White Lodge Nursery

Specialist support and mainstream nursery life meet at White Lodge Nursery, which welcomes children with and without additional needs and specialises in cerebral palsy, complex health needs, disabilities and neurodiversity. Its individual planning starts with how a child communicates, what they enjoy and the care they need. That makes the detail of each child's day central to choosing this nursery.

At its June 2022 inspection, Ofsted rated the nursery Good, found safeguarding effective and recognised how staff met children's medical, care and learning needs, including those of children with SEND. Those findings are dated, rather than a promise about every child's experience today.

White Lodge has capacity for 30 children aged two to five. The nursery operates during term time, with morning, afternoon and whole-day attendance options.

Learning and Activities

The EYFS (Early Years Foundation Stage) provides the framework for children's learning and care: everyday play and planned activities help children develop their communication, physical skills and readiness for their next stage. At White Lodge, individual goals are agreed by the key person and parents, so the starting point is the child rather than an identical task for everyone.

In June 2022, communication activities included signing, repeated words and adults talking through what children were doing. Children could therefore take part through different ways of communicating. Imaginative play was evident too: carpet squares became a pretend route across an imaginary lava floor. This was learning through a recognisable game, with movement and imagination working together.

The teaching also had a clear limitation in June 2022. Some tasks exceeded children's existing skills, including handling scissors and using a large mould in sand play, and adults did not consistently adjust them. The practical consequence was that children could not finish certain activities by themselves. Matching the challenge to the child matters especially in a setting where abilities and support needs differ.

Outdoor and Community Life

Pathways houses the nursery alongside the site's play and youth provision and hydrotherapy facilities. These are separate services sharing a building; nursery attendance should not be read as an entitlement to every service on the site.

In June 2022, children used an equipped garden for outdoor activity and exercise. Toothbrushing activities and everyday hygiene routines also formed part of their experience. Physical development was therefore supported through ordinary daily habits as well as play.

Relationships and Communication

All About Me is a working document covering a child's communication, preferred activities, dietary requirements, risk assessments and medical needs. Parents are offered a home visit before their child starts, and the document changes as the child's needs change. This gives families a concrete way to explain the details that can make care work well, rather than relying on a brief introductory conversation.

Settling begins with a short morning stay, usually one or two hours, then builds at the child's pace. Each child has a key person who agrees individual goals with parents. For a child who needs time to become familiar with adults, other children and routines, the gradual increase is a useful part of the attendance plan.

In June 2022, parent communication included books passed between home and nursery, daily updates, newsletters each week and parent evenings. These offered different opportunities to share information, from the immediate details of a day to a longer discussion about learning and care.

Inclusion and Wellbeing

Where a child needs a Surrey Support Plan (ISP), the SENCO and key person prepare it and share it with parents before nursery begins. Its targets and outcomes are reviewed with the family and relevant staff. This makes support a plan that can be revisited, rather than a fixed description of a child's needs.

Particular healthcare needs can require training from community nurses or specialist hospitals. In June 2022, staff training included support for children with cochlear implants, with attention to fitting them somewhere quiet to reduce the impact of sudden sounds. The example shows why training for an individual child's equipment and care can matter as much as the general nursery routine.

Collection arrangements use authorised adults and passwords, with identity checks where required. Families need to agree emergency collection arrangements before attendance begins.

Sessions and Attendance

The nursery address is White Lodge, Holloway Hill, Lyne, Chertsey, KT16 0AE. Opening hours are 9.30am to 3.30pm, Monday to Friday, across 38 term-time weeks, with school holidays closed.

Children can attend morning sessions from 9.30am to 12.30pm, afternoon sessions from 12.30pm to 3.30pm or full days from 9.30am to 3.30pm. The minimum booking is two sessions or six hours each week. This permits shorter attendance as well as a whole day, while still requiring a regular weekly commitment.

Applications are made directly to White Lodge. If a waiting list operates, priority criteria apply to eligible funded two- and three-year-olds, subject to staffing ratios and suitable facilities: these include cerebral palsy, specified movement or complex neurological needs, and certain children already attending. This is a conditional admissions rule, not an indication of current vacancies.

Funding and Paid Extras

Funded childcare and private placements are offered. Funding routes include Free Early Education for Two Year Olds (FEET), Universal Entitlement (15 hours) and Extended Entitlement (30 hours funding), with eligibility conditions applying to the relevant routes. Attendance is term-time rather than spread across the holidays.

Daily lunches are charged separately and paid for ahead of each half term. Private attendance is billed a calendar month in arrears; payment continues during short-term sickness, defined as two nursery weeks. Families should obtain a current written quotation covering their chosen attendance and lunch arrangements.

• Matching activities to ability. In June 2022, some activities needed better adjustment to children's skills, and teaching about healthy food choices needed greater consistency. During a visit, ask how staff now adapt a task and build food-related learning into the day.
• Term-time commitment. Attendance covers 38 weeks and requires at least two sessions or six hours weekly. The morning, afternoon and whole-day choices need to fit the family's holiday arrangements as well as its usual week.
• Specialist therapy arrangements. Commissioning of specialist therapy for children aged 0–5 living in Surrey with cerebral palsy or complex neurodevelopmental conditions transferred to Surrey Child and Family Health (HCRG Care Group) from 1 April 2026. Families using that service should discuss how nursery care and their child's therapy arrangements connect.

White Lodge suits families seeking mainstream nursery attendance alongside an established specialism in additional and complex needs, whether they want morning or afternoon sessions or a whole term-time day. All About Me, gradual settling and jointly agreed targets give that offer practical substance.

The Good judgement from June 2022 provides a useful quality reference, with clear improvement points about adapting activities and healthy-eating education. The strongest reason to consider White Lodge is its individual planning; the deciding question is how that planning translates into the right daily experience for your child.