Leigh Lollipops Nursery

A garden with an alphabet snail, countryside walks and a hall rearranged for play each day give Leigh Lollipops Nursery its character. This is a pack-away preschool at Abbots Pass Hall in Leigh, with outdoor exploration woven into its routines. The setting has capacity for 26 children; its current age range is 45 to 60 months.

At its November 2022 inspection, Ofsted rated the nursery Good and found safeguarding effective, while identifying two priorities: making more of everyday opportunities to teach healthy choices, and developing children's understanding of their own and other cultures. Those findings provide a useful balance to the appealing outdoor offer. They concern what children learn through ordinary interactions, as well as through planned activities.

The nursery operates as a charity, with surplus funds returning to its resources and provision. A voluntary committee gives parents a route into its governance. Morning and afternoon sessions run during term time, with Breakfast Club and Lunch Club providing additional options around them.

Learning and Activities

The Early Years Foundation Stage is the framework for children's learning and care, covering development through play, communication, movement and relationships alongside early literacy and mathematics. At Leigh Lollipops, termly topics sit alongside activities adjusted to children's interests. Children choose their own play and also join adult-led groups, so the day combines independent decisions with shared learning.

Painting, puzzles and role play sit alongside drawing, stories and messy play. Equipment is packed away and the indoor arrangement prepared afresh each day, allowing activities and resources to change.

In November 2022, children reused fireworks vocabulary during movement play, giving new words another context. Storytelling also prompted children to invent narratives using props.

Afternoons begin with lunch, followed by outdoor play while indoor activities are refreshed. Key Person time offers individual or small-group activities tailored to children's development; stories, songs or quiet games bring the session to a gentler close.

Outdoor and Community Life

The garden supplies several kinds of play in one space. A mud kitchen and digging areas support imaginative exploration; bikes, scooters and balancing equipment give children opportunities to practise movement. Planters, water resources and a sand pit add materials to handle and investigate. The alphabet snail brings letters into the outdoor setting rather than confining them to indoor activities.

Outings, where possible, extend exploration to Leigh playground, the recreation ground and the adjacent Spinney. Parents receive advance notice and give consent before off-site visits.

Wet wellie walks involve puddles and seasonal exploration, while woodland trails encourage children to notice changes in the countryside. In November 2022, outdoor play also included counting natural objects and discussing their weight. The useful connection is between physical experience and language: things children can collect, compare and handle become material for conversation and early mathematics.

Relationships and Communication

Parents can remain during early sessions, comfort items from home are welcome, and attendance patterns can be adjusted where helpful. Staff and families agree when separation should begin, allowing time for children who need longer to settle.

All About Me and All About My Child forms help staff build activities around a child's interests. The waving window offers a familiar goodbye point, and parents can telephone for a brief update during the early days. The nursery also contacts families if a child becomes unwell, distressed or struggles with the day. These are concrete communication arrangements rather than a general promise of reassurance.

Little Learners, a weekly stay-and-play session for children who are not enrolled, allows play with a parent or carer present, building familiarity before separation begins.

Inclusion and Wellbeing

A SENDCo coordinates support with families, staff and outside professionals. Where appropriate, Individual Support Plans set out the child's needs and are reviewed regularly. At the November 2022 inspection, Ofsted found that staff sought professional input effectively for children with special educational needs and/or disabilities, and that children made good progress from their starting points. The current support arrangements give families a defined role and planning process to discuss when additional help is needed.

In November 2022, children practised independence through looking after belongings, recognising their names and serving their drinks. They also washed their hands as part of everyday routines. The accompanying improvement priorities matter here: practical self-care was established, but healthy eating was not consistently connected to health and fitness, and children's different cultural backgrounds needed fuller recognition.

Breakfast is included with Breakfast Club, while families supply the morning snack and packed lunch. Lunch Club brings staff and children together to eat, with conversation and independence forming part of the meal rather than treating it simply as a break between activities.

Sessions and Attendance

Morning Session runs from 9am to noon, and Afternoon Session from noon to 2pm, Monday to Thursday; Friday is closed. The afternoon includes Lunch Club. Separately, Lunch Club runs from noon to 12.30pm, and Breakfast Club begins at 8.30am. These options let families choose a morning, an afternoon or additional time around the main sessions.

Attendance is term-time only, with closure during school holidays. Children must attend a minimum number of hours each week according to their age. Exceptions need agreement in advance and depend on their effect on the child's experience and the running of the nursery. Families need to consider that minimum alongside the session times, rather than assuming that any occasional pattern will work.

Joining the waiting list involves a Registration Form and a registration charge, although that charge does not apply to children taking fully funded places; a contribution in those cases is voluntary. After an offered place is accepted, a holding deposit secures it and is refunded under the admissions policy. Enquiries can go through the contact form or to enquiries@leighlollipops.org.

Getting There

The address is Abbots Pass Hall, Bunce Common Road, Leigh, Surrey RH2 8NP. The nursery is opposite the children's playground, giving families a clear local landmark when planning their route.

Funding and Paid Extras

Government Early Years funding is accepted for eligible children and can be applied across the sessions. Additional hours are privately charged. Self-funded sessions are billed ahead of each term, and the nursery accepts Tax-Free Childcare and applicable childcare vouchers. Eligibility conditions still apply to those support schemes.

For funded places, contributions towards consumables and extra enrichment activities are optional. Families can provide their own consumable items instead, with opt-out arrangements handled by the Nursery Administrator and Registrar. This makes the distinction between funded attendance and additional purchases important when considering the total arrangement.

Some enrichment is part of nursery provision; other activities are optional and can carry an extra charge. Possible experiences include cooking, movement and music, visitors and seasonal activities, planned across the term rather than promised at a fixed frequency. Current prices come in the nursery's written quotation; the funding and fees page explains the charge structure.

• Attendance commitment. The weekly minimum depends on age, and exceptions require advance agreement. Ask which minimum applies to your child and how it fits the morning or afternoon pattern you want.
• Everyday learning priorities. In November 2022, healthy-choice teaching and understanding different cultures needed further development. During a visit, ask how staff now teach these subjects through meals, stories and play.
• Settling and changing spaces. Parents may stay during early sessions, while the pack-away layout is prepared anew each day. A visit or Little Learners session can help you judge how your child responds to the environment and the proposed separation process.
• Funded extras. Consumable and enrichment contributions on funded places are optional, and supplying consumables from home is an alternative. A written quotation should make the chosen extras and the deposit refund conditions clear before you accept a place.

Leigh Lollipops suits families seeking term-time morning or afternoon sessions, with time outdoors and a gradual approach to separation. Its garden equipment, local outings and individual Key Person activities give that offer substance. Parent involvement also extends beyond informal contact through the voluntary committee.

The November 2022 Good judgement provides a positive inspection position, alongside specific improvement priorities that deserve attention. For a family whose timetable matches the session pattern and age-based attendance minimum, the combination of flexible settling and play extending into Leigh's outdoor spaces is the clearest reason to consider it.