Bright Horizons Leatherhead Day Nursery and Preschool

A shaded baby garden, a separate sleep room and a preschool garden with a water wall give this Leatherhead nursery a clear emphasis on spaces suited to different stages of childhood. Bright Horizons Leatherhead Day Nursery and Preschool cares for children aged 3 months to 5 years at 1 Hazeldean, Station Road, Leatherhead, KT22 7AA.

At its March 2023 inspection, Ofsted rated the nursery Good, highlighting children's relationships with staff and their engagement in learning, while requiring broader experiences of the world and more consistent communication about children's progress. That is a dated judgement: a later organisational safeguarding notice is an important part of the decision for families today.

The practical offer combines weekday opening from 7.30am to 6.30pm with funded childcare stretched across the year. Babies' individual routines and preschool children's independence give the age groups different priorities.

Rooms and Ages

Babies have their own sleep room, so rest has a dedicated space alongside the activity of nursery life. Their routines are followed individually. Outside, the baby garden includes shade and can be used in different weather conditions, giving younger children an outdoor area designed around their stage.

The toddler and preschool rooms encourage children to do more for themselves as they prepare for their next steps. Preschool children can move freely between their room and the garden, where the lookout tower and water wall provide concrete reasons to explore outside. A forest area adds another setting for play with natural surroundings.

Learning and Activities

The EYFS framework sets expectations for children's learning, development and care; in everyday terms, this includes building language, exploring mathematical ideas and learning to manage relationships through play. Alongside it sits the group-wide Nurture Approach, which combines creative activities with attention to wellbeing, skills and confidence. At Leatherhead, preschool children also have the Ready for School programme, taught by a preschool teacher to support preparation for school.

In March 2023, stories prompted children to answer questions and discuss what they understood. Babies moved to songs and explored instruments, while toddlers compared wooden pieces by colour and size. Older children collected shapes and talked about their discoveries. These examples show how early language and mathematics could be woven into practical play rather than treated as separate lessons.

Pretend shopping was another March 2023 activity: children used props to take the roles of customer and shopkeeper. However, experiences of cultures and beliefs were mainly confined to the nursery, limiting opportunities to learn about the wider physical world and community. The garden and forest area are useful features, but the breadth of experiences beyond the setting deserves attention too.

Relationships and Communication

In March 2023, staff placed importance on building relationships with their key children and worked with parents on sleep routines and toilet training. Preschool children practised everyday independence by helping themselves to lunch and drinks; toddlers took responsibility for clearing sand. These were small, practical steps towards managing more of their own day.

Communication was less consistent. In March 2023, some parents understood their children's development better than others, leaving families unevenly equipped to continue learning at home. Today, the Bright Horizons Family app provides updates about the child's day and milestones. Its usefulness for a family depends on the substance of those updates as well as access to them.

Wellbeing and Safeguarding

A quiet space was used in March 2023 when children became upset, alongside adult help with sharing and taking turns. This gave children an alternative activity while they worked through their feelings.

In its document dated 22 June 2026, Ofsted recorded a legal Welfare Requirements Notice requiring organisational safeguarding changes across Bright Horizons because the provider had not demonstrated that it could ensure consistently effective safeguarding across its provision. Changes to leadership oversight, staff support, escalation of concerns and handling allegations were required by 1 August 2026; these requirements address organisational arrangements rather than establishing concerns at each nursery. The latest published position is the notice and its intention to monitor the response. It does not establish the outcome of those actions. Families should weigh this organisational position alongside Leatherhead's dated inspection judgement.

Sessions and Attendance

Opening hours are 7.30am to 6.30pm, Monday to Friday. The nursery operates throughout the year, closing for one inset day, bank and public holidays, and the period between Christmas and New Year. Those closures matter when matching childcare to a working calendar.

Funded childcare uses 10-hour sessions beginning at nursery opening time. Additional hours outside that session are charged separately, and purchasing them is not a condition of taking a funded place. This distinction matters for families whose working day extends beyond the funded session.

The nursery is close to Leatherhead train station and has onsite parking. An onsite buggy park also supports families travelling with a pushchair.

Funding and Paid Extras

The funding arrangements include 15-hour and 30-hour entitlements, subject to eligibility, with funded hours spread over 50 weeks. Private childcare is also offered, and fees are paid monthly in advance by direct debit. Current prices come in the nursery's written quotation; a registration charge also applies.

An onsite chef prepares meals each day. Meals and snacks are included in private fees, but food is charged separately with funded childcare; that food charge is non-mandatory and taking it is not a condition of accessing a funded place.

Formula milk for babies under 1 year, nappies, wipes and creams are included in the nursery's fee package. For funded hours, the nursery supplies associated consumables. Keeping food, consumables and additional childcare hours separate makes it easier to understand what a family's payment covers.

• Organisational safeguarding action. The 22 June 2026 notice required changes by 1 August 2026 and distinguished organisational weaknesses from concerns at every branch. Before joining, ask how the actions affect Leatherhead's supervision, escalation procedures and handling of allegations.
• Progress updates and wider experiences. In March 2023, communication about learning varied between parents and experiences beyond the nursery needed broadening. Use a personal tour to discuss examples of current progress updates and children's experiences of the surrounding community.
• Funded session boundaries. Funded childcare is arranged in 10-hour sessions, with separate charges for food and any additional hours. Request a written quotation separating these elements for the attendance pattern you need.

Leatherhead suits families who value individual baby routines, dedicated sleep space and preschool access to outdoor play, whether they use funded sessions or combine them with additional private hours. The physical arrangements give parents concrete features to assess. The 8 March 2023 inspection provides a dated starting point, but the June 2026 organisational safeguarding notice makes current safeguarding practice central to the joining decision.