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Cuddly Bear Day Care Nursery

Cuddly Bear Day Care Nursery is a day nursery in West Wickham for children aged 1 to 2, with 40 registered places. Ofsted report card, 22 September 2026: Expected standard in 6 areas; safeguarding standards met.

105a Station Road, West Wickham, BR4 0PX

Key facts

Type
Day nursery (Full day care) (Ofsted childcare register, as at 30 June 2026)
Ages
1 to 2 (Ofsted childcare register, as at 30 June 2026)
Registered places
40 (Ofsted childcare register, as at 30 June 2026)
Registered
2 October 2023 (Ofsted childcare register, as at 30 June 2026)

Opening hours

Monday,Tuesday,Wednesday,Thursday,Friday : 08:00 - 18:00

Source: Ofsted report, inspection on 22 September 2026

Who runs it

Cuddly Bear Day Care Nursery is run by Cuddly Bear Day Care Limited (Ofsted register).

Latest inspection

  • Inclusion: Expected standard
  • Curriculum and teaching: Expected standard
  • Achievement: Expected standard
  • Behaviour, attitudes and establishing routines: Expected standard
  • Children's welfare and wellbeing: Expected standard
  • Leadership and governance: Expected standard
  • Safeguarding standards met

Source: Ofsted, inspection on 22 September 2026. Contains public sector information licensed under the Open Government Licence v3.0.

What it's like to be a child at this setting

Children benefit from experienced staff who help them settle in well as they join the nursery. They understand routines and this helps them to anticipate what will happen next during the day, making them feel safe and happy. For example, babies who are new to the nursery are given the time they need to settle down for a nap. They hear familiar songs that help promote feelings of security. All children feel relaxed and enjoy nurturing care from staff who know them well. Children with barriers to their wellbeing are effectively supported by staff who consider what they need to help them to be physically and emotionally healthy. This includes babies who are weaning and need additional consideration when planning routines such as mealtimes. Toddlers quickly develop healthy attachments with staff who give them confidence, they learn to build trusting relationships with staff who consider their wellbeing. This all children, including those who face barriers to their wellbeing to feel a sense of belonging at the nursery.

Children learn a wide range of skills and knowledge in the bright and airy spaces of the nursery. For example, babies explore different materials as they learn to stretch out and reach objects, developing their strength. They learn key vocabulary from staff who skillfully reinforce and repeat the words they want young children to learn and understand in preparation for their future education.

What Ofsted found in each area

Inclusion: Expected standard

Leaders work closely with parents to obtain information about children before starting at the nursery. They identify children's needs and use this information to plan settle sessions to help children to transition effectively into the nursery. As a result, children feel safe, happy and included. They access the nursery with increasing confidence as they explore. Staff are able to adapt their routines to promote the wellbeing and experiences of children with barriers to their development. For example, they consider the additional support children may need during nap times and mealtimes to develop effective routines that promote their physical health and wellbeing.

Leaders typically work with expert partners to identify strategies that promote the learning of children who need additional help to reach their milestones. However, they do not use this advice consistently to create targeted support that helps children to work towards clear targets. This limits the ability of staff to consistently help children with barriers to their learning to excel in all aspects of their development.

Curriculum and teaching: Expected standard

Staff teach babies to learn how to express themselves through thoughtful interactions that encourage them to make noises and use facial expressions. They develop confidence as they express their needs to staff. Babies feel excited to listen to stories and react as they point to pictures. This helps them to develop a love of books. Staff consider the additional support that children may need to reach their developmental milestones. For example, they consider how to adapt the environment to promote babies' physical skills as they learn to crawl, pull themselves up and walk. Staff provide children with support that typically reduces barriers to learning to prepare them for the next stage of their development.

Leaders generally create a curriculum that helps children learn the knowledge and skills they need. However, the nursery is newly opened after a period of delay. As a result, leaders' strategic understanding of the local community is in its early stages. Leaders have a clear plan on how they will consider children's backgrounds, interests and experiences by working with families. As a result, opportunities for staff to adapt their planning to accurately reflect the precise needs of all children are not yet fully embedded.

Achievement: Expected standard

Children learn to listen and understand new vocabulary that helps them make sense of the world around them. Babies babble to staff and begin to understand that their words have meaning. They develop confidence as they express they needs. Babies enjoy exploring new textures as they feel different objects helping them to develop their curiosity as they explore. Babies feel safe and they increasingly feel able to do things by themselves as they navigate the nursery environment.

Babies develop their physical strength as they reach for objects and pop bubbles. They hear familiar songs as they develop new sounds and words. Babies with gaps in their development typically progress well from their starting points. They benefit from reassurance as they tackle increasingly difficult tasks that help them to be independent. All children feel happy and safe as they achieve key milestones in preparation for their future lives.

Behaviour, attitudes and establishing routines: Expected standard

Leaders have effective oversight of how staff implement routines that promote children's behaviour and wellbeing. They gather information from parents about children's home routines and individual circumstances, enabling staff to provide effective support that helps children feel safe, secure and settled. Staff teach children to keep themselves safe and to consider the feelings of others. For example, they support babies to take turns and share as they play alongside others. All children cooperate well as they learn. Staff are positive role models for children, helping them to understand how to respect one another. They develop positive relationships with babies that help them to feel emotionally secure and happy.

