Little Elms Daycare Shirley
Good★ 4.8 on GoogleBirth to 8+Long established
A day nursery in Croydon for children from birth to 8+, open 07:30 to 18:00, 5 days a week. They do not publish prices, so that is the first thing to ask. Rated Good by Ofsted in June 2023. Open since 2015, with 63 places.
What you might pay
This setting does not publish its fees, and no national dataset holds them. This is what childcare costs across the council, as a starting point for the call.
What childcare usually costs in Croydon
This is not this setting's price. It is the median hourly fee across all providers in Croydon from the Department for Education's 2025 provider survey. No national data holds what an individual nursery charges, so ring and ask.
Places, hours and the day
Who they take, when they are open, and what a day there includes.
Where it is
CR0 8RPWhat the inspector found
One grade is one visit. A run of them tells you whether it has been good for years or has only just got there.
- 2 April 2025 — Concern: actions taken what Ofsted published
- 29 January 2025 — Concern: actions taken what Ofsted published
- 10 October 2023 — Concern: actions taken what Ofsted published
Ofsted inspector, 19 June 2023 · read the full report
What it is like to attend
Children arrive eager to start their day. All children have the option to choose where they wish to play. Toddlers are skilled in using the stairs safely and confidently, enhancing their physical development well. They thoroughly enjoy learning how to make bubbles during water play. Staff teach toddlers about sea animals and use the correct terms, such as tentacles, when asking to count how many an octopus has. This further develops children's language development and emerging mathematical skills. Babies develop their small-muscle skills as they explore sand. They learn to empty and fill containers, developing their emerging language as they babble with staff about their actions.
Pre-school children play extremely well together. They are taught the importance of turn taking. Children enjoy playing group games and help to explain the rules to others. All children recall what they have been taught by staff, and they share and turn take well. Children with special educational needs and/or disabilities are supported exceptionally well. Staff meet with parents and other professionals to support children's learning and development. They work together to set targets for children to work towards. Based on children's starting points, they are making good progress with their learning and development.
What Ofsted told them to improve
To further improve the quality of the early years provision, the provider should:
- teach staff how to support younger children when using equipment such as climbing frames n support staff in evaluating how children use activities and when to change activities based on children's interests.
- 19 June 2023Good
- 10 June 2021Good
- 22 October 2019Good
Rated Good or Outstanding at 3 of the last 3 graded inspections.
Still missing for Little Elms Daycare Shirley
- What it costs
- Funded hours
- Youngest age taken
- Meals
- Nappies
- Waiting list
No dataset holds any of this. Two parents telling us the same thing puts it on the page for whoever looks next.
What to ask them
None of this is in any national dataset and this setting has not published it, which is exactly why it is worth asking.
- What does it cost, all in? What is on top: meals, nappies, late pick-up, and what happens if you are late.
- Can I use my funded hours here? Whether they stretch them over the year, and the minimum days you have to book.
- Is there a place for my child's age? Baby rooms fill first and waiting lists are common.
- Who would my child's key person be? And how long have the staff been there. No dataset holds this and it matters more than anything above.
- Can I visit at a busy time? Mid-morning on a weekday tells you far more than an empty room after hours.
Day nurseries within a couple of miles
This one is first. Tick it and one or two others to see them side by side.