Wandsworth Day Nursery and Pre-School

Wandsworth Day Nursery and Pre-School
Unique reference number (URN): 2802478
Address: 2 Knightley Walk, London, SW18 1GZ
Type: Childcare on non-domestic premises
Registered with Ofsted: 24/07/2024
Registers: EYR
Registered person: Dicky Birds Pre School Nurseries Limited
Inspection report: 17 September 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.

Strong standard
Achievement Strong standard
The nurturing and reassuring environment allows children to take their time when
experiencing new situations. Staff are attentive to each child's individual needs, offering
gentle encouragement and support as children explore unfamiliar experiences and build
confidence in themselves.
Children develop a strong sense of belonging and make lots of progress because of their
experiences at the setting. This includes children with special educational needs and/or
disabilities and those who may face additional barriers to their learning or wellbeing.
Children flourish and develop the knowledge they need to move successfully into their next
stage of learning. They become confident learners who are very well prepared for transitions
at the nursery, including moving on to school.
Children thrive in the language-rich environment and confidently engage in conversations
with adults and their peers. Staff consistently model and extend children's language,
encouraging them to express their thoughts, ideas and experiences clearly. As a result,
children develop a broad vocabulary and communicate with increasing confidence and
clarity.
Children are supported to become increasingly independent through daily routines and
meaningful experiences. Staff provide plenty of opportunities for children to take
responsibility for themselves and their environment, helping them to build confidence and
self-help skills. For example, toddlers are taught how to put their shoes and socks on,
encouraging them to persevere and begin to manage everyday tasks independently.
Behaviour, attitudes and establishing routines Strong standard
Children receive plenty of praise and display positive attitudes to learning. They are eager to
try new things with staff providing guidance when needed. Staff are gentle and patient, and
children's behaviour is excellent. Children approach their learning with enthusiasm and are
keen to take on new challenges. Staff recognise children's efforts and celebrate their
achievements, helping them to develop a positive sense of themselves as learners. Children
are given time to explore and solve problems independently. For instance, babies practise
their walking skills and smile showing great pride when they successfully take their first
steps across the room.
Staff support children to become familiar and comfortable with the daily routines. Leaders
promote a positive environment where everyone treats one another with kindness and
respect. Children have established warm and trusting relationships with their key person and
show good manners. They respond positively to the clear expectations that are consistently
reinforced throughout the setting. They have developed positive friendships with their peers
and show kindness, care and consideration towards one another.

Leaders work effectively with families to ensure that they understand the importance of
regular attendance. They support families to ensure that children benefit from their time at
the setting.
Children's welfare and wellbeing Strong standard
Leaders place children's welfare and emotional wellbeing are at the centre of all aspects of
the setting, ensuring that children feel safe, secure and supported. Advice from parents and
carers on how best to support their child's individual needs is highly valued and helps staff to
provide consistent and personalised care.
Staff consistently follow safe-sleep practices and remain present to monitor children while
they nap. Children are supported to settle and develop positive sleep routines, helping them
to fall asleep feeling safe, secure and comfortable. Children build their understanding of
healthy lifestyles through everyday experiences. For example, children take part in lots of
cooking activities with the chef and explore a variety of foods. They learn to understand
which choices support a healthy body.
Ongoing interactions with children are excellent and contribute to their emotional wellbeing.
Staff are caring, respectful and responsive to the individual needs of every child, including
those with special educational needs and/or disabilities. They protect children's dignity and
privacy during personal-care routines and respond thoughtfully to their cues and emotions.
The warm, responsive relationships staff build with children help them to feel secure,
understood and emotionally supported.
Dietary needs and allergies are carefully managed by leaders and staff. Allergies are clearly
on show in the kitchen and all nursery rooms, ensuring that everyone is aware of every
child's dietary needs. Children choose the weekly menu and help cook. This helps them to
understand the importance of eating fresh fruit and vegetables and having a healthy
balanced diet.
Curriculum and teaching Strong standard
Leaders ensure that learning opportunities are engaging and enjoyable, encouraging
children to explore, discover and develop their curiosity. High-quality teaching places a
strong emphasis on learning in the natural environment. Children enjoy spending time
outside in all weather conditions, where they develop practical skills, such as growing herbs
and using food scraps to create their own compost. The curriculum is thoughtfully adapted
to ensure that children with special educational needs and/or disabilities are fully included
and able to participate in learning experiences.
Staff encourage children to explore creative ways of painting by rolling toy cars through
paint and down ramps onto paper. This supports children to experiment with movement,
patterns and colour while developing their creativity and coordination.
Singing time is thoroughly enjoyed by all the children and supports language and early-
communication skills. Babies happily bounce and move to the rhythms and beats as they
wave scarves in the air. These valuable learning experiences help children develop the
knowledge, skills and confidence they need for the next stage of their education.

