Fledglings Early Years & Out of School Care

Woodland exploration, a garden and rooms named Wrens, Robins and Owls give Fledglings in Tooting a recognisable character. Outdoor discovery sits alongside age-specific play, while a key person helps connect each child's interests with the activities planned for them. For parents, the useful combination is physical exploration and an ongoing conversation about their child's development.

Fledglings Early Years & Out of School Care has capacity for 49 children aged six months to five years at 101a Derinton Road, London, SW17 8HZ. Ofsted rated it Good at its inspection on 8 July 2021. That is a dated judgement; the current offer includes nursery care across the year and during term time, alongside care before and after school.

Rooms and Ages

Wrens, the baby room, combines movement and sensory exploration with a quieter, cosy area for books and rest, giving babies space for both activity and calmer moments. Robins, for toddlers, brings together climbing structures, riding toys, puzzles, pretend kitchen equipment and musical instruments, so movement, make-believe and language can develop through different kinds of play. Owls, the preschool room, emphasises independence through construction, early writing, speaking, mathematics and science, linking children's investigations with preparation for school.

These are different stages of the nursery day rather than one activity plan repeated throughout the setting. The baby provision allows for physical discovery and relaxation; toddlers have resources to manipulate and explore; preschool children encounter activities that invite them to explain, design and investigate.

Learning and Activities

The Early Years Foundation Stage (EYFS) provides the framework for learning through play, including communication, physical development, relationships, literacy and mathematics. Alongside it, Fledglings uses forest school principles: hands-on exploration in nearby woodland and garden spaces, with opportunities for children to make decisions and consider risk. Nature therefore has a practical place in learning, beyond being a backdrop to outdoor play.

Cooking, construction, stories, music, sand and water play sit within a timetable that can adapt to children's interests. Staff use observations and assessments to plan subsequent activities, and can extend a play period when a discovery holds children's attention. This gives the day structure while allowing an absorbing investigation to continue.

Social play and independent exploration both have a place. Children can investigate resources alone, join smaller groups or work with a practitioner, rather than taking part in the same format throughout the day. Visits to local places of interest add experiences beyond the nursery, while indoor and outdoor activities keep physical play within the everyday routine.

Relationships and Communication

Learning Journeys are individual records built by parents and the child's key person, bringing together interests, needs, activities and achievements to plan the next steps. Parents contribute to the picture rather than simply receiving a finished assessment. The arrangement gives conversations about progress something concrete to work from.

Each child has a key person who supports settling and plans activities around their needs and interests. For babies, a daily log covers sleep, feeding, toileting and learning activities, helping parents follow the practical details of the day as well as developmental changes. That is useful when home and nursery are sharing responsibility for a baby's changing routine.

Inclusion and Wellbeing

Recruitment arrangements include references and Disclosure and Barring service checks. Staff training covers safeguarding, paediatric first aid, special educational needs, behaviour and children's emotional wellbeing. These are concrete arrangements for staff preparation, rather than a substitute for an inspection judgement about their effectiveness.

Food is cooked in the nursery kitchen, with breakfast, lunch comprising two courses, tea and fruit snacks organised around a four-week menu cycle; dairy-free and vegetarian diets are catered for. For babies, staff work with parents on weaning and feeding routines, and breastfeeding parents can feed at the nursery or supply bottles, making continuity with home part of the care arrangements.

The nursery also liaises with local primary schools to support readiness for the next stage. That work belongs alongside the independence, communication and early learning activities in Owls: preparation involves everyday skills as well as writing and number work.

Sessions and Attendance

Nursery opening hours are 8am to 6pm, Monday to Friday. Full-time and part-time packages are offered, and attendance can be across the year or during term time. These options serve different family schedules, from regular weekday childcare to a pattern centred on school terms.

For school-age children, Breakfast Club runs from 7.15am to 8.45am and Out of School Care from 3.15pm to 6.30pm. Collection and drop-off arrangements include Franciscan and Hillbrook schools. These are school-care services, separate from the nursery opening window, and may be useful for families coordinating care for children at different stages.

Getting There

The nursery's contact address covers 101A and 101B Derinton Road, Tooting, London, SW17 8HZ. Bus services include the 219, 44 and 77; enquiries can be made through the branch callback form or by telephone on 0208672 7358.

Funding and Paid Extras

Funded childcare is offered for eligible children accessing the educational grant for 15 or 30 hours per week. Eligibility remains a condition of that offer. Current prices come in the nursery's written quotation, so the attendance pattern and charge structure can be considered together before a family commits.

• Later regulatory records. Ofsted's records list a concern dated 1 February 2023 and a concern dated 16 May 2026; their outcomes are not published, so families may want to ask the nursery about them.
• Baby routines. Wrens combines active exploration with a quieter area, and babies have daily care logs. At a visit, ask how sleep and feeding arrangements would fit your child's routine and how the key person supports settling.
• Attendance and charges. Full-time, part-time and term-time arrangements sit alongside funded childcare. Request a written quotation for your intended attendance pattern.

Fledglings suits families seeking either full-time or part-time nursery care, including term-time attendance, who value nature-based exploration and shared records of their child's development. Wrens, Robins and Owls give the offer a clear progression, while school-care services add practical relevance for some families with older children. The July 2021 Good judgement provides historical context; the later concerns deserve a direct conversation before choosing the setting.