Opening hours
7.45am to 6.15pm, for 51 weeks of the year
Little Pumpkins Nursery in London (SE12)
Ofsted: Requires improvement
(Jun 2025)
Number of places
41 places
Age range
0–4 yrs
Last inspected
Jun 2025
Local authority
Lewisham
About this day nursery
Little Pumpkins Nursery is dedicated to fostering a nurturing, secure, and joyful environment where children can thrive and realise their full potential. The day nursery is committed to delivering a comprehensive and well-rounded curriculum, aligned with the Early Years Foundation Stage (EYFS), meticulously tailored to meet the individual needs of each child.
Their mission encompasses cultivating strong relationships with parents and guardians, instilling confidence, self-control, and independence in children, and promoting learning through collaborative experiences. The curriculum is thoughtfully designed and amply resourced to encourage appropriate individual development.
The day nursery strives to cater to the specific requirements of all children, ensuring every child fully benefits from the available opportunities. They also provide spaces for quiet contemplation and individual activities for children attending for extended periods.
Little Pumpkins Nursery is committed to continuously enhancing the professional expertise of its staff, both individually and as a collective unit.
Our ethos
Little Pumpkins Nursery is committed to delivering a curriculum aligned with the Early Years Foundation Stage (EYFS), tailored to individual needs. Their mission includes fostering independence and confidence through collaborative experiences, with spaces for quiet contemplation and a commitment to continuous staff development.
What it's like
Staff greet children warmly and they settle to play happily on arrival. The curriculum helps children make steady progress overall. However, weaknesses in staff deployment and supervision impact the consistency of care and learning, and teaching is variable.
EYFS CurriculumSafe and Secure EnvironmentStrong Parental Partnerships
Pricing & funding
Fees are paid on a session basis, with a registration fee and a two-week deposit required to secure a child's place. A fifty percent retainer option is available for holiday absences lasting one month or longer.
Funding accepted
15 hours — universal (3–4 yrs)30 hours — working parents (3–4 yrs)
Good to know
- A non-refundable registration fee is required to secure a place.
- A deposit of two weeks' fees is required to secure a place.
- A 50% retainer fee is charged for holiday absences of one calendar month or more.
Key facts
Waitlist
All places are allocated on availability within the appropriate age group.
Term time / All Year
All Year
Ofsted Inspection
Ofsted rating for Little Pumpkins Nursery
Last inspected 13 June 2025 · Anja Eribake
Overall effectiveness
Requires improvement
Quality of education
Requires improvement
Behaviour and attitudes
Requires improvement
Personal development
Requires improvement
Leadership and management
Requires improvement
Actions the provider must take
- implement effective leadership oversight of daily practice, ensuring that all staff get the targeted support, coaching and training needed to help them to build on their knowledge and skills (Due date: 31/07/2025)
- improve the effectiveness of practitioners' deployment so that children consistently benefit from purposeful activities and positive interaction and support (Due date: 31/07/2025)
- develop and implement a curriculum that is balanced and ambitious for all children (Due date: 31/07/2025)
- provide children with effective routines and meaningful learning experiences that build on their existing skills and knowledge and encourage children's participation and enthusiasm. (Due date: 31/07/2025)
What it's like to attend
Staff greet children warmly and they settle to play happily on arrival. The curriculum helps children make steady progress overall. However, weaknesses in staff deployment and supervision impact the consistency of care and learning, and teaching is variable.
Inspector highlights
- Staff greet children warmly, and they settle to play happily on arrival.
- The nursery places value on children's independence and confidence.
- Children engage in opportunities for exploratory play, storytelling and early mathematics.
- Staff make the most of spontaneous opportunities to extend learning.
- Staff provide activities that support children's physical development and good health.
- Staff support younger children to develop an understanding about right and wrong.
- Parents comment that their children settle well and have made progress since they started.
Areas to develop
- 1implement effective leadership oversight of daily practice, ensuring that all staff get the targeted support, coaching and training needed to help them to build on their knowledge and skills
- 2improve the effectiveness of practitioners' deployment so that children consistently benefit from purposeful activities and positive interaction and support
- 3develop and implement a curriculum that is balanced and ambitious for all children
- 4provide children with effective routines and meaningful learning experiences that build on their existing skills and knowledge and encourage children's participation and enthusiasm.
- 5continue to effectively evaluate and assess the quality of the provision to identify and address any weaknesses in a timely manner.
Inspection #10403456 · Source: OfstedView full Ofsted report
What parents say
Verbatim quotes recorded in the Ofsted inspection
"Parents comment that their children settle well and have made progress since they started."
Inclusion & environment
How they support every child
Outdoor space
Children have access to the outdoors on a daily basis. Older children independently go and put their shoes on when they know they need to get ready for the garden.
Google Reviews of Little Pumpkins Nursery
4.2
(18 Google reviews)
Antonia B
7 months ago
My son has been going to little pumpkins lee since May. He was only 8 months when he started and all of the staff have been so great and helpful. He's learning so much and eating lots of food! The managers are very informative and keep you up to date with everything that's going !
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Emily Anstead
a year ago
Both our children have attended Little Pumpkins. We really appreciate how hard the staff work to look after the children and connect with their individual interests and needs. Several members of staff have been there a long time (so they recognize my eldest when he joins me to pick up my little one), and it's lovely to have that sense of continuity and stability. Our youngest struggles with saying goodbye to us at the drop off but the staff are very good at helping him with that transition, showing kindness and patience. Particular shout out to Leah and Ashley, who always go the extra mile to put a smile on the children's faces.
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Nick Anstead
a year ago
Our two children have attend little pumpkins and we have always valued the time and effort the staff put into looking after them. Ashley and Leah have been particularly great for our youngest who sometimes struggles with going in. The nursery also has a nice outside space (not a given in London) so children get to play outside most days when the weather is not too bad!
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Nichola Cheeseman
a year ago
Our daughter currently attends the Lee site of Little Pumpkins. The staff are all great and very attentive to each child’s needs. They Send regular updates via the Famly app so we get to see what she has been up to each day. They provide lots of activities such as cooking and messy play, which our daughter really enjoys.
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Danielle Roche
4 years ago
My eldest daughter spent 3.5 years at Little Pumpkins, recently leaving to begin school. She loved attending this nursery and absolutely flourished there and she was very well prepared to start school. My youngest, who was born in 2020, found starting nursery in October 2020 very difficult, having spent most of her time in lockdown with only immediate family. The team were brilliant with her and very patient, really making her feel comfortable and secure. Overall we have always been very happy with LP and our children have been very happy there.
Read on GoogleReviews from Google for Little Pumpkins Nursery. See all on Google Maps
Inspection history
Date: May 2018
- June 2025Requires improvement
- April 2023Outstanding
- November 2018Outstanding
- May 2018Inadequate
Frequently asked about Little Pumpkins Nursery
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