Kenley Kindergarten
Kenley Kindergarten is a day nursery in Whyteleafe for children aged 0 to 4, with 45 registered places. Ofsted report card, 27 July 2026: Expected standard in 6 areas; safeguarding standards met.
Kenley Primary School, New Barn Lane, Whyteleafe, CR3 0EX
Kenley Kindergarten is at Kenley Primary School.
Key facts
- Type
- Day nursery (Full day care) (Ofsted childcare register, as at 30 June 2026)
- Ages
- 0 to 4 (Ofsted childcare register, as at 30 June 2026)
- Registered places
- 45 (Ofsted childcare register, as at 30 June 2026)
- Registered
- 31 August 2001 (Ofsted childcare register, as at 30 June 2026)
Opening hours
Monday,Tuesday,Wednesday,Thursday,Friday : 07:30 - 18:00
Source: Ofsted report, inspection on 27 July 2026
Who runs it
Kenley Kindergarten is run by Southern Childcare Facilities 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 27 July 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 are settled well into the nursery and they arrive eager to start their day. All children across the nursery are engaged in activities that meet their individual needs. Children thrive in a well-thought-out learning environment. Children are well prepared for their next steps of learning. They gain valuable independence skills, aiding their future learning. Children readily help staff get ready for mealtimes. Older children make informed choices of what they wish to have with their meals, such as cheese topping. They expertly take their meals back to their place settings. Mealtimes are highly social times with staff and children discussing a broad range of topics.
Children thrive in a safe learning environment where they feel valued and supported. Children receive continued praise and positive reinforcement throughout the day, building on their confidence. Staff provide a language-rich learning environment where children are encouraged to share what they have been doing at home and talk about their friends. Toddlers learn about their own safety and risk taking. For example, when using the ride-on scooters down the hill, staff remind children to use their stopping feet when they get to the bottom. Children are seen to visually scan the area and manoeuvre themselves around obstacles, stopping at the bottom.
All children are highly confident learners. They readily share their experiences and what is happening next. Staff take into account children's individual starting points and learning styles when planning a well-thought-out curriculum to aid children's learning. Babies show their confidence around new situations in attempting new activities. Toddlers and pre-school children voice their views and opinions during play to express their feelings, helping to support their personal and social development.
What Ofsted found in each area
Inclusion: Expected standard
Staff work in partnership with parents and carers when children first start in their care. They gather some information around languages spoken and any identified special educational needs and/or disabilities. However, at times, the information gathered does not allow staff to be fully aware of any other potential barriers from home that may impact children's development. Staff are not fully aware of all the potential barriers children may be facing with their learning and/or development.
Staff work together to support identification of early worries and reviewing next steps of learning. This helps them to review what help children need to narrow gaps in learning. Staff review the impact of funding for children. They review to see how children are progressing towards their targets and if they require further support. New leaders are currently in the process of carrying out their own reviews and assessments to further review the impact of the use of the funding in meeting children's individual needs.
Curriculum and teaching: Expected standard
The new senior leaders are working with staff to further improve the quality of planning and the curriculum. They have a clear action plan in place to help staff further improve outcomes for children. Staff have a clear understanding of what they want children to be learning and why. Babies are given plenty of space to move around safely and they practise their newfound physical skills. Activities are well planned to support next steps of learning, incorporating different topics.
Staff are skilled across the nursery of adapting their questions and language to meet the development needs and understanding of the children. Children with early worries with regards to their language development are supported as staff adapt activities to help them progress with their learning. This further supports narrowing of gaps with children's achievements. Staff across the nursery provide a language-rich learning environment, helping to support children's communication and language development. During story time, older children take great joy in discussing the fish and animals they can see in the books. Staff stop reading to ask further questions to support children's critical thinking and language development.
Achievement: Expected standard
Children are making progress and developing the key skills they require to transition to the next stage of their learning and development and their subsequent move on to school. Older children learn how to make boats and then problem-solve which ones float and which ones sink. They also eagerly describe the sound waves they are drawing. They explain in great detail how the short lines are quiet and the long lines are loud and the wavy lines are angry sounds. This further enhances children's language and knowledge and understanding of the world around them.
Younger children thoroughly enjoy learning about people who help them. Babies learn how to fill up water dispensers and aim it at windows to 'put out' shaving foam flames. They start to develop their hand-eye coordination, ready for early literacy skills. Toddlers develop further independence skills through learning how to put on their own shoes. They start to learn their left and right feet, and they learn to pull the tabs on their shoes as they fasten them.
