Number 1 Daycare

English and Spanish run through songs, stories and play at Number 1 Daycare, giving this Bellew Street nursery a clear identity beyond its childcare hours. Children encounter both languages in everyday conversation as well as organised activities. For families wanting Spanish to be part of early childhood, that daily contact is the central attraction.

At its January 2025 inspection, Ofsted rated the nursery Good, judged safeguarding effective and found that children with special educational needs and/or disabilities received good support. There was also a practical improvement to make: some parts of the day needed better organisation so children stayed occupied and developed more consistent control of their behaviour.

The nursery accepts children aged 2 to 60 months and has 57 places in total. Full-time and part-time attendance sit alongside an English-Spanish approach, Forest School outdoor learning and multisports work with Active Little Angels.

Learning and Activities

The Early Years Foundation Stage provides the foundation for learning through play, covering communication, physical development, relationships and early understanding of subjects such as mathematics. Staff observe children's play and use their interests to shape subsequent activities. This makes a child's current curiosity a starting point for learning, rather than treating every activity as a fixed lesson.

English-Spanish learning adds a concrete layer to that framework. Songs, games and stories use both languages daily, while practitioners also speak English and Spanish throughout the day. Children therefore hear language attached to actions, objects and conversations. The emphasis is on using it within nursery life, rather than keeping it inside a separate language lesson.

In January 2025, toddlers joined in with the movements of a Spanish greeting song and used vocabulary from both languages while making pictures of faces. These examples give the bilingual offer substance: words were connected to something children were doing, with opportunities to respond through movement as well as speech.

Multisports Lessons bring another kind of learning. Active Little Angels works with the nursery on activities involving different sports, with professional support adapted to children's individual strengths and areas for development. That adds structured physical activity to the day while allowing children to work at their own pace.

Outdoor and Community Life

Forest School uses outdoor exploration, guided games and practical activities to encourage independence and engagement with nature. Its value here is the different setting for learning: children can investigate outdoors and take part in hands-on experiences beyond indoor play. Outdoor time also has a place in the daily routine.

Cultural celebrations include El Día de los Niños and St. George’s Day. These give the English-Spanish approach a wider context than vocabulary alone, connecting nursery experiences with Latin and British traditions. Stories, music and creative activities form other parts of that cultural and language offer.

In January 2025, a chalkboard provided a useful example of staff responding to children's interests. When children began making wet hand marks on it, practitioners introduced chalk so they could extend their experimenting. During imaginative play, additional pots and porridge oats gave children more opportunities to practise scooping and coordination. These were small, practical adjustments to play already under way.

Relationships and Communication

In January 2025, each child's key person followed their development through observation and used that knowledge to plan what came next. Parents received updates through a digital app, including ideas for continuing learning at home. This connected nursery activities with family life and gave parents more than a record of what their child had done that day.

Current communication includes everyday conversations, updates and family events. Staff also undertake continuing training. For parents, the useful combination is contact about the individual child alongside opportunities to discuss development more fully.

In January 2025, families attended developmental meetings and social occasions including sports days. Children formed friendships, danced together and received help with disagreements over toys. Sharing and taking turns were taught through situations arising in play, making social learning part of ordinary interactions.

Inclusion and Wellbeing

In January 2025, staff worked with other professionals to obtain advice about children's additional learning needs, and practitioners understood the individual care plans they used. These are concrete support mechanisms: outside advice informed the child's plan, which then guided the adults working with them.

Independence also featured in January 2025. Preschool children selected craft materials themselves, made dragon pictures and practised personal care such as handwashing before eating. These everyday responsibilities supported preparation for school through practical habits and choices.

The current routine includes breakfast, snacks, lunch and a rest period after lunch. That gives the day a rhythm of activity, food and rest, rather than presenting learning as uninterrupted organised tasks.

Sessions and Attendance

The address is 32 Bellew Street, London, SW17 0AD, in Tooting Broadway. Opening hours are 8am to 6pm, Monday to Friday, and the nursery operates throughout the year. Full-time and part-time placements are offered with flexibility around family needs; these attendance options are separate from the opening window.

Morning activities and outdoor play precede the afternoon's lunch, rest, snack and further activities. For families considering attendance across the year, that daily structure matters alongside the number of days their child attends.

Funding and Paid Extras

The nursery accepts 15 or 30 funded hours, subject to eligibility, and offers stretched funding across 52 weeks. Spreading an entitlement through the year is a different arrangement from using it only during term time; it should not be read as a promise of 30 funded hours every week throughout the year.

Funded provision covers learning, play and developmental activities. Meals are charged separately from funded hours, and additional paid childcare hours can be added. Current prices come in the nursery's written quotation.

Families share their funding code with the nursery for validation. The team can help with a code that does not activate and can contact the local authority on a family's behalf. That administrative support is useful, but eligibility remains a condition of the funded offer.

• The quieter parts of the day. In January 2025, some routines left children insufficiently occupied, leading to restlessness and wandering. During a visit, ask how transitions and waiting periods now keep children engaged.
• Language in everyday practice. English and Spanish feature in daily stories, games and songs. Ask to see how practitioners help a child participate when they understand one language more readily than the other.
• The complete childcare bill. Stretched funding runs across 52 weeks, with meals charged separately from funded hours and additional paid hours offered. Request a written quotation for your intended attendance pattern.

Number 1 Daycare suits families seeking daily English-Spanish contact through either full-time or part-time attendance, with an all-year opening pattern. Forest School and Active Little Angels add outdoor investigation and structured physical activity to the language offer.

The Good judgement from January 2025 sits alongside a specific caution about organisation during less occupied parts of the day. The strongest reason to choose this nursery is its concrete bilingual practice, supported by practical learning experiences. How the current routine handles transitions deserves close attention when weighing that appeal.