Full-day nursery in Sanderstead, Croydon
Lemon Tree Montessori
St Mary's Church Hall, Purley Oak Road, Sanderstead, CR2 0NY · Getting there
Is it good?
Read the Ofsted reportOfsted inspection, before November 2025
Good
- Quality of educationGood
- Behaviour and attitudesGood
- Personal developmentGood
- Leadership and managementGood
- SafeguardingEffective
What does this mean?
This grade is from before November 2025, when Ofsted replaced single grades with report cards. The nursery's next inspection will give a report card, with a separate grade for each area instead of one overall grade.
Official records
Fees
| Age | Full day | Half day | Per month |
|---|---|---|---|
| Under 2s | £125£11.90 an hour | £22.50 | £980 |
From nursery website, November 2026 · see the fees page. Price per hour is the day rate over a 10.5-hour day, from the nursery's opening hours.
- Charge on funded hours
- £46.84 per month
- Charge on funded hours
- £29.96 per month
- Charge on funded hours
- £20 per month
- Charge on funded hours
- £35 per month
- Registration fee
- £50
- Deposit
- £150
Funded hours: From 9 months, 2-year-olds, 30 hours
Hours and ages
- Monday to Friday
- 07:30–18:00
- Ages
- 12 months to 5 years
- Weeks open
- 50 a year
- Sessions
- Full day and half day
Getting there
St Mary's Church Hall, Purley Oak Road, Sanderstead, CR2 0NY · More nurseries in CR2
Stations
- Sanderstead8 min walk · 0.3 miles
- Purley Oaks8 min walk · 0.3 miles
- Riddlesdown21 min walk · 0.8 miles
Buses
2 bus stops within 400 m, including Beechwood Road.
Parks and playgrounds
- South Croydon Recreation Ground9 min walk
- Playground11 min walk
© OpenStreetMap contributors, checked 13 November 2026 · Powered by TfL Open Data, checked 13 November 2026. Walking times are rough, from straight-line distance.
Places and next steps
Spaces: not published yet. Nurseries often fill months ahead, so ask early.
In Croydon there are about 3.2 children under 5 for every registered nursery place. Places are how many children nurseries may care for, not free spaces, so this is a guide to demand. Source: ONS Census 2021.
What parents say
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Write a reviewAbout Lemon Tree Montessori
Lemon Tree Montessori is a full-day nursery at St Mary's Church Hall, Purley Oak Road, Sanderstead, CR2 0NY, in Sanderstead, Croydon. It is registered for 60 children and takes children aged 12 months to 5 years. It opens 07:30–18:00, Mon–Fri, 50 weeks a year. Ofsted rated it Good at its inspection in May 2024, before report cards replaced single grades in November 2025. Its published full-day fee is £125 (nursery website, November 2026). It offers funded hours from 9 months, funded places for 2-year-olds and the 30 funded hours for 3 and 4-year-olds, and accepts Tax-Free Childcare.
A day here
Our summary of the nursery's website and Ofsted reports. Each feature links to where it came from.
Learning and approach
- MontessoriSource: nursery website
- Forest schoolSource: nursery website
Food
- Meals included in feesSource: nursery website
- Breakfast providedSource: nursery website
- Healthy snacks providedSource: nursery website
Care and routines
- Key person systemSource: nursery website
- Flexible sessionsSource: nursery website
- Open all yearSource: nursery website
- Early drop-offSource: nursery website
- Half-day sessionsSource: nursery website
- Small group sizesSource: nursery website
- Holiday clubSource: nursery website
- Breakfast clubSource: nursery website
Building and safety
- Parent app with daily updatesSource: nursery website
- Online learning journalSource: nursery website
Extras and activities
- Language classesSource: nursery website
- Sports coachingSource: nursery website
- Woodland tripsSource: nursery website
Compare nurseries nearby
| Nursery | Ofsted | Full day from | Hours | Ages | Distance |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Lemon Tree MontessoriThis nursery | Good | £125 | 07:30–18:00 | 1–5 yrs | This nursery |
| Castle Day NurseryFull-day nursery | Good | not shared yet | 08:00–22:00 | from 18 mo | under 0.1 miles |
| Partou Gingerbread House Day Nursery & Pre-SchoolFull-day nursery | Report card 2026 | not shared yet | 07:30–18:00 | not shared yet | 0.3 miles |
| La Maternelle Nursery School LimitedSessional pre-school | Report card 2026 | not shared yet | 07:30–16:00 | 2–5 yrs | 0.5 miles |
| Little Apples Day Nursery LtdFull-day nursery | Good | £110 | 08:00–18:00 | 3 mo–5 yrs | 0.6 miles |
| Fennies St AugustinesFull-day nursery | Good | not shared yet | not shared yet | not shared yet | 0.7 miles |
| Fennies Beech HouseFull-day nursery | Good | not shared yet | not shared yet | not shared yet | 0.7 miles |
A dash means the nursery hasn't published it yet. Distances are in a straight line.
