Grove hall Nursery Balham Grove Post Reply

[bumbling-along]

Hi All, I was just wondering if any one had any feedback on Grove Hall Nursery as i am currently trying to find a nursery to take our 9 month old and i cant find any recent reviews on it. Any help would be massively appreciated!!

[Delphine30]

Hello,
My son has been going to Grove hall nursery since he was 5 months old. He is now 2 and still loving it. They have very caring nannies (some of them english speakers, and some of them french speakers). During the pick up, the carer runs through what happened during my son's day. I get a daily paper report with activities, description of meals and how much he has eaten, nap time and nappy changing times.
A librarian comes once a week to read stories as well as a music teacher. There are separate spaces for children not of walking age and toddlers. They let them out in the garden regularly. Each week has a theme where they learn about different things (Jungle, farm animals, easter...) and the children are doing lots of arts and crafts, even the younger ones. We get to take some of it at home, for example mother's day presents. Every few months, we have a parent meeting where we get to discuss progress with the key worker and we can see the childs "book" containing photos and description of the activities undertaken. Overall I think it is a very good nursery and it is the feeling of the other parents I speak to when I see them in the evening (Of course I only know a few people and cannot speak for everybody). Good luck with your search of a nursery!

[Hummi]

Hi,

My 2 year old daughter is at Grove Hall Nursery 2 days a week and likes it. I like it too. The meals sound healthy and I have the feeling she is a less fussy eater there than at home . They also know my daughter well one day they noticed she was not her usual self so checked temperature and yes she had a fever. So they called and I picked her up.

As someone who grew up with a huge garden more outdoor space would be great but hey it is very close to Central London.

All other topics e.g. reports have been mentioned by Delphine30.

[Ivytree]

I have the same opinion as Delphine30. Good luck

[Balham10]

When I was looking for a nursery for my first daughter four years ago grove hall was the only one with a big, light, stimulating space. She was incredibly happy there and as a parent I always knew she was cared for well. Staff were lovely, activities varied and educational. Now my second daughter goes there, three days per week, and is just as happy. The outside space is small but there are occasional trips out and about and the space they do have is well used.

[sixfootredhead]

Our son is nearly 2 now and has been going to Grove Hall since he was just over 12 months old. We initially had a place secured at Second Steps but when we heard about Grove Hall and the dual language aspect (plus the big open plan space) we decided to change our choice. He loves it there and we feel very reassured and happy that he has so much fun.

The carers are lovely, they seem to take a real interest in the children and the days seem to be filled with lots of fun activities that children may not get chance to do at home/with a nanny. We have had lots of 'artwork' to bring home and as others have mentioned, you get to see photos of the children enjoying some of these activities. You also get daily updates on what your child has eaten (our son takes a packed lunch but I understand the canteen at Grove Hall is good too), how much (s)he has slept and what nappy goings-on have taken place!

I would feel confident recommending the nursery to others!

[Familycompleted]

I agree with Delphine30. My son has been there since he was 13 months old and loves it. He is almost 3 now. The food there is good (we once had to ask for a takeaway as we were getting a flight and they packed him a lovely stew - almost fit for a restaurant).

The manager has a snooty air about her when you first meet her and especially when you speak to her in English but in fact is a nice lady who cares a lot about the wellbeing of the children. (and if you speak in French to her, her friendly personality does show) The outside space is very small but that really is the only drawback. Opening hours are great (7:30-18:30) and only shut over X mas week and bank holidays. Am dreading to think how my son is going to react when he has to leave in Sep 2014 to start school....

Good luck with your decision!

(Incidentally we had our son at Elm Park for one day a week and we loved their garden but the food was unimaginative and one day when I was about to pick him up, heard a loud "sigh" as one of the carers picked up my son complaining that he had soiled his nappy "again" (She didnt know I was standing right behind her).....Also, they are only open 8-6 and at the slightest sign of loose stool or low grade fever (even when teething) demands you to come pick up the child) Grove hall is happy to check with you, administer calpol if you agree and keep the child isolated if need be until you can come. I felt that this felxibility is invaluable as a working parent! Also, no nursery is going to tick ALL the boxes.... Hope this helps!

[Katskii1]

My son attends and I could not be happier - the staff are great and care a lot for the well being of the children. They also do a lot of creative , fun activities and nice touches such as French breakfast mornings so you have a chance o meet other parents and spend time in the nursery environment

[SabineMum]

Absolutely agree with all the other comments. My son is very happy there and all the carers have always been great. One thing to know though is that if the big draw for you is the nursery's bilingualism, you might be disappointed. While the themes of the activities take in French culture and vocabulary, few carers in the toddlers' group (2 upwards) speak French and we know it's from basic conversation that children pick up most of their language skills to start with. For example while Easter was explained in both English and French my son has picked up very little - if any of it - in either language. But there are many English words he's picked up there from day-to-day conversations and practically no French words. Not a worry for us but worth flagging up if you're counting on the nursery to turn your child bilingual.

[aab203]

Hi there,

We are looking into nurseries for our little girl (6 months). My wife is not likely to return to work so we are looking at putting our daughter 'part-time' into nursery, so she can socialise

I have read that Grove Hall is good, however I have just looked at Ofstead and the reports are that Grove Hall is inadequate at providing the "Early Years" requirements.

I was wondering why this might be, given all of your glowing reports?!

Are there any other nurseries that people can recommend / looked into when they were nursery hunting? We live between Balham and Clapham South stations (Thornton Rd).

Many thanks!

[Goldhawk]

http://www.nappyvalleynet.com/mums/view ... 17&t=38549

Above is the thread about the recent Ofsted report

What age are you looking for nursery from? Socialising is usually from 2 years upwards so I would recommend Marmalade Cat or Oaktree

[aab203]

http://www.nappyvalleynet.com/mums/view ... 17&t=38549

Above is the thread about the recent Ofsted report

What age are you looking for nursery from? Socialising is usually from 2 years upwards so I would recommend Marmalade Cat or Oaktree

Hi Goldhawk, thanks for the link - very interesting read!

I don't really know when exactly we'd put her into a nursery (for a couple of days a week, probably half days). We are just looking at options for now; not that I know when the 'right' time is either