages are Nursery and Pre-Reception.

Based on the Balham-Tooting border, this is a term-time setting with morning attendance at its core and lunch and afternoon extensions. Its appeal rests on the combination of substantial outdoor space, planning shaped by individual children and a gradual introduction to longer attendance.

Rooms and Ages

Nursery and Pre-Reception have separate classrooms, with play adapted to each developmental stage and increasing expectations for independence. Activities can remain set up, and children's work forms part of the displays, giving each age group its own base.

The hall adds a different kind of space: children use indoor play equipment there, eat together and take part in specialist lessons. A stage is used for performances each term. These shared spaces give children opportunities to join others beyond their classroom and practise participating in a group.

Learning and Activities

The EYFS provides the framework for learning and care, with play supporting children's development across its areas of learning. Bertrum's morning combines planned outdoor activities, classroom choices, group discussion and individual or small-group work. Independence is practised through ordinary routines too, including managing bags and outdoor clothing.

Planning reaches no more than a week ahead, allowing staff to respond to children's interests and next learning steps. The curriculum overview explains the balance between play and developing skills.

Specialist afternoon activities include art, sport and music, alongside outdoor learning and Bertrum Book Club, the nursery's own book session. In September 2024, older children practised reading to their friends during book club. Picture recognition, finding a written name and writing it themselves were different ways children could take part in self-registration.

Visiting teachers lead ballet on Wednesday mornings and yoga on Friday mornings. For children staying longer, afternoons offer creative play and opportunities to revisit the morning's learning.

Outdoor and Community Life

The private field includes a sandpit and nature area as well as the allotment, mud kitchen and carpentry shed. Children spend an hour there during the morning, with both planned activity and play. Different materials and spaces allow outdoor learning to include making, growing and investigating, alongside movement.

In September 2024, children took part in composting and used the resulting compost in their growing area. Garden storytelling also became physical play, with children acting out a bear hunt through grass and mud. Those examples show how the outdoor space supported both practical investigation and imagination at the time.

Relationships and Communication

The youngest entrants can begin with three mornings in their first term, giving them a shorter initial attendance pattern before moving to five mornings. Staff and families also have daily conversations about children's progress. That makes the relationship with home part of the routine, rather than something confined to a formal meeting.

Tapestry is every child's online learning journey: staff add photographs and videos, while parents contribute observations through an app or browser, connecting experiences at home and nursery.

In September 2024, staff helped children build emotional attachments through a gentle introduction to nursery, with other children also helping new peers settle.

Inclusion and Wellbeing

At the September 2024 inspection, Ofsted found safeguarding effective, praised support for children with SEND through work with families and external professionals, and found that individual assessment informed challenging next steps and preparation for school. Additional funding was used to obtain resources selected for particular children's needs.

A SENDCO can meet parents whose children have additional or emerging needs. Staff development is supported through training and opportunities to build individual skills and interests.

In September 2024, children developing early language used Makaton as part of communication support, while a role-play aeroplane gave preschool children opportunities to talk about their summer experiences. These examples connect language development with participation in play.

Chilli Bees prepares hot meals at its Earlsfield kitchen and delivers them to the nursery, followed by fruit and yoghurt. Children eat together in the hall with staff supervising, so lunch combines a meal with a shared social routine.

Sessions and Attendance

Bertrum House operates Monday to Friday during term time and closes for school holidays. Morning School runs from 8.45am to noon; Lunch Club follows from noon to 1pm; Afternoon School runs from 1pm to 3.15pm. These are separate attendance options built around the morning enrolment.

For two-year-olds in their first term, the minimum starting pattern is three mornings, Tuesday to Thursday. Attendance increases to five mornings in the second term. That progression is an important planning point: the shorter start is an introduction, rather than a permanent three-morning arrangement.

Lunch Club is an option for all children. Afternoon School is for children who no longer nap, and children in their Pre-Reception year are encouraged to attend at least one afternoon as preparation for primary school. The additional-session form accepts requests for one-off bookings or ongoing additions; the office confirms whether the requested session can be accommodated.

Getting There and Joining

The address is 290 Balham High Road, London SW17 7AL. Families can contact the office by telephone on 020 8767 4051, by email at office@bertrumhousenursery.co.uk or through the contact form.

The admissions sequence begins with online registration and a showround, followed by an offer and acceptance paperwork. A registration charge applies to Nursery admission, and acceptance requires a deposit and parent contract. Completing registration does not guarantee a place.

Previous onward destinations include Henry Cavendish Primary School and Finton House School. Preparation for school includes developing independence and encouraging afternoon attendance in the Pre-Reception year.

Funding and Paid Extras

Funded childcare is offered within the term-time model. For three- and four-year-olds from their qualifying term, the funding arrangements distinguish the 15 hours universal entitlement from the additional 15 hours extended offering for eligible families. Eligibility for the extended entitlement is checked through HMRC Childcare Choices.

Families receiving either entitlement agree to pay for an additional services package covering educational opportunities beyond the EYFS requirement. The terms direct families who do not accept that package to Wandsworth Family Information Service for help finding an alternative setting. This makes the package an important part of the funding decision, rather than something to consider after enrolment.

The 2022/23 fee schedule treated hot lunches as a separate charge alongside Lunch Club and Afternoon School. Fees are billed termly, and current prices come in the nursery's written quotation; the fees page sets out the funding and additional-services structure.

• The attendance increase. Three mornings, Tuesday to Thursday, are an introductory option for two-year-olds in their first term; five mornings follow in the second. Does that later pattern fit your family's week?
• Naps and afternoons. Afternoon School is offered to children who no longer nap. At a showround, discuss how your child's current sleep routine fits a morning, lunch or afternoon arrangement.
• Funding and the services package. Families receiving either funded entitlement agree to pay for an additional-services package covering educational opportunities beyond the EYFS requirement. Review its terms and the current written quotation together before accepting an offer.
• Support for your child. The SENDCO offers meetings with parents about additional or emerging needs. Use that meeting to discuss the support and resources your child would need in the separate Nursery or Pre-Reception classroom.

Bertrum House suits families seeking a term-time preschool with substantial outdoor learning, separate classroom stages and a day built around morning attendance. It serves both children attending mornings and those extending through lunch or into specialist afternoons, with the nap condition shaping that choice.

The field, short planning horizon and shared learning journal give parents concrete reasons to consider it. The practical trade-offs are equally clear: attendance increases after the introductory term, holiday care falls outside its calendar, and families receiving funded hours agree to pay for an additional-services package. Families comfortable with those arrangements have a setting with an Outstanding September 2024 judgement and a well-defined preschool day to consider.