Akhter Early Learning Centre Nursery and Pre-School

A baby room capped at 12, an indoor atrium for active play and a woodland themed sensory garden give Akhter Early Learning Centre a recognisable character. Space here serves different purposes: babies have somewhere separate to sleep, older children can move between indoor activities and gardens, and sensory experiences extend beyond the main rooms. Those distinctions matter more than a long equipment list.

At its October 2024 inspection, Ofsted rated the nursery Good and found safeguarding effective. The judgement came with specific improvements around conversations during play, the timing of group activities and staff hygiene routines. These deserve attention alongside the facilities.

At 11 Perry Road in Harlow, the nursery has 124 places in total and accepts children from five months to five years. Its toddler provision includes both full-time and term-time arrangements, while eligible families can use funded childcare across the school terms or stretch a qualifying entitlement through the year.

Rooms and Ages

The baby room accommodates up to 12 babies, with an emphasis on communication, movement and early relationships, alongside daily garden play. That room cap is a useful starting point for parents comparing care for their youngest child. Repeated access to familiar activities gives babies time to practise, while observations of their interests shape individual and group experiences.

Hedgehog and Badger’s are the toddler rooms, combining sensory materials, construction and pretend play with outdoor learning; Hedgehog serves full-time attendance and Badger’s term-time attendance. Sand, water and small-world resources give children different ways to explore the same ideas. Filling containers, talking about textures and sharing equipment connect physical skills with language and getting along with others.

Owls, Rabbits and Squirrels are the preschool rooms, with book areas, construction materials and home corners alongside direct garden access. Children move into preschool when ready for the transition from the toddler rooms, rather than at a fixed birthday described for these rooms. Lego, wooden blocks and recycled modelling materials allow ideas to be built and revised, while the quieter book areas offer a different pace.

Learning and Activities

The Early Years Foundation Stage guides learning through play across communication, physical development, relationships and later learning such as literacy and mathematics. It is the shared early-years framework; Akhter’s additions include visiting activity providers and particular resources, rather than a replacement for it.

Little Alice Theatre brings song and movement to the baby room every two weeks, at no additional charge. In preschool, Little Alice Theatre develops expressive activities, while Soccer Sports supports movement, listening and understanding; these sessions run on a two-week rota and are also included. The atrium gives these activities an indoor space, so movement has somewhere to happen beyond the rooms themselves.

Loose parts play encourages children to experiment with materials whose use they can decide for themselves. The preschool home corners offer another route into imagination, letting children act out familiar experiences such as caring for a baby or making dinner. These are practical ways to turn interests from home into conversation and shared play.

In October 2024, children used tweezers to sort small bears, explored the properties of objects and helped mix play dough. These examples brought hand control, early mathematical thinking and imaginative play together. Adult interaction was less consistent: some children needed more conversation and challenge to take their learning further, and lengthy group activities could prevent them finishing work to their satisfaction.

Outdoor and Community Life

Three outdoor play areas, shade sails and the woodland themed sensory garden provide different settings for outdoor learning. The garden includes a bug hotel and storytelling area, giving children reasons to observe, talk and invent stories as well as move about. The indoor play area is also used when poor weather interrupts outdoor play.

The Hilary Bus takes babies and toddlers on local walks; toddler outings include shopping, parks and woodland walks. Familiar surroundings become part of the learning, rather than outdoor experience stopping at the nursery boundary. In October 2024, older children practised balance on stepping stones and slides, while babies explored sand with spoons and pots.

Relationships and Communication

Settling begins with sessions that build familiarity between the child, family and key person. These sessions are free. For children needing SEND support, the first meeting gathers information about interests and needs, with subsequent sessions increasing in length before the child starts. This makes the settling process something families contribute to, rather than simply a timetable to follow.

A key person works alongside a buddy, providing another familiar practitioner when the main contact is absent. In the toddler rooms, this arrangement specifically covers holidays and sickness. For parents, continuity is about who knows the child’s routines and can discuss their development, as well as who provides personal care.

eyLog is the digital system for observations and assessments: practitioners can share photographs, audio and videos, and parents can add experiences from home. Preschool families receive feedback after sessions, with observations added weekly and parent evenings held every six months. That combination provides both everyday contact and a longer conversation about development.

Inclusion and Wellbeing

At the October 2024 inspection, Ofsted found that children with SEND and those learning English as an additional language received effective support and made good progress. Current support arrangements include meetings involving parents, the key person and a SENDCo, speech and language referrals where appropriate, and individual planning through a one page profile and a one plan. These give families a concrete process for identifying needs and reviewing support.