Staff interweave mathematical concepts effectively throughout everyday activities. For
example, children confidently count and sort fruits in sizes to make healthy smoothies and
compare quantities to identify who has the most and least. These practical experiences help
children build their knowledge of number, quantity and comparison, which they use naturally
during play and everyday routines.
Inclusion Strong standard
Children's individual needs are identified and addressed quickly. Leaders create a highly
inclusive environment, where staff are trained in supporting children with special educational
needs and/or disabilities. This strong partnership ensures that parents feel informed and
involved in their child's learning. It provides opportunities for them to share their knowledge
and work closely with staff to support their child's progress and wellbeing.
Staff are highly skilled and experienced in interacting with the children. They know child
development well and carry out assessments to monitor children's progress, such as the
checks at 2- and 3-year-old. This helps identify gaps early in their development and create
manageable steps for the children to achieve.
Children explore and learn safely as staff adapt the environment to ensure that all materials
are organised at the right height to access independently. Staff use strategies such as
pictures on lanyards and visual timetables throughout the day. This helps all children know
what to expect next and supports their communication and language skills.
Leadership and governance Strong standard
Leaders' value the staff team's efforts and the important contributions they make. As a
result, staff are committed to ensuring that every child receives the support and
opportunities they need to thrive.
Staff feel well supported by leaders and appreciate the guidance they receive in their roles.
They are encouraged to extend their knowledge and skills through relevant professional
development opportunities. Leaders promote a culture of reflection, giving staff time to
consider their practice, celebrate what works well and identify areas where further
development would enhance the quality of provision.
Leaders are committed to providing consistently high-quality teaching that captures
children's interests and supports their individual learning. They regularly review the quality of
provision to ensure that practice remains effective and identify where changes or
improvements may be beneficial. Leaders provide staff with relevant training, ensuring that
they are well equipped to meet children's changing needs and support them effectively.
Leaders place children's needs, interests and experiences at the heart of their decision-
making. They carefully consider how changes to the environment can enhance children's
learning and development. For example, when redesigning the garden, leaders have
considered the different ways children learn and are creating spaces that encourage
exploration and discovery. They are also developing areas specifically to support babies'
physical development, providing opportunities for them to move, climb and strengthen their
emerging physical skills.

Leaders work collaboratively with other agencies and build strong partnerships to identify
and respond to children's individual needs. This reduces barriers to learning and helps
children receive consistent and effective support.
What it's like to be a child at this setting
Children are eager to begin their day at this warm and welcoming setting. They meet their
key workers with beaming smiles and are happy to come to nursery. Children are greeted
warmly and shown kindness by enthusiastic and caring staff. This helps them feel valued
and safe and, as a result, children separate from their parents with ease and quickly join in
with the learning activities.
As children attend regularly, they become familiar with the daily routines and build secure
relationships. Children are kind and considerate and share the play equipment with one
another and show respect for others.
Children have built strong bonds with their key workers who care for them. They know they
can turn to them for comfort, encouragement and support when needed. Children are eager
to communicate their thoughts, interests and experiences, often inviting adults to take part in
their play. These secure relationships help children to feel, understood and confident that
their individual needs will be listened to and met. Children progress rapidly from their
individual starting points as staff use children's interests within a well-planned curriculum.
This helps develop new skills and, as a result, meaningful progress is made across all areas
of learning.
Children chose freely from the wide range of activities on offer. For example, they use all
their senses to create potions using fresh flowers, herbs and spices. They enjoy gathering
their own water and learn when a container is full up and heavy to carry. Children thoroughly
enjoy exploring the different resources on offer. They focus for long periods of time as they
learn to cut using knives and use a range of apparatus. They explore the colours, smells
and textures they create and are proud of their achievements.
Children consistently develop independence. They blow their own noses and wash hands
without needing to be reminded. Children excitedly run and jump during parachute games,
helping to develop their physical skills.
Children enjoy exploring books and listening to stories. They snuggle up with familiar adults
and become deeply engaged, as they maintain their attention for extended periods. Children
confidently join in with familiar stories, showing that they know the story well. For example,

Inspector:
Emma Mizzi
About this setting
Unique reference number (URN): 2802478
Address:
2 Knightley Walk
London
SW18 1GZ
Type: Childcare on non-domestic premises
Registration date: 24/07/2024
Registered person: Dicky Birds Pre School Nurseries Limited
stories featuring vegetable superheroes enable children to develop an understanding of
healthy eating and to explore and try a wider range of foods.
Next steps
Leaders and those responsible for governance should sustain their work to ensure
continued improvement and high standards. They should focus on enriching the
curriculum around healthy lifestyles, creating a transformational impact on the outcomes
and experiences of any disadvantaged children, those with special educational needs
and/or disabilities, those known (or previously known) to children's social care, and those
who may face other barriers to their learning and/or wellbeing they may care for in the
future.
About this inspection
The inspector spoke with leaders, practitioners, children, parents and carers during the
inspection.
Leaders foster positive and respectful relationships with parents and professionals, ensuring
that information is shared effectively and everyone works together to support children. This
collaborative approach helps to promote children's emotional wellbeing and strengthens
their learning and development.

Register(s): EYR
Operating hours: Monday,Tuesday,Wednesday,Thursday,Friday : 06:30 - 18:30
Local authority: Wandsworth
Facts and figures used on inspection
This data was available to the inspector at the time of the inspection.
This data is from 17 September 2026
Children numbers
Age range of children at the time of inspection
0 to 3
Total number of places
96
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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