Moonlight Nursery and Pre-School

Moonlight Nursery and Pre-School
Unique reference number (URN): 2821206
Address: 141 Wellmeadow Road, London, SE6 1HP
Type: Childcare on non-domestic premises
Registered with Ofsted: 16/01/2025
Registers: EYR
Registered person: Moonlight Childcare Limited
Inspection report: 28 July 2026
Exceptional
Strong standard
Expected standard
Needs attention
Urgent improvement
Safeguarding standards met
The safeguarding standards are met. This means that leaders and/or those responsible for
governance and oversight fulfil their specific responsibilities and have established an open
culture in which safeguarding is everyone's responsibility and concerns are actively
identified, acted upon and managed. As a result, children are made safer and feel safe.
How we evaluate safeguarding
When we inspect settings for safeguarding, they can have the following outcomes:
Met: The setting has an open and positive culture of safeguarding.
Not met: The setting has not created an open and positive culture of safeguarding. Not all
legal requirements are met.

Expected standard
Achievement Expected standard
Children, including those with special educational needs and/or disabilities and those who
face barriers to learning, make steady progress from their individual starting points. They
demonstrate developing language and communication skills during play. Babies enjoy
joining in with singing times and sharing books with staff. Older children are good
communicators. They effectively interact with their peers and are eager to share their
thoughts and ideas with both visitors and familiar adults.
Children generally develop their physical skills. Babies build their coordination in preparation
for taking their first steps. They are gently encouraged to stand and cruise. Older children
confidently negotiate space when running in the garden and demonstrate their balance skills
when using climbing apparatus. In addition, they develop their fine motor skills by
manipulating play dough and squeezing water from pipettes.
Older children demonstrate their early mathematical skills as they trace numbers and
associate numerals with quantities. Younger children count the blocks they use to build
different structures, helping to reinforce their counting skills and understanding of number.
Behaviour, attitudes and establishing routines Expected standard
Children's behaviour is positive. They listen to staff, learn to share resources and play
cooperatively. For example, children exchange ideas and create stories together as they
play with dinosaurs. They take turns to place 'mum' and 'grandad' dinosaur in their 'house'.
Children form friendships and demonstrate kindness. They show care and willingly help their
friends, such as by finding and handing them their water bottles. If unwanted behaviour
arises, staff swiftly help children to understand how to negotiate with their friends. Staff
gently remind children of what is expected of them, encouraging kindness and cooperation.
Children generally move smoothly between activities and routines. However, they
sometimes experience longer waiting periods during transitions, such as snack times. As a
result, some children become unsettled or lose focus. This can disrupt their engagement
and reduce opportunities to maximise their learning.
Overall, children show positive attitudes to learning. They explore the environment and
engage in activities of their choice throughout the day. However, at times, the lack of
interactions from some staff can hinder children's motivation to learn.
Leaders promote attendance and follow up unexplained absences. This supports children to
develop positive habits for the future and promotes their safety.
Children's welfare and wellbeing Expected standard
Leaders have created a nurturing and welcoming environment for all children, including
those who face barriers to learning. Children build positive relationships and form secure

attachments with the adults who care for them. They confidently seek comfort and
reassurance when needed and sit together to share stories or enjoy a cuddle.
Staff support children to recognise and manage their emotions. Children learn breathing
techniques and to 'feel their heart' if they feel overwhelmed, helping them to develop
strategies to self-regulate. This supports children to develop a secure sense of emotional
wellbeing.
Children benefit from quiet spaces to rest and sleep. Sleeping arrangements are well
organised, with individual sleep spaces provided and regular checks carried out to ensure
children's safety and comfort.
Children learn to take appropriate risks in their play, for example while using climbing
apparatus. Staff teach them how to stay safe, and they remind children to keep their hands
free when they climb on structures.
Children learn healthy habits. They enjoy daily fresh air and opportunities to develop their
physical skills in the setting's well-equipped garden. Children wash their hands after playing
outdoors and before mealtimes. Staff sit with children at lunchtime and snack time to ensure
their safety. Children enjoy healthy and nutritious food, including home-made yoghurt.
However, staff do not always encourage conversations about healthy food and the
importance it has for their bodies and health.
Curriculum and teaching Expected standard
Leaders provide a broad curriculum that fosters children's learning and development across
all areas of learning. Staff plan activities around children's interests and provide experiences
that children enjoy and engage with. Staff generally use interactions well to support
children's learning. In adult-led and one-to-one sessions, they model language clearly and
use questioning to extend children's learning. However, this quality of interaction is not
always consistent during children's free play, especially when playing outdoors. As a result,
at times, some staff do not consistently maximise opportunities to deepen and extend
children's learning further.
Children lead their play as they freely access a variety of resources. This supports their
independence and decision-making. Staff promote children's social skills through
cooperative play and positive interactions. For example, children laugh and have fun
spraying water from bottles and help each other turn the nozzle to control the water flow.
Children have a wide range of opportunities to develop their physical skills. Babies quickly
crawl and pull themselves up to stand to reach their favourite toys. Younger children test
their balance and coordination as they walk on soft-play equipment, while older children
build their strength using monkey bars. In addition, staff provide sensory and mark-making
activities that support children's fine motor skills.
Inclusion Expected standard
Staff know children well and create an environment where all children can access and enjoy
activities. Generally, staff adjust the curriculum to support children with special educational