Leaders identify children who struggle to attend. However, the action leaders take to tackle barriers to attendance and punctuality are not consistent. As a result, children do not always attend regularly and punctually, in order to help them to develop positive habits that help them learn.

Children's welfare and wellbeing: Expected standard

Leaders create a welcoming environment for children as they arrive at the nursery. Staff greet children and provide them with reassurance as they build warm and nurturing relationships. This promotes the mental health and wellbeing of all children. They settle well and feel safe as they play alongside others.

Staff get to know children's unique personalities. They are typically responsive to their changing needs and circumstances to promote their wellbeing. Staff plan opportunities for children to play outside in the fresh air as they learn physical skills and promotes their health. As a result, children are increasingly independent as they learn to access equipment, feed themselves and make choices about what to learn. Staff give children the privacy and dignity they need while considering their safety as they change nappies and complete care tasks. They provide children with a healthy and nutritious diet and teach babies how to feed themselves independently. Babies enjoy mealtimes as they explore new flavours and textures. Staff carefully track the foods children have tried to keep help keep them safe and identify any allergies and intolerances. This promotes the wellbeing of all children at the nursery.

Leadership and governance: Expected standard

The nursery is newly opened and leaders generally understand the nursery's strengths and areas for development. They are reflective about their practice and strive to continuously develop the implementation of the curriculum at the nursery to benefit children. Leaders ensure that all staff are involved in the plans to develop their planning and teaching. They hold regular meetings that help staff to contribute their own ideas and consider individual children, including those with barriers to their learning and development. Leaders are supportive of staff and help them to identify pathways to improve their practice through continuous development. Leaders help new staff to understand their roles and responsibilities through effective induction practices. As a result, staff enjoy working at the nursery and contribute to the ongoing development of their practice.

Leaders typically engage effectively with parents to understand the needs of children and take action to promote their experiences at the nursery. For example, they plan for the arrival of new children by working with families on transition plans to help children to develop consistent routines. Leaders have a suitable vision for continuing to develop the nursery by listening to parents, staff and children and using this feedback to inform their development plan.

What the setting must and should do next

The provider should:

  • Leaders should further develop their strategic approach to ensuring that staff adapt planning to reflect the individual needs of children and support them to excel in their learning.
  • Leaders should further develop how they take decisive action to tackle barriers to punctuality and attendance, in order to help children to develop positive habits for children's learning.
  • Leaders should consider more precisely how to use the advice of experts to create targeted support to help children to work towards achievable goals.

Ofsted's words, from the report on the inspection on 22 September 2026. Read the full report on the Ofsted website. Contains public sector information licensed under the Open Government Licence v3.0.

Ofsted report cards (England, from November 2025)

Since 10 November 2025 Ofsted has graded nurseries and pre-schools on a report card. There is no single overall grade. Instead, each of six areas gets one of five grades: Exceptional, Strong standard, Expected standard, Needs attention, Urgent improvement.

The six areas are inclusion; curriculum and teaching; achievement; behaviour, attitudes and establishing routines; children's welfare and wellbeing; leadership and governance. Safeguarding is judged on its own, as met or not met.

Expected standard means the setting does what Ofsted expects of every setting. Strong standard and Exceptional are above that; Needs attention and Urgent improvement mean Ofsted found things the setting has to put right.

Source: Ofsted reports

Funded childcare hours in England

All 3 and 4 year olds in England can get 15 hours of free childcare a week, for 38 weeks of the year.

Working parents of children aged 9 months to 4 years old can get 30 hours of free childcare a week for 38 weeks of the year (Free Childcare for Working Parents), if they meet the earnings rules. You confirm your details every 3 months.

Some 2 year olds can get 15 hours a week when the family gets certain kinds of extra support.

The hours are used at a registered provider that offers them, so ask each nursery how it offers the funded hours.

Source: GOV.UK: Free Childcare for Working Parents, check if you're eligible · GOV.UK: Free childcare and education for 2 to 4 year olds (checked 31 October 2026)

Other nurseries nearby

  • St Francis Pre-School - Pre-school, West Wickham BR4 0PW, ages 2 to 3, 24 places, 0.1 miles
    Ofsted, 13 September 2023: Good overall; safeguarding is effective
  • Sunny Kids - The Grove - Pre-school, West Wickham BR4 9JS, ages 2 to 4, 45 places, 0.2 miles
    Ofsted, 10 July 2025: Good overall; safeguarding is effective
  • Linden Leas Pre School - Day nursery, West Wickham BR4 0BA, ages 2 to 4, 33 places, 0.3 miles
    Ofsted, 3 October 2023: Outstanding overall; safeguarding is effective
  • Sunny Kids - West Wickham - Pre-school, West Wickham BR4 9BA, ages 2 to 4, 50 places, 0.4 miles
    Ofsted, 16 July 2024: Good overall; safeguarding is effective
  • Rainbow Day Nursery West Wickham - Day nursery, West Wickham BR4 9AE, ages 0 to 4, 70 places, 0.5 miles
    Ofsted, 24 May 2022: Outstanding overall; safeguarding is effective

Schools nearby

Cuddly Bear Day Care Nursery on the Ofsted website