- All nurseries in Sanderstead7
- All nurseries in Croydon160
- All nurseries in CR226
- Nurseries near Sanderstead station
Nearby areas
Schools nearby
- Ridgeway Primary School Primaryages 3–11has a nursery classOfsted: School remains Goodinspected March 2024 0.4 miles
- Purley Oaks Primary School Primaryages 3–11has a nursery classOfsted: Standards maintainedinspected February 2025 0.6 miles
- Cumnor House School ages 2–13has a nursery class 0.7 miles
- Christ Church CofE Primary School (Purley) Primaryages 4–11Ofsted: School remains Goodinspected March 2022 0.8 miles
- Regina Coeli Catholic Primary School Primaryages 2–11has a nursery classOfsted: School remains Good (Improving)inspected May 2024 0.9 miles
- Purley Nursery School Nurseryages 2–5has a nursery classOfsted: School remains Outstandinginspected November 2023 0.9 miles
- St Peter's Primary School Primaryages 4–11Ofsted: Standards maintainedinspected April 2025 0.9 miles
- St Giles School ages 2–19has a nursery classOfsted: School remains Goodinspected April 2023 1.0 miles
Straight-line distances. Places depend on each school's admissions rules. From the Department for Education and Ofsted.
Questions parents ask
Got a question? Ask and get an answer straight away.
How much does Lemon Tree Montessori cost?
Lemon Tree Montessori publishes these fees: full day £125 for under 2s, half day £22.50 for under 2s, half day £15 for under 2s, per month £980 for under 2s, per month £1,470 for under 2s, per month £1,960 for under 2s and per month £2,275 for under 2s (nursery website, November 2026). Funded hours and Tax-Free Childcare can reduce what you pay.
Does Lemon Tree Montessori offer 30 funded hours?
Yes. Lemon Tree Montessori offers the 30 funded hours for eligible 3 and 4-year-olds. It charges £46.84 per month on funded hours for extras such as meals and activities.
Does Lemon Tree Montessori take funded 2-year-olds?
Yes. Lemon Tree Montessori offers funded places for eligible 2-year-olds.
Does Lemon Tree Montessori offer funded hours from 9 months?
Yes. Lemon Tree Montessori offers funded hours for eligible children from 9 months.
What are Lemon Tree Montessori's opening hours?
Lemon Tree Montessori opens 07:30–18:00, Mon–Fri.
Is Lemon Tree Montessori open all year?
Yes, Lemon Tree Montessori is open 50 weeks a year, closing only for short breaks.
What ages does Lemon Tree Montessori take?
Lemon Tree Montessori takes children aged 12 months to 5 years.
What is Lemon Tree Montessori's Ofsted rating?
Ofsted rated Lemon Tree Montessori Good at its inspection on 15 May 2024, before report cards replaced single grades in November 2025.
How many children can Lemon Tree Montessori take?
Lemon Tree Montessori is registered with Ofsted for up to 60 children at any one time.
Are meals included at Lemon Tree Montessori?
Yes. Meals are included in the fees at Lemon Tree Montessori.
Does Lemon Tree Montessori accept Tax-Free Childcare?
Yes. Lemon Tree Montessori accepts Tax-Free Childcare payments.
Is there a registration fee or deposit at Lemon Tree Montessori?
Yes. Lemon Tree Montessori lists a registration fee of £50 and a deposit of £150.
What approach does Lemon Tree Montessori follow?
Lemon Tree Montessori's website describes its approach as: Montessori and Forest school.
What is the nearest station to Lemon Tree Montessori?
Sanderstead is the nearest station we know of, 0.3 miles away in a straight line.
How do I contact Lemon Tree Montessori?
You can call 020 8651 5061 and visit www.lemontreemontessori.co.uk.
Tools for parents in Croydon
- Childcare cost calculatorMonthly cost with funded hours
- Funded hours checkerWhich schemes you qualify for
- Funded hours start dateWhen your child's hours begin
- Tax-Free Childcare calculatorThe 20% top-up on your bill
- Visit checklist for this nurseryPrintable questions, pre-filled
- Cost of nursery in CroydonFees by age in Croydon
About this information
- Registration and inspections: Ofsted · 30 June 2026
- Fees, hours and features: the nursery's website (www.lemontreemontessori.co.uk) · 11 November 2026
- Schools: DfE Get Information about Schools · 4 November 2026
- Contains Ofsted data licensed under the Open Government Licence v3.0.
- Contains Department for Education data licensed under the Open Government Licence v3.0.
- Contains Ofsted data licensed under the Open Government Licence v3.0.
- Contains National Statistics data © Crown copyright and database right; contains OS data © Crown copyright and database right.
- © OpenStreetMap contributors
- Powered by TfL Open Data
- Source: Office for National Statistics, Census 2021, licensed under the Open Government Licence v3.0.
- From the nursery's website, with the page link and date checked
Last checked 11 November 2026 · Ofsted URN EY341292 · Plain-text version · Report a mistake
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