Little Cubs Day Nursery, Lee

Starting at a new nursery is a change for the whole family, and the first few weeks are built around that reality. Children at Little Cubs Lee begin with settling-in sessions, where they spend time at the nursery in short visits before their first full day. A key person is matched to each child and learns the detail that makes a difference, such as how they like to be held, which songs settle them, and the words they use for the things that matter to them.

Not every day looks the same once a child has settled. Some mornings are physical, some are quiet, some are led by what the child noticed on the way in. The team watches for the signals children give, and the GrandirUK App keeps families looped in during the day, so pick-up starts with the same information both sides already have.

Children at Little Cubs Lee pick up the thread of what they were doing yesterday and build on it. The team plans around what the room is drawn to that week, whether that is water play, building, mark-making, books about animals, or dancing to something new. Across any given week you will see sensory tray work, storytime, singing and movement, cooking, outdoor exploration, and the quieter moments spent looking closely at something small.

The GrandirUK network brings five bespoke educational programmes into the mix: Move & Groove for music, dance and physical activity, Health & Self for wellbeing and confidence, Innovate & Investigate for STEM, Make & Bake for creativity and practical skills, and Sow & Grow for food and nature. Together they give children a wider range of experiences than any single setting could offer on its own.

Inside, Little Cubs Lee is organised by age group, with bright rooms that give children space to move, play, settle for stories, eat together and rest. The resources in each room are chosen for the stage the children are at and the things they are currently interested in, so a baby room looks and feels different from a preschool space.

Outside, the garden gives children regular access to the kind of outdoor time that is good for every age: active play when they want it, gentler space for noticing changes in the weather and the planting, and a different sensory world from the one indoors. Every GrandirUK nursery has outdoor space, and the Lee team uses it across the year. A visit is the best way to see how indoor and outdoor flow together across the day.

A nursery day works because the people in it know the children well. At Little Cubs Lee each child has a key person responsible for the detail of their day and development, with a buddy ready to step in for any days the key person is away. This keeps continuity even in school holidays, illness or shift changes.

Day to day, the thread between home and nursery runs through the quick conversations at drop-off and pick-up and through the GrandirUK App. The App carries photos, meals, naps, nappies and learning moments in close to real time, which is particularly useful for families whose work makes a long conversation at the door difficult.

Care and learning go hand in hand at Little Cubs Lee. A moment at the water tray can turn into a question about why one cup fills faster than another, and a shared song can lead to a child wanting to write down the words. The team takes what children bring, adds structure where it helps, and keeps a running observation that shapes the next week.

The Early Years Foundation Stage (EYFS) frames this across all areas of learning and development. Across GrandirUK, teams follow a simple rhythm of observe, understand, support and celebrate. The goal is a picture of how each child is actually developing, not a league table against anyone else.

Nurseries work best when they take seriously what children are already interested in. Families know this better than anyone, which is why Little Cubs Lee builds in regular conversation with families about what is happening at home, what has caught the child's attention recently and where they are stretching.

Those small details compound. A child who has been watching a sibling draw at home might want tools of their own in the mark-making area. A child who spent the weekend near a train might want to build one at nursery. Giving these threads time to grow is how children develop the confidence to try new things, and the Lee team can show you how that plays out when you visit.

Running two or three nursery drop-offs across different sites is a difficult way to start the day. Little Cubs Lee offers 134 places across rooms for every age from birth to five, which means a family with children at different stages can use one site, one entry point and one routine.

A 10% sibling discount applies to the oldest child when siblings attend. Availability depends on the rooms you need and the days you want, so the sooner the team knows what you are after, the sooner they can tell you what is possible.

The people in the room matter more than any single feature of a nursery. At Little Cubs Lee, practitioners work with specific age groups and build real knowledge of the children they look after. A dedicated SENCo supports children with additional needs, which is standard across every GrandirUK nursery.

When you visit, ask about how handovers between rooms work, how the team shares information about a child's day, and what support is in place for the kinds of transitions that come up (starting nursery, moving rooms, siblings arriving, school in sight). The answers tell you more about the setting than any brochure can.