Pavilion Day Nursery

A purpose-built nursery in the grounds of St Paul’s Catholic College, with gardens for younger and older children, gives Pavilion Day Nursery a clear physical identity. The January 2026 judgements are the decisive consideration, however. At its 20 January 2026 inspection, Ofsted judged achievement, behaviour and routines, welfare and wellbeing, curriculum and teaching, inclusion, and leadership and governance to require urgent improvement, while safeguarding standards were met and babies and toddlers made steady progress, including children with SEND.

That distinction between age groups matters. Families choosing care for a baby face a different decision from those looking for preschool education, but the younger rooms also featured in concerns about mealtime supervision. The outdoor spaces and attendance choices need to be weighed alongside those findings.

Pavilion has capacity for 94 children aged three months to five years in Sunbury-on-Thames. Morning, afternoon and full-day bookings provide different ways to attend, with no minimum number of days. This is a year-round arrangement rather than term-time-only care.

Rooms and Ages

Bluebells and Lilies, for children aged 0–2 years, combine sensory exploration through books, aromas and objects with bright rooms opening directly into a garden, where a sandpit and shelter extend the space for play. Flexible routines and a key person support individual care. Daily feedback gives parents a way to connect what happens at nursery with their baby’s routines at home.

For children aged 2–3, Daisies puts everyday independence alongside dough, painting, construction and small-world play, with a partially covered outdoor area leading to grass and an all-weather sandpit. Choosing fruit, salad and drinks at snack time gives children practical opportunities to make decisions. These are ordinary moments with a useful purpose: practising choices and self-help during the day.

Sunflowers, for ages 3–5, combines a self-service snack bar and creative play materials with access to a partly sheltered outdoor area, grass and an all-weather sandpit. The physical resources offer scope for exploration. They should be considered separately from the serious concerns about preschool teaching and behaviour in January 2026.

Learning and Activities

The Early Years Foundation Stage (EYFS) provides the framework for learning through play, movement and exploration, covering communication, physical development, relationships and later learning such as literacy and mathematics. It is the common foundation for early-years provision. At Pavilion, activities can take place indoors and outdoors, with children’s interests helping shape the learning planned for them.

Tiny Tunes adds music and movement through three weekly sessions. Waving, stamping and moving to music give children opportunities to participate physically as well as listen. This is a concrete addition to the nursery day, rather than a separate educational framework.

A Sunflowers newsletter dated 8 May 2026 gives a specific example of later activity: children explored Dear Zoo, discussed animals and their habitats, made masks and used animal shadow printing. It connects a named story with conversation and creative work. This is a dated illustration of activities, rather than evidence that the inspection concerns have been resolved.

In January 2026, younger children joined songs and copied movements, while toddlers chose where to play inside and outside. Adults used mathematical vocabulary during everyday activity. Preschool children, by contrast, spent considerable time moving between activities with little adult engagement; teaching was insufficiently adapted to their existing skills or additional needs. Children with SEND and children speaking English as an additional language progressed less than they could have. Resources alone did not translate into purposeful learning.

Relationships and Communication

Settling-in sessions allow children to become familiar with staff and routines at their own pace. Parents work with practitioners during this period, bringing their knowledge of the child into the arrangements. For babies, flexible routines are supported by a key person, making continuity of contact an explicit part of the care model.

Communication includes daily conversations, updates on development and meetings with parents. Families can contribute to their child’s learning profile, rather than simply receive it. The Famly parent app carries the registration documents, All About Me information and terms to be signed before attendance, giving the nursery a route for collecting information about a child before their start.

In January 2026, parents knew their child’s key person, and babies and toddlers had close, responsive relationships with adults. The preschool experience was less consistent: some children struggled during changes in routine, including lunchtime, and did not receive enough emotional support. A named key person therefore needs to be considered alongside how that relationship works throughout the day.

Inclusion and Wellbeing

At the January 2026 inspection, Ofsted found inadequate supervision during meals in a baby room and preschool, unsafe food preparation in preschool, ineffective support for some children with SEND, inconsistent responses to unsafe preschool behaviour, and weak leadership checks on staff practice.