Behaviour, attitudes and establishing routines: Expected standard
Staff and leaders have high expectations for children's behaviour across the nursery. There is a positive culture of respect between staff and children, with everyone working well together. Children are all taught the importance of using kind hands. Children of all ages display positive attitudes towards each other and they all behave well. Staff and children have developed warm and nurturing bonds which further supports children's behaviour and wellbeing. Younger children seek out the familiar faces of their key workers when they feel unsure. They receive cuddles of reassurance and are soon ready to explore activities.
New leaders have just implemented new policies on promoting the importance of attendance, working in partnership with families to review non-attendance. Staff have well-established routines in place and all children, including those with early worries with their language development and those who speak English as an additional language, are fully aware of what happens next. Older children take turns to collect their meals and help each other. Younger children are fully aware of when it is nap time and happily settle down to rest. This supports children's personal development and wellbeing.
Children's welfare and wellbeing: Expected standard
Leaders and staff provide a warm and welcoming learning environment where children are safe and feel valued. Children have personalised settling-in sessions, either when they start or when they are due to move to other rooms. This allows children to settle quickly, ready to start their learning. Staff follow routines of children well, working with parents to support meal routines, bottles and sleep times. Staff follow safe sleep arrangements, ensuring children are kept safe as they sleep.
Children recall what they have been taught about their own health and wellbeing. For example, toddlers are fully aware of the importance of handwashing prior to having meals. If they drop food on the floor, they pick it up and tell staff they cannot eat it and leave it to be thrown into the bin once they have finished. Staff work with parents to ensure meals meet children's dietary requirements. However, although older children have topics to help them learn about their oral health, this is not fully embedded into everyday practices and across the age groups.
Leadership and governance: Expected standard
There have been recent changes to the senior leadership team which is bringing about positive changes to all aspects of the setting. New leaders are swiftly identifying areas to improve. However, there has not yet been enough time for changes to have been embedded into practice. Leaders review staff wellbeing and workloads to ensure a positive work-life balance in the nursery. Leaders are identifying staff training needs to further support practice in the setting. Recent evaluation has highlighted for staff to carry out more child-led activities, especially during creative work, to provide further challenge to develop children's imaginations and creativity.
All staff look out for each other and step in if they require help or support. This shows in the calm atmosphere throughout the nursery. Leaders help to support partnership working in the nursery. They provide detailed feedback and support to parents and carers at times of settling in, transitions between base rooms and the subsequent move on to school. Leaders have recently changed processes on reporting safeguarding concerns and pre-existing accidents. This enables staff to further protect the safety and wellbeing of children. Leaders carry out peer-on-peer observations and provide staff with constructive feedback to allow them to make positive outcomes. This allows staff to review the quality of activities and outcomes for children to narrow any gaps with children's learning and development.
What the setting must and should do next
The provider should:
- Leaders should ensure continued improvement to further support children who have barriers to their learning to create a sustained and meaningful impact.
- Leaders should ensure staff promote oral health learning to help all ages of children to learn and understand about their own health and wellbeing.
Ofsted's words, from the report on the inspection on 27 July 2026. Read the full report on the Ofsted website. Contains public sector information licensed under the Open Government Licence v3.0.
Inspection history
- 18 May 2026: Actions after a concern (report)
- 19 October 2023: Actions after a concern (report)
- 21 March 2022: Full inspection, Good (report)
- 20 November 2017: Full inspection, Good (report)
- 24 February 2017: Full inspection, Good (report)
- 4 February 2013: Inspection (report)
- 12 September 2012: Inspection (report)
- 18 May 2009: Inspection (report)
- 8 December 2006: Inspection (report)
- 4 May 2006: Inspection (report)
- 19 May 2004: Inspection (report)
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
- Abbey Wood Grange Day Nursery - Day nursery, South Croydon CR8 5DU, 106 places, 0.8 milesOfsted, 16 January 2024: Good overall; safeguarding is effective
- Whytebeams - Pre-school, Sanderstead CR2 9ET, 70 places, 0.8 miles
- Warlingham Day Nursery - Day nursery, Warlingham CR6 9FN, 93 places, 1.1 miles
- Play Place Little Angels - Pre-school, South Croydon CR2 9EF, ages 2 to 4, 36 places, 1.1 milesOfsted report card, 16 September 2026: Expected standard in 6 areas; safeguarding standards met
- Kendor Day Nursery Sanderstead - Day nursery, South Croydon CR2 9HH, 40 places, 1.1 miles
Schools nearby
- Kenley Primary School - Primary, under 0.1 miles
- Whyteleafe Primary School - Primary, 0.5 miles
- Riddlesdown Collegiate - Secondary, 0.7 miles
- Warlingham School - Secondary, 0.8 miles
- Hamsey Green Primary - Primary, 0.9 miles