Link Chinese Limited Alderbrook
Link Chinese Limited Alderbrook is a day nursery in London for children aged 4 to 10, with 15 registered places. Ofsted report card, 5 August 2026: Expected standard in 4 areas; safeguarding standards met.
Balham Community Centre, Alderbrook Primary School, Oldridge Road, London, SW12 8PP
Key facts
- Type
- Day nursery (Full day care) (Ofsted childcare register, as at 30 June 2026)
- Ages
- 4 to 10 (Ofsted childcare register, as at 30 June 2026)
- Registered places
- 15 (Ofsted childcare register, as at 30 June 2026)
- Registered
- 13 November 2024 (Ofsted childcare register, as at 30 June 2026)
Opening hours
Monday,Tuesday,Wednesday,Thursday,Friday,Saturday : 09:30 - 15:30
Source: Ofsted report, inspection on 5 August 2026
Who runs it
Link Chinese Limited Alderbrook is run by Link Chinese Limited (Ofsted register).
Latest inspection
- Inclusion: 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 5 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
Children arrive to the setting happy and separate from parents and carers with ease. They have access to a welcoming, safe space for them to socialise and learn to use the Chinese language. Children settle quickly into familiar routines and activities. The indoor environment is welcoming, offering various age-appropriate activities that children eagerly engage in. They interact well amongst each other as they learn new songs and engage in activities that make them dance and have fun. For example, children learn number songs in Chinese and use their growing knowledge to complete colour-by-number colouring sheets. Children delight in receiving stickers for their increased knowledge of counting and their creative work. This encourages and aids children's confidence and self-esteem. Children benefit from taking part in a positive balance of language activities, play and healthy routines.
Children behave well and understand expectations. They benefit from systems and care that help them thrive in an inclusive environment. For instance, staff support children to follow the setting's rules, take turns and cooperate with others. Children receive stickers, and at the end of the week, the child with the most stickers gains a reward to acknowledge their positive input. This helps contribute to the calm and friendly atmosphere that is created.
Children have regular opportunities to gain fresh air and exercise as they take part in outdoor play in the school playground. They confidently use the large, fixed climbing structure as they develop their balance and skills when they walk across wooden beams. Staff encourage them to manage risks and be safe, by reminding children to use both of their hands to support their balance. This helps children to keep themselves safe.
What Ofsted found in each area
Inclusion: Expected standard
The setting is located in a culturally diverse community. Many of the children in attendance speak different languages at home. Staff provide fun activities and opportunities for children to enhance their developing language skills by learning to speak, write and understand Chinese. Children identified as disadvantaged, and those with special educational needs and/or disabilities, are welcomed into the setting. Leaders have yet to develop relationships with outside professionals and local schools where children attend. However, they gather detailed information from parents to complete individual support forms for children. This helps leaders gain a secure understanding of children's individual needs and allows them to plan appropriate experiences.
Children have access to an inclusive environment. Staff know children well, and make sure that children of all ages and varying capabilities can take part in all activities and opportunities on offer. For example, resources are adapted to cater to children's individual abilities. This helps children to feel included and develop confidence in their abilities. Children's achievements are regularly praised and celebrated by staff. This helps to promote children's confidence and self-esteem.
Behaviour, attitudes and establishing routines: Expected standard
Children experience a welcoming environment. On arrival, they place their belongings away neatly and quickly settle into activities. Children behave well. They are encouraged to be respectful and have good manners. They are thoughtful about their environment and put back pencils and equipment that they have used. Staff are positive role models, which helps to support children's positive behaviour. They have implemented rules and routines that support children to know what is expected of them. For instance, children are given a 4-minute timer to make them aware that the activity is winding down to be ended. Children consistently follow instructions from staff in a calm, efficient manner. Routines are well embedded and well understood.
The setting promotes children's punctuality and attendance. Leaders have procedures in place for monitoring children's attendance and recognise the importance of addressing any emerging concerns promptly. Expectations for behaviour are high, with staff swiftly supporting children in managing any challenges that arise. As a result, children demonstrate concern and empathy towards each other. Children approach staff to share their concern that others are not listening and following the rules for using outdoor resources.
Children's welfare and wellbeing: Expected standard
Relationships between children and staff are warm and trusting. Children are confident and at ease to ask questions and share their feelings and emotions. There is an appropriate key-person system in place to help the younger children transition into the setting. For instance, children who may become overwhelmed are provided with lots of calming reassurance. There is a setting teddy bear who is also available to support children's emotional wellbeing if they are sad. Indoor activities are organised well, and children are continually busy and involved. However, leaders do not fully consider the effectiveness of arrangements for outdoor activities. Children have limited opportunities to make choices during outdoor play. This means that children have little to do apart from accessing large, fixed climbing equipment.
Children are provided with healthy packed lunches by their parents. Lunch and snack time are appropriately supervised by staff. Children are supported to develop a positive attitude towards a healthy lifestyle. For example, staff escort children to the toilet area to enable them to manage their own personal-hygiene practices. They wash their hands prior to snacks and meals throughout the day. Staff provide the children with space to be independent but are available for support when needed. This helps to promote children's safety, health and independence.
Leadership and governance: Expected standard
Leaders have a positive attitude to developing positive relationships with parents. They regularly seek their views via questionnaires to help them to make improvements to the setting and procedures. Staff ensure that all parents have access to information about their children's day, including those who have barriers to communication. This includes daily discussions at drop-off and collection, and pictures are sent, detailing activities the children have taken part in. Parents are invited to end-of-week shows, where children showcase songs and dances that they have learned. Parents comment that their children seem to enjoy coming to the setting.
Leaders regularly evaluate the effectiveness of the setting, identifying its strengths and areas for development. Leaders implement rigorous recruitment and vetting procedures to help ensure that staff are suitable to work with children. They support staff through induction, providing them with mandatory training to support them in their job roles. Staff receive regular supervision and coaching. However, the leader has yet to implement training opportunities to support staff to organise and lead activities to maximise children's engagement during outdoor opportunities. Staff feel supported by colleagues and leaders; they comment positively about working in the setting.
What the setting must and should do next
The provider should:
- Leaders should place a sharper focus on planning purposeful outdoor activities to better support children's engagement and enjoyment.
- Leaders should provide targeted training and support for staff to strengthen their understanding of their roles in organising and leading games in the outdoor and indoor area.
Ofsted's words, from the report on the inspection on 5 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
- Yukon Tots & Preschool - Pre-school, London SW12 9DN, ages 1 to 4, 26 places, under 0.1 milesOfsted, 4 March 2025: Good overall; safeguarding is effective
- Marmalade Owl - Pre-school, London SW12 8EN, ages 2 to 4, 40 places, 0.2 milesOfsted, 10 February 2025: Good overall; safeguarding is effective
- Nightingales Nursery - Day nursery, Wandsworth SW12 8EN, ages 0 to 4, 20 places, 0.2 milesOfsted, 10 January 2024: Good overall; safeguarding is effective
- Grove Hall Nursery Ltd - Day nursery, London SW12 8BD, ages 0 to 4, 45 places, 0.2 milesOfsted, 22 May 2024: Good overall; safeguarding is effective
- Clever IQ - Day nursery, London SW12 0AB, 0.2 miles
Schools nearby
- Alderbrook Primary School - Primary, under 0.1 miles
- St Francis Xavier Sixth Form College - Post-16, 0.2 miles
- La Retraite Roman Catholic Girls' School - Secondary, 0.3 miles
- Balham Nursery School - Nursery, 0.3 miles
- London Park School Clapham - Senior, 0.3 miles