Leaps Nursery

Language, play and emotional development give Leaps Nursery its character, with a key person system linking each child and family to an individual practitioner. Based at Hatchlands Primary School in Redhill, it takes children aged two to five and has 30 places in total. The emphasis is on the years before Reception rather than baby care.

At its October 2022 inspection, Ofsted rated Leaps Good and judged safeguarding effective. That dated judgement comes with useful detail: individual settling arrangements, imaginative play and growing independence, alongside improvements needed in hygiene teaching and the organisation of larger group activities.

Attendance can be built around morning, afternoon or all-day sessions, with extended care on request. Term-time operation is a decisive practical consideration for families needing childcare through school holidays.

Learning and Activities

The EYFS 2025 Curriculum provides the framework for learning through play, with an emphasis on language, physical development and children's personal, social and emotional development. Practitioners model language and extend children's play, skills and understanding. For parents, this means conversation and adult interaction are part of children's play and learning.

Emotional literacy and self-regulation are explicit priorities. These concern how children understand feelings and manage their responses, and sit alongside the nursery's emphasis on teamwork. The educational offer therefore gives relationships and communication substantial weight as children prepare for primary school.

In October 2022, pretend play included a salon activity. Staff brought counting and colour into that play while also challenging gender stereotypes. It was a concrete example of several learning opportunities emerging from one familiar scenario, rather than treating imaginative play as a break from learning.

During the same month, children played Duck, Duck, Goose, a chasing game involving choosing another child and taking turns. Children also selected their activities and retrieved their own coats. Those examples show the inspection-era balance between shared games and small opportunities to act independently.

Outdoor and Community Life

In October 2022, physical play involved a climbing frame with steps, rope ladders and a slide. Children practised climbing and moving between these features, giving physical development a tangible place in the nursery day. These are dated examples of the environment, rather than a promise about its present layout.

Home learning has practical support too. Families are directed to PhonicsPlay for Phase 1 phonics games, alongside activity ideas for toddlers. This gives parents a named starting point for play beyond nursery, rather than simply asking them to reinforce learning at home.

Relationships and Communication

A key person system gives each family an individual practitioner connection. That matters when sharing a child's interests, routines or concerns: relationships form part of the care arrangement, alongside the learning activities.

In October 2022, settling arrangements were adapted to individual children, and parents could remain for sessions. Children sought comfort from staff, while practitioners helped them share and respond to disagreements. Settling was treated as a process shaped around the child rather than a single fixed routine for everyone.

Communication with parents was another positive element in October 2022. Parents spoke positively about exchanges with staff and the arrangements for helping newcomers settle. A breakfast bar had also been introduced in response to assessments of children's needs, illustrating how the nursery adapted daily routines at that time.

Inclusion and Wellbeing

At the October 2022 inspection, Ofsted found that staff sought outside help for children with SEND, enabling early assessment and prompt support plans, and supported multilingual children by learning words from their home languages. These are dated findings about practice, rather than a guarantee of an individual child's experience today.

Current staff roles include a SENCO, a designated safeguarding lead and a deputy safeguarding lead. All staff have paediatric first aid and food hygiene training. These are concrete arrangements families can discuss in relation to their child's needs; they do not replace the dated safeguarding judgement.

Hygiene teaching needed attention in October 2022: staff did not consistently reinforce handwashing or demonstrate suitable habits. Larger circle-time gatherings also left some children overwhelmed and less involved. Both findings matter when considering how adults support everyday independence and participation.

Sessions and Attendance

Leaps operates during term time and closes for school holidays. Opening hours are Monday to Friday, 8.30am to 3.30pm, but the bookable sessions have their own boundaries.

Morning sessions run from 9am to noon; afternoon sessions run from 12.30pm to 3.30pm. All-day sessions run from 9am to 3pm. Extended care allows an 8.30am start and/or a 3.30pm finish by arrangement, and flexible ad-hoc attendance is offered where possible. The distinction matters: an all-day booking does not automatically cover the entire opening window.

Getting There

The address is Hatchlands Primary School, Hatchlands Road, Redhill, Surrey, RH1 6AT. General enquiries can be made through the nursery's contact route, and families can arrange a tour and receive an admission form.

Sharing the primary school's site does not guarantee a Reception place. Families still need to use the local authority admissions process for a state-school application; choosing nursery care and securing a school place are separate decisions.

Funding and Paid Extras

Leaps accepts 3/4yrs 30 hours, 3/4yrs 15 hours, 2yr working parent and Early Learning for 2yr old funding. Private childcare is also offered, and extended care is charged when it falls outside a family's funding allowance. Current prices come in the nursery's written quotation, with the nursery fees page explaining the charge structure.

Food can be purchased separately, with voluntary charges applying to breakfast, hot lunch and afternoon snacks; families who decline purchased food provide their own. Lunch is prepared by Hatchlands Primary School's caterers and delivered to the nursery.

• Group activities and hygiene. In October 2022, larger circle-time groups reduced some children's participation, and hygiene habits needed more consistent adult support. During a visit, ask how group activities and handwashing routines now work, especially for a child who finds busy gatherings difficult.
• Term-time attendance. Morning, afternoon and all-day bookings sit within a nursery that closes for school holidays. Families needing year-round cover should weigh that calendar against their working arrangements.
• Food and funded hours. Meals are a voluntary separate purchase, with food from home as the alternative. Before joining, establish how your chosen food arrangement and extended care fit the funded booking and written quotation.

Leaps suits families seeking term-time morning or afternoon sessions, as well as those wanting an all-day pattern with extended care by arrangement. Its emphasis on language, emotional development and individual practitioner relationships gives the offer a clear shape.

The Good judgement dates to 2022, when settling and imaginative play were positive features but hygiene teaching and larger-group participation needed attention. Those practical issues deserve as much weight as the grade. The school-site location is useful context, while Reception admission remains a separate application.