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Small World Nursery in Oxford

Ofsted: Good
(Jan 2023)
·
3.4(5 parent reviews) ·89 Bagley Wood Road, Kennington, Oxford, OX1 5NA · Oxfordshire
Number of places
105 places
Age range
0–5 yrs
Last inspected
Jan 2023
Local authority
Oxfordshire

About this day nursery

Small World Nursery is an independent nursery situated in Kennington, South Oxford, established in 1994 by its current owners. The nursery provides high-quality full day childcare and employs the Montessori philosophy for its pre-school education.

With capacity for up to 110 children, Small World operates year-round, from 8 am to 6 pm, catering to children aged 6 months to 6 years, with a dedicated after-school club. The nursery features a baby room for infants aged 6-18 months, an infant community for toddlers aged 18-30 months, and a "casa" for children from 30 months to 6 years.

Emphasising a family-run environment, Small World also boasts spacious outdoor play areas.

What it's like

Children are safe and happy. Young children confidently explore their environment, persevering as they follow balls. Older children confidently approach visitors, explaining how they made bread and showing pride in their creations. Children benefit from clear expectations and learn about respecting others.

Montessori philosophyFamily-runYear-round careAfter-school club

Pricing & funding

Fees are payable in advance by fixed monthly standing order, with rates varying by age band and attendance pattern. Food and standard nappies are included. Surcharges apply for morning-only or mid-week bookings, while discounts are available for four-day, full-time, or sibling attendance.

Funding accepted

Tax-Free Childcare

Good to know

  • Fees are payable in advance by fixed monthly standing order.
  • Food and standard nappies are provided free of charge.
  • There is a surcharge for morning-only sessions or mid-week-only attendance.
  • Discounts are available for full-time (50 hours/week) and four-day (40 hours/week) attendance.
  • A sibling discount of 5% applies (only one discount can be used per child).

Key facts

Session types

Full day, Half day morning, Half day afternoon, School day, After School hours, Breakfast club, School holiday day, Half day school holiday

Opening hours

8am - 6pm, year-round

Age range

6 months to 6 years

Ofsted Inspection

Ofsted rating for Small World Nursery

Last inspected 31 January 2023

Safeguarding effective
Overall effectiveness
Good
Quality of education
Good
Behaviour and attitudes
Good
Personal development
Good
Leadership and management
Good

What it's like to attend

Children are safe and happy. Young children confidently explore their environment, persevering as they follow balls. Older children confidently approach visitors, explaining how they made bread and showing pride in their creations. Children benefit from clear expectations and learn about respecting others.

Inspector highlights

  • Children are safe and happy.
  • Staff support for children with special educational needs and/or disabilities (SEND) is good.
  • Staff meet children's care needs effectively.
  • Staff promote children's positive behaviour effectively.
  • Staff actively teach children about sustainability and the world around them.

Areas to develop

  • 1support staff to help them understand how to use their own interactions and resources to promote younger children's physical development outdoors more successfully
  • 2review the organisation of large-group activities and routines to maximise children's involvement.
Inspection #10230802 · Source: OfstedView full Ofsted report

What parents say

Verbatim quotes recorded in the Ofsted inspection

Parents report that they are very happy with the nursery.

They comment on the 'caring and welcoming atmosphere' and the frequent communication about children's learning and development.

Parents say that their children have been well supported through flexible transition arrangements.

Inclusion & environment

How they support every child

SEND provision

Staff support for children with special educational needs and/or disabilities (SEND) is good. Staff have a detailed knowledge of children's needs and work with professionals to develop strategies to support them, including using sign language for communication. Children with SEND make good progress.

Outdoor space

At times, such as during outdoor play, staff are not fully effective at managing their interactions and using resources to support younger children's physical development. For example, on occasion, staff carry younger children around for long periods, hindering their ability to explore, or their intervention prevents children from learning to climb steps independently.

Parent Reviews of Small World Nursery

3.4
(5)
Niamh
a year ago

Our little one has been attending the “baby room” at Small World for 4 months now, and he seems to be really enjoying it (I can tell because he’s always excited when we drop him off and playing/in a good mood when we pick him up; I’ve also seen him give kisses to some of the child carers). My husband and I have a great impression of the people working at Small World – they are always positive and in good spirits. Stacey, who runs the baby room, is fantastic – you can tell she genuinely cares a lot about the kids. They have the cutest set-up with Montessori-style toys and an enriching learning environment. And adorable rain suits to go outside in classic British weather. We chose Small World after visiting other nurseries because it has generous outdoor/green space, healthy, tasty food cooked for the kids, and, most importantly, whenever we visited, the kids seemed relaxed. They hosted a conscientious and extended settling-in process for our little one, which we think really helped him adjust. It gives us a lot of peace of mind, knowing he’s looked after while we’re at work. Thank you, Small World!

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Roland
a year ago

Extremely poor management at this nursery and I cannot express how angry I am with Leonor and Angus! I was paying for my child through a scheme where I accidentally paid fees after I took my child out. After 5-6 months, Angus still has not returned £900 that he explicitly acknowledged needs refunding. This has been dragging on despite many emails and polite requests. While the hands on nursery staff are very good, the management are awful. If they have a good reason to not refund us (hard to imagine what that would be), they haven't explained why! I notice there's another review here that also talks about poor communication and this lines up with my experience. You should be ashamed of yourselves. .

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mariella bliss
2 years ago

Our daughter attended Small World from 1 to 4 year old. She gained a sense of independence very quickly , she’s sociable and feels comfortable and confident interacting with adult or children since the age of 3 . She has kindness towards other people which I enjoy watching. The staff is truly amazing: warm , flexible but professional . We chose a true Montessori nursery for this reason despite the distance from our house and highly recommend it .

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Joan ormrod
a year ago

Angus and Leonor I hope you could get the time to give us our refund, it has been over 6 months. Admin in this nursery is beyond unbelievable.

Read on Google

Reviews from Google for Small World Nursery. See all on Google Maps

Inspection history

Date: May 2011

  • January 2023Good
  • January 2023Good
  • March 2022Requires improvement
  • February 2022Requires improvement
  • December 2016Good
  • November 2016Good
  • January 2016Requires improvement
  • January 2015Good
  • December 2014Good
  • June 2011Good
  • May 2011Good

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