Oaklea Montessori, St John's

A classroom that opens freely onto outdoor play gives Oaklea Montessori, St John's its defining rhythm: children can move between quieter work inside and movement outside, rather than waiting for a separate outdoor session. A canopy shelters part of the play space, which continues onto grass. Practical independence runs through the activities, from pouring and threading to cooking.

At its April 2022 inspection, Ofsted rated the nursery Good and found safeguarding effective, with staff working together to support children with special educational needs and/or disabilities. That is a dated judgement, alongside a current offer for children aged two to five and capacity for 24 children in total.

The setting occupies St John's Community Centre in Colchester. Morning, afternoon and daytime core sessions sit alongside paid wraparound care, giving families more than one way to arrange attendance.

Rooms and Ages

Squirrels & Owls Room brings children aged two to five into a shared indoor and outdoor arrangement, with activities supporting practical independence, early mathematics, literacy and physical development. Squirrels is the name used for two-year-olds; Owls covers ages three to five. These are age groups within the shared space, rather than evidence of separate classrooms.

Inside, a quieter classroom area provides threading and pouring activities, alongside sensory exploration and early science. Elsewhere, construction, craft, music, role play and water play give children different ways to investigate and make things. The layout matters: a child can pursue a personal interest while having access to both quieter activities and more active play.

Learning and Activities

The early years foundation stage provides the framework for children's learning, development and care. Here, that means practical experiences spanning communication, movement, early number work and growing independence, rather than learning being confined to a formal lesson.

Montessori is the educational approach, supporting children to make choices and develop independence through practical activity. At St John's, threading and pouring offer concrete examples of that emphasis. Baking adds another: following a recipe brings together making something, handling ingredients and learning about food hygiene.

At the April 2022 inspection, Ofsted found that the curriculum built on children's existing knowledge and interests, but asked staff to extend learning more consistently. The distinction is useful for parents: engaging activities were in place, while the next step was making sure staff took children's thinking further.

In April 2022, children mixed flour and water to make play dough, talked about the changing texture and shared ideas about what they were making. Counting and comparisons were woven into activities, while children selected books for themselves. Those examples show how conversation, mathematics and literacy could develop through hands-on play.

Outdoor and Community Life

The canopy and grassed play area give outdoor activity a substantial place in the day. Children can choose to go outside, with trikes, cars and hoops available for movement play. Growing activities and wildlife experiences add reasons to look closely at the natural world.

Regular walks take children into neighbouring areas. Their frequency is described as regular, rather than tied to a weekly timetable. For families who value learning beyond the classroom, this adds community exploration to the indoor and garden experiences.

In April 2022, outdoor play included balancing on milk crates, jumping, climbing and throwing and catching balls. Children also used binoculars to watch birds. Physical challenge and close observation sat alongside each other.

Independence extends beyond learning materials. In April 2022, children managed their coats and bags, used cutlery, poured drinks and cleared away after snack time. These are small, useful steps towards managing everyday routines for themselves.

Relationships also mattered at that visit. In April 2022, children separated readily from their parents and formed close bonds with staff; practitioners responded with warmth and treated children respectfully. Encouragement accompanied their efforts. This gives parents a concrete picture of the care observed then, rather than a general promise about settling.

Language support was visible in everyday activities. In April 2022, children described play-dough textures, joined songs and listened to stories. Children learning English had opportunities to use words and sentences and share traditions from home. For a child with more than one home language, that combination makes participation as relevant as vocabulary.

Today, St John's works with the Essex Child and Family Wellbeing Service to support families. Staff receive paediatric first-aid training and undertake further childcare training. These are practical arrangements; the dated safeguarding judgement remains the separate assessment of effectiveness.

Sessions and Attendance

Opening hours are 8am to 5pm, Monday to Friday, across 50 weeks of the year. The core attendance options are a morning from 9am to noon, a daytime session from 9am to 3pm, or an afternoon from 1pm to 4pm. Wraparound care can be purchased around core hours.

The nursery closes on bank holidays and for two weeks at Christmas. Families planning care across the year need to allow for those closures, as well as choosing the core session that fits their routine.

Enquiries can be made by telephone on 01206 589995 or by email to admin@oakleamontessori.co.uk.

Getting There

The address is St John's Community Centre, St John's Close, Colchester, Essex CO4 0HP, just off Ipswich Road on a bus route. A small designated car park provides an option for families travelling by car.

Funding and Paid Extras

Funded childcare covers eligible two-year-olds and children aged three and four within core hours. The universal entitlement is up to 15 hours each week; eligible working families can access an extended entitlement of up to 30 hours. Paid hours can supplement those core hours.

Breakfast, lunch and tea are charged separately, including for children using funding, while snacks are free during sessions. Families can obtain current prices in the nursery's written quotation; the different attendance and meal elements matter when considering the total cost.

• Learning beyond the activity. The April 2022 improvement point concerned extending children's learning consistently. On a tour, ask how staff take an interest such as pouring, construction or early counting into a more demanding next step.
• Shared ages and outdoor choice. Two-year-olds and older preschool children use the shared Squirrels & Owls space, with access between indoors and outdoors. Ask how activities and supervision accommodate children at different stages within that arrangement.
• Core hours and closures. Morning, daytime and afternoon core sessions offer different attendance patterns, with paid wraparound care around them. Match the proposed booking to your routine and account for bank holidays and the Christmas closure.

Oaklea Montessori, St John's suits families choosing morning or afternoon sessions as well as those wanting the longer daytime core session with wraparound care. Its strongest practical appeal is the connection between independent classroom activity and freely accessible outdoor play: threading, pouring, cooking and growing give that approach substance.

The Good judgement dates to April 2022, and the call for more consistent learning challenge deserves attention when considering the setting. For parents drawn to a shared-age Montessori setting with regular neighbourhood walks, the classroom arrangement and daily activities provide clear reasons to explore it further.