Visual timetables, flashcards and sign language are used to help children communicate and make choices. The rooms and outdoor areas are on one level, with wheelchair access into the building and a disabled toilet. A parents room provides somewhere confidential to discuss information from professionals.

Links with Treehouse Children’s Centre in Staple Tye include visits for meetings and use of its facilities. Speech therapists, physiotherapists and specialist teachers also visit the nursery. When a child with SEND moves on to school, transition information is shared, teachers can visit the nursery and school visits are arranged with the family and supporting professionals. This work concerns preparation and continuity of care.

Babies have a sleep room with cots, plus mats for older babies in a cosy area, allowing rest to follow individual routines. In Hedgehog, the cosy area becomes a sleeping space later in the day. Comforters from home can accompany babies, providing something familiar during rest and settling.

Breakfast, lunch and tea are cooked on site by the nursery’s chef, with menus adjusted for seasonal produce. The nursery has policies for foods containing allergens, and its packed-lunch policy excludes nuts and nut products.

In October 2024, children understood handwashing routines, but staff sometimes failed to follow the nursery’s own hygiene procedures. More consistent adult practice was an improvement requirement, distinct from whether children knew what to do.

Sessions and Attendance

Childcare opening hours are 7.30am to 6.30pm, Monday to Friday. The centre operates for 51 weeks, closing at weekends, on bank holidays and between Christmas and New Year. Full-time and term-time toddler attendance sit alongside these opening hours as separate arrangements.

For older children, the After School club opens from 3pm to 6pm during school terms, and the Holiday club from 8am to 6pm in school holidays, both Monday to Friday. These clubs serve children from Reception age to 11, with school collections for the after-school provision. They are a separate offer from the nursery’s early-years rooms.

Enquiries go through the centre’s office by telephone on 01279 927020 or email at info@akhterelc.co.uk. The address is Akhter Early Learning Centre, 11 Perry Road, Harlow, Essex CM18 7NS.

Funding and Paid Extras

Funded childcare includes 15-hour and 30-hour entitlements, subject to eligibility, with funding accepted for children aged nine months to four years. Term-time delivery runs across 38 weeks; eligible families using the 30-hour entitlement can spread it over 51 weeks. Additional privately paid childcare is offered, but buying extra hours is not a condition of taking a funded place.

During funded hours, meals are charged separately, with a packed-lunch alternative subject to the nursery’s policy, while snacks are free. Parents supply nappies and wipes for funded attendance; sun cream and washroom consumables are provided without charge. Privately paid sessions lasting at least five continuous hours include meals, nappies and wipes. These distinctions make the pattern of attendance relevant to the overall bill, rather than funding alone determining what parents pay.

Chargeable activities are optional. A deposit is required before starting and can be used against an outstanding balance when the contract ends. Parents must give one month’s written notice to end the contract, postpone the start or reduce attendance, with receipt acknowledged by the centre; booked sessions remain chargeable when a child is absent. Current prices come in the nursery’s written quotation.

Getting There

On-site parking can be constrained at busy times; parking on Perry Road is unrestricted but discouraged because of the hazards it can create, while Staple Tye Shopping Centre has free parking a 2 minute walk away. Cycle parking and covered pushchair storage are also provided.

Arriva routes 2 and 3 serve Staple Tye and include Harlow Rail Station, offering a public-transport connection for families travelling through the station.

• Adult interaction and hygiene. The October 2024 improvements concerned extending learning, allowing children to finish activities and consistent staff hygiene. During a visit, ask how conversations, group routines and hygiene practice have changed in response.
• The funded-hours bill. Funded meals are charged, snacks are free and parents supply nappies and wipes, while longer private sessions include these items. Compare a written quotation for the attendance pattern you intend to use, including any optional activities.
• Baby routines. The baby room has a cap of 12 and separate sleeping provision. Discuss how your child’s naps, comforter and settling sessions will work alongside the room’s daily activities; families managing allergies should also confirm current food-handling practice.
• Parking at busy times. On-site spaces can be limited, and roadside parking is discouraged. The shopping-centre alternative is worth factoring into your collection arrangements.

Akhter suits families seeking either full-time care or term-time attendance, with an additional after-school and holiday offer for older children. Its strongest practical attractions are the baby-room cap, separate sleeping provision, indoor space for movement and substantial outdoor resources. Little Alice Theatre, Soccer Sports and eyLog add recognisable activity and communication arrangements.

The October 2024 Good judgement provides the quality context, alongside improvements that matter in everyday care: richer adult interaction, routines that let children finish their play and consistent staff hygiene. Families weighing this nursery should give those practices as much attention as the spaces and funded-hours options.