Abracadabra Preschool Nursery

A small preschool based at Whitefield School, Abracadabra Preschool Nursery had 25 places at its latest full assessment. On 13 September 2022, it was judged Good overall, with Good judgements for education, behaviour and attitudes, personal development, and leadership and management.

That inspection described children as happy, safe and keen to explore. Sign language and picture prompts supported daily routines, while large-block construction gave staff a route into counting and language such as short and tall. It is a compact offer with a clear early-years character.

Children at the September 2022 visit were aged one to three. The Early Years Foundation Stage sets the standards for children’s learning, development and care from birth to five; in daily life, that means learning is mainly organised through play, conversation and planned activities rather than formal lessons.

In September 2022, staff planned a sequenced curriculum and revisited teaching at the start of the academic year in response to children’s learning and emotional needs. Mark making, creative materials and dough play gave children practical ways to develop language, independence and early skills. Outdoor time included active play and block building, with adults extending the mathematics in children’s own play.

In September 2022, the key-person system gathered useful starting information from families, supported children through settling and helped room moves run smoothly. Parents were kept informed about development, including through meetings designed to make policies accessible for families who did not read English.

The 2022 evidence recorded individual learning plans developed with parents and other professionals for children with SEND. Safeguarding arrangements were effective in September 2022: staff understood signs of possible harm, refreshed their training and used risk assessments and recruitment checks. A local-authority oral-health initiative informed support for toothbrushing routines and dentist registration.

The nursery remains listed as open at Caretakers House, Whitefield School, Claremont Road, London, NW2 1TR. It is childcare on non-domestic premises in Barnet.

In September 2022, the operating pattern was Monday to Friday during school term times. That makes the holiday calendar a central practical question, rather than a minor administrative detail. At the same visit, it provided funded early education for two-, three- and four-year-old children. Current nursery-specific prices should be supplied in a written quotation.

• Term-time calendar. The latest published operational description is weekday, term-time provision. Families who need school-holiday care should confirm the current calendar before committing.
• Staff development. In September 2022, leaders were asked to strengthen less experienced staff’s understanding of child development and realistic next steps. Ask how supervision and professional development work now.

The dated evidence presents a small, relational preschool where communication support, key-person settling and play-led learning were working well in September 2022. It is best suited to families seeking weekday term-time early education and who value a compact setting; its latest published operating pattern was not designed around school-holiday cover.