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Epsom Downs Day Nursery

Epsom Downs Day Nursery is a day nursery in Epsom for children aged 1 to 4, with 45 registered places. Ofsted report card, 11 August 2026: Strong standard in 6 areas; safeguarding standards met.

Epsom Downs Primary School & Childrens Centre, St. Leonards Road, Epsom, KT18 5RJ

Key facts

Type
Day nursery (Full day care) (Ofsted childcare register, as at 30 June 2026)
Ages
1 to 4 (Ofsted childcare register, as at 30 June 2026)
Registered places
45 (Ofsted childcare register, as at 30 June 2026)
Registered
6 May 2025 (Ofsted childcare register, as at 30 June 2026)

Opening hours

Monday,Tuesday,Wednesday,Thursday,Friday : 07:45 - 18:00

Source: Ofsted report, inspection on 11 August 2026

Who runs it

Epsom Downs Day Nursery is run by Epsom Downs Day Nursery Limited (Ofsted register).

Latest inspection

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

Source: Ofsted, inspection on 11 August 2026. Contains public sector information licensed under the Open Government Licence v3.0.

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

Nurturing children's wellbeing is at the heart of the nursery curriculum. Children flourish and thrive, learning the skills they will need for the next stage of their education. Children have a wealth of opportunities to practise and refine skills to become confident, independent learners. For example, children use tongs to serve food, which helps to strengthen their hand muscles in preparation for future writing tasks. Children enjoy having the opportunity to make choices, such as selecting activities and choosing the foods they wish to eat during mealtimes. This helps to develop children's decision-making and problem-solving skills.

Children are building positive relationships and playing cooperatively with their friends while engaging in role-play games. They kindly share resources and wait to take their turn during group games, demonstrating their emotional awareness. Additionally, children are active and enjoy engaging in physical activities such as climbing on equipment and swinging on a rope. Children have a positive attitude towards learning and are keen to join in with activities. For example, they relish painting using a variety of tools to create their masterpieces. Children persevere at tasks, such as rebuilding a tower when it falls over, which helps to develop their resilience. Children delight in listening to stories, enthusiastically participating by copying actions and repeating familiar phrases. They benefit from taking books home to share with their parents, fostering a love for reading that supports their early literacy development.

Children have secure attachments with their key workers, which particularly benefits disadvantaged children, those with special educational needs and/or disabilities, children who are known or previously known to children's social care, and those who may face barriers to their learning and/or wellbeing. This solid foundation helps children settle in and feel safe and ensures their individual needs are met. Effective systems are in place to monitor and promote attendance, ensuring that children are safe and can fully benefit from the enriching educational experiences available to them.

What Ofsted found in each area

Inclusion: Strong standard

Staff have high expectations for all children, fostering a culture of inclusion and actively working to eliminate barriers to learning. They are committed to never turning a child away, consistently seeking ways to ensure every child is included by making the necessary adjustments. This commitment enables all children to have the opportunity to achieve and progress effectively. Additional funding, including early years pupil premium, is utilised to provide extra resources, enrichment activities and experiences that support children's learning and wellbeing. This includes forest school sessions, bus trips and library visits, all of which offer new opportunities for learning and development. There is a commitment that every child will benefit from these experiences.

Through a comprehensive cycle of observations and assessments, staff quickly identify children who may require additional support. They promptly implement plans to address any gaps in their learning to help children catch up. For example, they use a tool to assess and monitor children's speech development, gathering evidence for targeted help. Staff collaborate closely with other professionals and employ highly effective strategies to facilitate children's progress and achievement. By establishing secure relationships with children and their families, staff gain a deeper understanding of individual needs, allowing them to create effective plans to support progress and achievement. This approach ensures that disadvantaged children, those with special educational needs and/or disabilities, those who are known or previously known to children's social care, as well as those facing barriers to their learning and/or wellbeing feel safe and develop a firm sense of belonging.

Curriculum and teaching: Strong standard

Staff provide an ambitious curriculum that encompasses the 7 areas of learning and follows children's interests. Staff carry out assessments to find out what children already know and what they need to learn next. They expertly organise learning to support each child's age and stage of development. Staff adapt activities to support children with special educational needs and/or disabilities, enabling them to progress and succeed. A variety of outdoor activities are offered to enhance children's physical skills and promote adventurous play, such as using a rope swing and climbing a mound. There is a focus on developing communication and language throughout the setting, especially since many children require additional support in these areas.

Children are taught the values of kindness and ethics. The on-site farm allows them to practise these values by caring for the animals and assisting with feeding and collecting eggs. This helps them develop an understanding of the living world. Staff use resources such as mirrors to help children observe their expressions and talk about their feelings. Mathematics is woven into various activities and play. For example, staff count objects and use descriptive language, including terms like big, more and less, as children fill a wheelbarrow with wet sand. Staff use a range of resources to help children understand differences as well as the various cultures represented within the setting. Consequently, children have ample opportunities to make significant progress across the curriculum. Staff prepare children extremely well for the next stage of their education.

