Happy Feet Preschool and Day Nursery

A large hall and a large garden give Happy Feet Preschool and Day Nursery its character: children play together across ages rather than spending their day in separate age-based rooms. This Staines-upon-Thames setting has capacity for 54 children, with childcare offered for ages two to five.

At its March 2025 inspection, Ofsted rated the nursery Good and found safeguarding effective, with children, including those with special educational needs and/or disabilities (SEND), progressing well towards their next stage of learning. Practical learning stood out: balancing blocks, counting painted spots and handling ducklings gave children concrete experiences to build on.

Morning, afternoon and full-day bookings provide different ways to use the setting. The shared space is the more important starting point for choosing it: families need to be comfortable with younger and older children learning alongside each other.

Learning and Activities

The early years foundation stage provides the framework for children's learning, development and care. Here, its everyday meaning includes learning through play, practising communication, exploring early mathematics and developing physical skills.

In March 2025, an interest in builders became an opportunity to investigate weight. Children moved wooden blocks between buckets on a weighing scale, working together to bring them into balance. The activity connected a familiar interest with a new mathematical idea. It also gave children a problem to solve with their friends.

Painting supplied another route into counting that March. Children used an apple to make a ladybird shape, then added spots with a cotton bud while staff helped them count. The number work belonged to the activity rather than interrupting it. Painting and gluing also gave children practice using tools with one hand, building the control needed for later writing.

Outdoor and Community Life

A large garden complements the shared indoor hall. That gives the nursery two different physical settings for play, while the hall keeps children of different ages together.

In March 2025, older children practised climbing and balance using large wooden wheels outside. Babies had space to cruise, supporting muscle development for walking. Children also handled newly hatched ducklings gently, linking care for living things with the way they treated them. These are useful examples of how physical development and considerate behaviour entered the day.

Clear routines helped children understand what came next in March 2025. Visual prompts supported turn-taking, while animated storytelling encouraged listening. Children could share familiar books with staff, combining close interaction with language practice.

Information gathered from parents at the start helped staff plan around individual needs, including babies' sleeping routines. In March 2025, staff followed those home patterns and used targeted speech and language activities to introduce purposeful vocabulary. Regular conversations with parents also helped learning continue at home.

Two weaknesses need to sit beside those strengths. In March 2025, information exchange with other childcare settings needed development, and handwashing before eating was inconsistent among staff and children. For families dividing care between providers, coordination matters; for every child, hygiene needs to be reliably part of the routine.

Following regulatory visits and contact in July and August 2025, Ofsted recorded repeated risk-assessment issues, with corrective work covering supervision and information sharing in July and equipment risks and confidential records in August; the later actions were confirmed met after the nursery's response on 4 September 2025.

Sessions and Attendance

Opening hours are 7.45am to 6pm, Monday to Friday. The booking choices sit within that window: opening all day does not mean every session lasts until closing.

Option 1 has a full day from 8.30am to 3.30pm, a morning from 8.30am to noon, and an afternoon from noon to 3.30pm. Option 2 finishes earlier: its full day is 8.30am to 2.30pm, morning is 8.30am to 11.30am, and afternoon is 11.30am to 2.30pm. Morning or afternoon extensions can be booked weekly in advance, adding flexibility around work and home arrangements.

Getting There

The address is Community Mental Health Recovery Service, Knowle Green, Staines-upon-Thames, TW18 1YA. Enquiries can be made by telephone, email or the contact form.

Funding and Paid Extras

Funded childcare includes FEET funding, a 15-hour entitlement for eligible two-year-olds from the term following their second birthday; FEE funding provides 15 hours for three- and four-year-olds from the term following their third birthday. The 30 HOURS EXTENDED FUNDING option combines the initial 15 hours with an extended entitlement for eligible working parents. Current prices come in the nursery's written quotation.

• Shared-age play. Children use the hall together across ages and abilities. At a visit, explore how staff organise that space around your child's stage and preferred activities.
• Hygiene and coordination. The March 2025 improvement points concerned consistent hygiene and links with other settings. Ask how handwashing is maintained and, if your child attends elsewhere, how learning information is exchanged.
• Risk assessment. July and August 2025 brought repeated issues, with corrective action recorded and the later actions met in September. Discuss how equipment checks and supervision now operate day to day.
• Your attendance package. Two session options and book-ahead extensions create several possible patterns. Before joining, request a written breakdown covering your chosen hours, funding delivery, meals and consumables.

Happy Feet suits families seeking morning or afternoon sessions as well as full-day attendance, and those who value children learning together in a shared hall with garden space. The March 2025 learning examples show practical activities built around children's interests. The decision also deserves close attention to hygiene, coordination with other providers and the routines established after the repeated risk-assessment issues.