Nursery, Aspire

A swimming pool, dance studio and Academy library give Nursery, Aspire a day that reaches beyond its own rooms. Access to Southfields Academy's facilities brings swimming, movement, books and cooking into the learning offer, with activities included in fees. The practical attraction is breadth: children can explore different interests without families buying each activity separately.

Ofsted rated the nursery Outstanding at its 30 June 2022 inspection. That judgement belongs to that date, rather than being a fresh assessment of today's provision. The room structure runs from babies through toddlers to preschool children.

The Dolphin Room takes children from 3 months to 2 years, The Froggies Room covers ages 2-3, and The Ladybirds Room covers ages 3-5. Two paid packages offer different finishing times, both with a four-day minimum. This is a substantial weekly commitment, even for families choosing the earlier finish.

Rooms and Ages

The Dolphin Room provides the baby stage, The Froggies Room the toddler stage and The Ladybirds Room the preschool stage. Each room has a senior member of staff overseeing it. These age bands give parents a clear picture of the progression through the nursery, while the whole-setting capacity should be understood separately from the number of children sharing an individual room.

Ladybird children also use the Aspire Centre for Ding Dang Do, an arts-and-crafts activity organised around a story that changes weekly. Their creations go home with them. That gives families something concrete to discuss together: the story, the materials used and what their child chose to make.

Learning and Activities

The Early Years Foundation Stage organises the learning activities, with planning shaped by children's interests and developmental milestones. In parent language, this means play and everyday experiences are used to build learning, rather than every child being given an identical programme regardless of their stage. Observation helps staff decide what to introduce next.

In June 2022, a rain-cloud experiment combined water, shaving foam and food colouring. Children poured water themselves and practised vocabulary about how much their containers held. The next planned step involved measuring with containers of different sizes. This example makes the sequence tangible: an appealing experiment opened up talk about quantity, then supplied a starting point for further mathematical exploration.

That same June 2022 account included live caterpillars and children's later recollections of their transformation into butterflies. Learning connected across experiences, rather than ending when an activity was packed away. Conversations during play also introduced mathematical language, including sharing part of a pretend pear.

The current activity offer includes Spanish for preschool children once a week, using games, songs and other activities. Musical Express combines music with dance and expression. Cooking activities are led by the nursery's chef when time permits, so they should be understood as an opportunity rather than a guaranteed weekly class.

Outdoor and Community Life

Southfields Academy supplies several substantial physical resources: swimming lessons take place in a swimming pool, dance lessons use a dance studio, and physical education uses a 3G astroturf pitch. Swimming teaching includes qualified teachers and lifeguards. These are different spaces for different kinds of movement, rather than a single room being adapted for every activity.

Visits to the Academy library bring children into a setting with a librarian and books selected for their age. Regular outings to St Georges Park add another outdoor experience. The stated frequency is regular, so families should understand these as part of the offer rather than a fixed weekly timetable.

Relationships and Communication

In June 2022, settling arrangements centred on the key person learning about each child and family, including the child's developmental starting point. The relationship had a practical purpose: it informed both the move into nursery and the choice of what to teach next. Settling and learning were connected rather than treated as separate tasks.

Communication in June 2022 included conversations each day, photographs and meetings between parents and the key person. That combination gave families both everyday updates and an opportunity for a longer discussion. The current parent-partnership approach includes discussing achievements, friendships, experiences and difficulties, with parents' views and concerns feeding into the relationship.

Staff continuity is another relevant part of the current offer. Most staff have worked at the nursery for more than five years, and agency staff are not used. Each room has senior oversight, while more than 75% of the team hold a degree alongside relevant childcare qualifications. For families, continuity makes the adults involved in daily care an important part of the choice.

Inclusion and Wellbeing

At its June 2022 inspection, Ofsted found safeguarding effective and that collaboration with schools and external professionals benefited children with special educational needs and/or disabilities. Today, a Special Educational Needs Coordinator (SENCO) role provides a defined point of support. The role and the dated finding should be read separately: one describes an arrangement, the other an assessment at a particular time.

In June 2022, stories helped children challenge assumptions about who could enjoy particular colours or activities. Pink is for Boys was one example, alongside opportunities to use dolls and construction resources. Children also explored family structures, cuisines and religious celebrations through stories and practical experiences.

Everyday independence featured in June 2022 too: children practised dressing for outdoor play, using cutlery and helping clear up after eating; babies were encouraged to feed themselves. These were small, repeated tasks with a useful purpose, allowing children to take part in their own care as well as in organised activities.

Sessions and Attendance

Package 1 runs from 7.30am to 6.30pm; Package 2 runs from 7.30am to 3pm. The packages cannot be combined, and attendance must be at least four days each week. Families choosing the earlier finish therefore still commit to a regular weekly pattern, rather than occasional short sessions.

Opening hours are Monday to Friday, 7.30am to 6.25pm, across 50 weeks annually. Closures cover the Christmas-to-New-Year period and statutory Bank Holidays. The difference between the stated closing time and Package 1's finishing time is a practical point to resolve before booking.

The nursery's address is Southfields Academy, 333 Merton Road, London SW18 5JU. Enquiries can be made by contact form, by emailing manager@nurseryataspire.com or by calling 020 8870 5093. The contact address is 20 Burr Road, London SW18 4SQ.

Being based at Southfields Academy should not be read as a promise of a later school place. Nursery attendance does not guarantee a Reception place; families applying to a state school still use the local authority admissions process.

Funding and Paid Extras

Free Nursery Educational Places (FNEP) are offered for three- and four-year-olds. The funding description says FNEP meets part of the hourly cost of a place. Families should obtain a current written quotation from the nursery that sets out their own proposed arrangement.

Private package prices include activities, nappies, wipes and meals. Package 1 includes breakfast, lunch, snacks and an evening meal; Package 2 includes breakfast, lunch and snacks. The earlier finish therefore changes both the length of the day and the meals supplied.

An in-house catering team prepares meals and snacks, with seasonal menu examples including vegetable dishes, meat and fish; the nursery describes food preparation in a nut-free environment. Families must tell the nursery about allergies, intolerances and other dietary requirements so staff can account for them.

• Two addresses. The nursery address is Southfields Academy, 333 Merton Road, SW18 5JU, while the contact address is 20 Burr Road, SW18 4SQ. Confirm which entrance and address to use for your visit.
• A regular weekly commitment. Both packages require at least four days, and they cannot be mixed. Package 1 finishes at 6.30pm, while the opening hours end at 6.25pm: resolve the collection time before agreeing your pattern.
• Baby-stage entry. The waiting-list arrangement is for the baby room, covering ages 3 months to 2 years; there is no toddler or preschool waiting list, and families are instructed not to apply for children aged two or older. Ask how the baby-room application and tour process works for your intended start.
• Dietary planning. The food policy requires families to disclose allergies and intolerances and describes nut-free food preparation. If this affects your child, discuss current kitchen and serving practice during your visit.

Nursery, Aspire suits families seeking either an earlier-finish day or a day extending into the evening, provided a four-day weekly commitment fits their needs. The Academy facilities, weekly preschool Spanish and story-based Ding Dang Do activities give that regular attendance plenty of different settings and experiences.

The Outstanding judgement dates to June 2022. Its strongest practical messages were about purposeful learning, relationships and children's growing independence. For today's decision, weigh the current activity offer and inclusive package structure alongside the entry arrangement, address clarification and precise collection time.