Little Elms Daycare Nursery Crofton (Orpington)

My son started in the baby room when he was 12 months, having moved from another local nursery that he had joined at 8 months. Moving him has been the best decision of our lives. My toddler has gone from crying everytime we dropped and picked him up at the old nursery, to settling in very quickly at little elms and being really excited to go to nursery every morning. He has now formed amazing bonds with all the staff at the nursery.

The staff genuinely care about the children, are always pleasant and smiling, and let us know what he’s been up to each day (and we get a form for our records). The nursery room is clean and tidy – it’s a bright airy space and the other children seem to love it there. There’s also ample outside play area which also makes a difference as the children benefit from running around in the fresh air (my son’s previous nursery only had a small roof terrace).

I couldn’t recommend little elms enough and if my son could talk in sentences, he’d say the same!

I currently have a little girl attending and she loves going. The staff are the making of Little Elms, caring, helpful and very supportive to the children. They go above and beyond their job descriptions to ensure the babies and toddlers are encouraged and nurtured. I don’t have any criticisms of the nursery and my son, who previously attended and is now at school, is a glowing example of the confidence they ingrained in him and what a difference they make to the early years of his development.

I would strongly recommend the nursery, the Owls room is particularly a great transition from nursery to school for the children and ensure they have all the basic tools needed to survive and thrive when moving to school.

Little Elms Orpington has real issues with staff turnover. They do have excellent staff, particularly in the baby and big toddler rooms but they have real trouble hanging onto them, our little one is in the pre-school room and has had several key workers this academic year which has been massively disruptive. The nursery itself is clean and bright and rooms are well appointed. Being in a suburb, the outside space is a little limited. The staff are committed and hardworking and the location is excellent for commuting. The problem is staff are coming and going and it is oftentimes very hard to gauge where your little one is at developmentally. While the day to day management of the nursery and its communications with parents has improved out of sight, it can’t seem to keep its staff and that is troubling.

Our daughter was a very happy and well-rounded toddler as a result of her 2-year care at Crofton. We only left due to leaving London and taking our child away from Crofton was the hardest part of our move. We will always remember the staff – carers and management, for educating our little girl.

My review is fairly limited as my 9-month-old daughter has only attended one settling-in session to date. However, after spending just 1 hour in the baby room I’m confident we made the right choice! I met several members of the team, including those from other rooms all of whom were incredibly friendly and helped put myself and my daughter at ease almost immediately. It’s clear to see they all genuinely care for the children and understand individual needs. After only a few minutes my daughter was off exploring the new surroundings, playing with various toys/equipment and even climbed up onto the lap of one of the keyworkers – it was as if she had forgotten I was even there!
We have two more settling-in sessions before she starts officially and I now feel incredibly confident to leave her in their capable hands.

Both my kids (4 years old and 14 months old) have been going to Little Elms Crofton since they were 10 months old. We are very happy with the nursery and my kids are happy and very well-settled. They both love going to the nursery. My elder one is very attached to the staff. We want to thank all the staff for being so amazing with the kids.

Both my children are currently at Little Elms Crofton and we couldn’t be happier. All the staff are wonderful and so caring. We have always felt relaxed and confident leaving our children there, even when they first started and were settling in. Our eldest will be leaving in September for school and I feel so sad about it! I would recommend this nursery to everyone.

We’ve had a great experience since 2020 with Little Elms Crofton for our two children. The attention and care given to them has been great and the staff are very friendly, approachable and I’m happy in the knowledge that they are safe, cared for and nurtured. The food selection from the kitchen is excellent and healthy, and the outdoor spaces are perfect for exploring and playing in too as well as the indoor rooms. It is a lovely nursery where they’ve been able to develop alongside their peers and learning how to interact with each other.

My daughter went to Little Elms Daycare Nursery and my son has been there for over 1.5 years now. He always has a great time and can now tell me what he gets up to. They have great facilities and always have lots to play and do. I find the staff really supportive and helpful. He is currently potty training and they are really helping with that. I would highly recommend Little Elms, Crofton.

My son has been going to Little Elms Crofton since he turned a year old. Initially, when he was in Dove’s 2 room, we had an amazing experience; he was looked after very well. But since he moved to Robins, I have not been so happy with the ratio of carers per kid, but that being said, I have always seen that they try harder and are always open to any kind of feedback and ready to work on it. I had to prompt many times, but they do listen and improve, so I am glad about it. My son has bonded well with most of the carers, and they are all very lovely. I think it would help to have more structured activities to help children with their development and communication needs, which I think they are starting to include in their daily routine now. I have also raised concerns regarding my son’s speech delay and developmental issues, and the nursery is doing a good job helping him through it giving him individual attention that he needs.