Those findings were concrete. During that visit, adults did not consistently face children as they ate; preschool children moved around with food, and staff responses to pushing, hitting and unsafe climbing were too slow or ineffective. Required actions covered meal supervision, safe food presentation, individual needs, staff supervision and training, and a better-sequenced curriculum. These are central care and education issues.

The current SEND arrangements include a dedicated coordinator and an Assess–Plan–Do–Review process: identify needs, agree an individual plan, deliver support and review progress. Partnerships with parents and external professionals form part of that process. Children with complex health needs have a Health Care Plan developed with the manager. These are support mechanisms, rather than an assurance about their effectiveness.

Fresh meals are cooked daily, and Pavilion publishes a nut-free, allergy-aware policy. Dietary and medical changes must be communicated in writing so that arrangements can be updated.

Sessions and Attendance

The address is The Ridings, Sunbury-on-Thames, TW16 6NX. Opening hours are 7.30am to 6pm, Monday to Friday, across 51 weeks of the year; public holidays are excluded. Morning sessions run from 7.30am to 1pm, afternoons from 1pm to 6pm, and full days from 7.30am to 6pm.

One day or one session a week can be booked. Session boundaries are fixed: attending for only part of a booked session still requires payment for the whole session. This gives families a choice of attendance patterns, but does not provide individually adjustable start and finish times. Term-time-only sessions are not offered.

An online enquiry form provides a contact route, and applications are considered by application date and the relevant age group. The admissions policy also gives consideration to siblings and children of staff, including staff at St Paul’s Catholic College. A non-refundable registration charge applies. Ending the contract or reducing standard attendance requires a month’s written notice, and fees remain payable for sickness and holidays.

The nursery occupies college grounds. Attendance does not guarantee a Reception place; families must use the relevant school admissions process. The shared site should not be treated as an admissions advantage.

Funding and Paid Extras

Funded provision includes the Universal Entitlement, Extended Entitlement (WPE), and Early Education Entitlement for 2-Year-Olds, subject to the relevant eligibility conditions. Funding is spread over 51 weeks rather than delivered solely during term time. The fee structure includes both 15 Hours Funded Sessions and 30 Hours Funded Sessions, alongside private childcare and additional paid attendance.

For private sessions, meals, snacks, nappies, wipes, sun cream and activities are included in the full fee. Funded sessions have a separate voluntary charge covering meals, snacks and consumables; parents can opt out and provide their own consumables. The application terms prohibit packed lunches, so the food arrangements merit particular attention when considering that option.

Current prices come in the nursery’s written quotation. The fees page sets out the charge structure. The contract also distinguishes standard attendance from ad hoc bookings: funded hours cannot pay for ad hoc sessions, and cancellation requires written notice at least 24 hours beforehand.

• Preschool practice. January 2026 concerns covered teaching, behaviour, emotional support and preparation for school. During a visit, ask what has changed in Sunflowers and how leaders now check that those changes work for individual children.
• Mealtime safety. The January 2026 findings included supervision in a baby room as well as preschool. Ask to understand how adults position themselves during meals and how food is prepared for children’s ages and needs; allergy-affected families should also confirm current practice.
• Funded extras and food. The funded-hours consumables charge is voluntary, while application terms prohibit packed lunches. Agree the opt-out arrangements in writing, including meals and what families would supply, before accepting the contract.
• Year-round commitment. Morning, afternoon and full-day sessions have fixed boundaries, and bookings run across the year. Weigh that structure, payment during absences and the month’s notice requirement against your household’s calendar.

Pavilion’s practical offer suits families seeking morning sessions, afternoon care or full days across the year, including those wanting just one weekly booking. The baby gardens, Daisies’ outdoor space and Tiny Tunes provide concrete reasons to consider the setting.

The January 2026 findings carry greater weight than those attractions. Preschool teaching and care need close scrutiny, and mealtime concerns also affect the baby-room decision. A choice here should rest on clear explanations of changed practice, individual support and leadership oversight, alongside the attendance pattern that fits the family.