Achievement: Strong standard

Children are making significant progress in their development from their initial starting points. They demonstrate a high level of independence and tackle tasks with enthusiasm. The children are happy and sociable, engaging in cooperative play with their peers. They thrive in a language-rich environment, effectively using visual aids alongside staff to communicate their needs, which is particularly beneficial for those children with special educational needs and/or disabilities and those facing barriers to learning.

The children exhibit a firm sense of independence and are confident in managing their personal hygiene. They understand the importance of washing their hands before meals and use mirrors to check that their faces are clean after eating. During mealtimes, they enjoy serving themselves and are learning to make healthy food choices, gaining an understanding of which foods can aid their growth. This awareness is supporting their ability to lead a healthy lifestyle. As a result, children are well prepared for the next stage of their education.

Behaviour, attitudes and establishing routines: Strong standard

Staff teach children the values of kindness and respect. Through daily activities, they are encouraged to collaborate and play together, sharing resources and demonstrating consideration for their peers. Staff act as positive role models, providing praise for accomplishments and good manners. Consequently, children exhibit excellent behaviour, creating a calm and harmonious environment. Staff encourage children to persevere with tasks and acknowledge their achievements. For example, children concentrate on filling a bucket with sand, and staff celebrate when they successfully make a sandcastle. This helps to motivate children and develop a positive attitude towards learning.

The staff maintain secure relationships with parents and establish consistent routines. Leaders prioritise and monitor attendance to ensure that children are safe and benefit from the educational opportunities available to them. Staff provide enriching activities and new experiences designed to enhance children's life skills. For instance, children have the chance to help at the school farm, where they learn to care for living things and treat animals with kindness. Staff use visual prompts to help children follow the daily routine and understand what activity will happen next. This approach is particularly beneficial for children with special educational needs and/or disabilities as it helps them move smoothly to their next activity.

Children's welfare and wellbeing: Strong standard

Staff prioritise children's welfare and wellbeing. There is an emphasis on fostering independence and helping children develop personal hygiene skills, such as handwashing and toileting. Staff show children how to apply sun cream before going outside. They encourage them to wear hats and drink water to stay hydrated. Consequently, children acquire self-care skills and learn how to stay safe during hot weather. Staff implement robust systems to ensure children have the correct food at mealtimes. This includes following charts that indicate children's allergies and intolerances. As a result, children consume the right food and remain safe.

Staff have established secure connections with the children and their families. Their partnerships with parents are highly effective, with a focus on building these relationships from the outset. For instance, staff gather pertinent information prior to children starting to ensure appropriate support is in place, whether through routine settling sessions or targeted assistance for those who require it. This practice ensures that disadvantaged children, those with special educational needs and/or disabilities, children known to social care and those facing barriers to learning and wellbeing can settle in successfully. Leaders provide regular newsletters and staff share valuable information with parents, such as tips on limiting screen time and guidelines for keeping children safe online. This contributes to a protective environment where children are safe and flourish.

Leadership and governance: Strong standard

Leaders are passionate about their role and inspire the team to deliver high-quality care, enabling children to flourish and thrive. The day nursery is set within a vibrant school community and benefits from access to various on-site facilities, such as a mini farm, forest school and a music room. These resources offer children enriching experiences that enhance their understanding of the world. For instance, children thoroughly enjoy exploring the forest and collecting eggs from the farm.

Leaders have robust policies in place and provide staff with high levels of support. Staff are committed to their professional development and regularly attend training that enhances their focus on the curriculum. This includes learning sign language to support children's communication skills. Leaders are highly reflective and constantly evaluate their practice and review the learning environment to identify areas for improvement. As a result, the sensory room, foyer and sleeping area have been renovated, and plans to enhance the outdoor toddler area have been approved. These initiatives contribute to creating a wonderful environment for children to explore and learn. Leaders also focus on reducing staff workload, enabling them to concentrate on engaging with the children. Staff wellbeing is supported well, with spaces provided for comfortable working and relaxation during breaktimes. Parents provide positive feedback regarding the warm welcome and support they receive from all the staff in the setting.

What the setting must and should do next

The provider should:

  • Leaders and those responsible for governance should ensure continued improvement in the setting's successful work to deliver high standards and enriching experiences that will have a transformational impact on all children.

Ofsted's words, from the report on the inspection on 11 August 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

  • LEO Shawley Nursery - Day nursery, Epsom KT18 5PD, 16 places, 0.5 miles
  • The Co-operative Childcare Tadworth - Day nursery, Tadworth KT20 5RU, ages 0 to 4, 52 places, 0.8 miles
    Ofsted, 5 October 2021: Good overall; safeguarding is effective
  • Caterpillars Nursery At St Johns - Pre-school, Tadworth KT20 5AA, ages 2 to 5, 39 places, 1.0 miles
    Ofsted, 23 May 2023: Good overall; safeguarding is effective
  • Burgh Wood Montessori Nursery School - Pre-school, Banstead SM7 1BT, ages 2 to 4, 58 places, 1.2 miles
    Ofsted, 15 July 2024: Outstanding overall; safeguarding is effective
  • Little Green Hut Nursery - Pre-school, Tadworth KT20 5SA, ages 2 to 4, 26 places, 1.2 miles
    Ofsted, 30 June 2021: Good overall; safeguarding is effective

Schools nearby

Epsom Downs Day Nursery on the Ofsted website