needs and/or disabilities (SEND). For example, they use visual prompts to foster children's
language and communication skills. Leaders make appropriate adaptations to support
children who face barriers to learning. For example, they have repurposed one of the
available rooms as a sensory room. This provides children with a calm space where they
can regulate their emotions and reduce sensory overload. As a result, all children are
supported to make progress and develop a sense of belonging.
Staff identify any areas where children need extra help. They advise parents and carers to
contact a doctor or health visitor for further guidance, where appropriate. Leaders and staff
work closely with external professionals. For example, therapists visit the setting to deliver
individual sessions with children and share strategies and recommendations with staff on
how to support children with SEND.
Although there are no children on roll in receipt of additional funding, leaders consider how
such funding would be used to target the individual needs of children and enhance their
learning, such as by ensuring children have resources that interest them and the equipment
they need.
Leadership and governance Expected standard
Leaders are committed and ambitious and continually work to improve outcomes for all
children. Leaders understand the setting's context, strengths and areas for development.
They are reflective and make decisions in the best interests of the children. For example,
they identify areas for improvement and adapt the environment to meet children's needs.
Overall, leaders support staff well and make sure their workload is manageable. They help
staff through guidance and regular supervision. However, they do not always precisely
identify when some staff would benefit from more targeted coaching to develop their
interactions and how they can extend children's learning further. As a result, there are some
inconsistencies in the quality of staff practice. Staff report that they feel well supported and
valued and that they enjoy working at the setting.
Leaders know families well and understand their children's individual needs. They help
families to access the support their children need, and work closely with other professionals
when appropriate. Parents are very positive about the setting and are complimentary about
the friendly and dedicated staff. They report that their children love attending. Parents
appreciate the daily discussions with staff and value the experiences children have in the
'exciting outdoor area'.

What it's like to be a child at this setting
Children are happy and settled at this welcoming setting. They demonstrate a sense of
belonging and engage well with one another, staff and visitors. Children develop trusting
relationships with familiar adults, confidently seeking them out for reassurance and support.
Throughout the day, children generally show positive levels of engagement as they choose
what they want to play with, such as jigsaw puzzles, small-world resources and sensory
materials. This helps them to develop confidence and curiosity.
Children with special educational needs and/or disabilities are supported well, and
thoughtful adaptations help to ensure that they can participate fully in activities and daily
routines. Babies benefit from warm interactions that help them to feel safe and secure. Older
children develop their social skills as they play collaboratively and involve familiar adults in
their games. Children enjoy spending time outdoors, where they investigate natural
materials and engage in constructive play. For example, babies explore leaves floating in
water while older children create tall 3-dimensional 'flowers' using interlocking blocks.
In the main, children behave well and minor disagreements are dealt with quickly. Staff
support children to understand the rules of the setting, including looking after resources and
treating others with respect. For example, they gently remind children to always use 'kind
hands'. Children learn to share and take turns as part of their everyday play. For example,
they patiently line up and wait for their turn to climb and balance on the walking path.
Children use polite manners. For example, they say 'please' and 'thank you' when asking for
more flour to be added to their play dough.
Leaders monitor attendance and ensure that all children receive the support needed to
achieve well. Overall, children enjoy their time at the setting and benefit from a range of
experiences that help them to be prepared for their next stages in learning.
Next steps
Leaders should continue to support staff to consistently extend children's learning during
free play.
Leaders should ensure that snack time transitions are well organised so that children do
not experience long waiting times and become unsettled.
Leaders should strengthen staff's interactions to develop children's understanding of the
importance of healthy eating choices.
About this inspection
The inspector spoke with leaders, practitioners, the special educational needs coordinator,
children and parents during the inspection.

Inspector:
Damiana Cornacchia
About this setting
Unique reference number (URN): 2821206
Address:
141 Wellmeadow Road
London
SE6 1HP
Type: Childcare on non-domestic premises
Registration date: 16/01/2025
Registered person: Moonlight Childcare Limited
Register(s): EYR
Operating hours: Monday,Tuesday,Wednesday,Thursday,Friday : 07:45 - 18:00
Local authority: Lewisham
Facts and figures used on inspection
This data was available to the inspector at the time of the inspection.
This data is from 28 July 2026
Children numbers
Age range of children at the time of inspection
1 to 4
We carried out this inspection under sections 49 and 50 of the Childcare Act 2006 on the
quality and standards of provision that is registered on the Early Years Register. The
registered person must ensure that this provision complies with the statutory framework for
children's learning, development and care, known as the early years foundation stage.

Total number of places
65
Our grades explained
Exceptional
Practice is exceptional: of the highest standard nationally. Other settings can learn from it.
Strong standard
The setting reaches a strong standard. Leaders are working above the standard expected of
them.
Expected standard
The setting is fulfilling the expected standard of education and/or care. This means they are
following the standard set out in statutory and non ‑ statutory legislation and the professional
standards expected of them.
Needs attention
The expected standards are not met but leaders are likely able to make the necessary
improvements.
Urgent improvement
The setting needs to make urgent improvements to provide the expected standard of
education and/or care.
The Office for Standards in Education, Children's Services and Skills (Ofsted) inspects
services providing education and skills for children and learners of all ages, and inspects
and regulates services that care for children and young people.
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