Kidz Choice 2 Nursery

Two rooms, a six-baby cap and a separate sleep room give this small Barnet nursery a clear shape. Kidz Choice 2 Nursery has 32 places in total for children from three months to five years at 1A Hammond Close, off Mays Lane. The Baby Room is for children from three months to two, while the Toddlers and Pre-schoolers room takes children from two to five.

The August 2023 inspection judged the nursery Good overall, with Good judgements for education, behaviour and attitudes, personal development, and leadership and management. Safeguarding arrangements were effective at that inspection. At that time, children were confident in their play and staff used children’s interests to plan activities.

This is a nursery with a practical local offer as well as indoor provision. The published programme includes regular local trips to parks and libraries, plus a whole-nursery yearly trip, usually by coach. That gives children opportunities beyond the two rooms without turning ordinary nursery play into a grand claim.

Rooms and Ages

The Baby Room is deliberately compact: up to six babies aged three months to two years. Its separate sleep room and own outdoor space matter for a youngest group whose day includes sleep as well as play. Words, songs and sounds are part of the published interaction style, giving the room a language-rich thread alongside individual attention.

Older children share the Toddlers and Pre-schoolers room from age two to five. Its stated emphasis is on age- and stage-appropriate activities, with children encouraged to play and learn at their own pace. Families should weigh the broad age span against their child’s stage and the activities planned for them.

Learning and Named Experiences

The curriculum is based on the Early Years Foundation Stage. In everyday terms, that means learning is developed through play, relationships and planned experiences across the areas of learning, rather than through school-style lessons. In August 2023, staff used children’s ideas and interests to shape experiences, including obstacle-course play, dance and movement, art and craft, and songs and reading to extend language.

The published local outings are a useful extension of that approach. Parks and libraries sit within the regular local-trip programme, while the whole-nursery trip is a larger yearly event. In August 2023, children also visited local parks and open spaces and made trips further afield, including the seaside. That dated observation is not a promise of a current timetable.

Outdoor and Community Life

Outdoor access is most clearly described for babies, who have their own outdoor space. The nursery also publishes indoor and outdoor play, with regular trips out locally. For a family looking for a small setting rather than a large-site model, that mix keeps the experience rooted in the rooms while still taking children into the neighbourhood.

Each child is assigned a key worker to support their needs and development through play. An online information-sharing system is used for observations, photographs and videos, giving parents a window into progress and a starting point for conversations at home.

The nursery states that a trained SENCO is on site. In August 2023, staff used specialist resources, one-to-one support and other professionals where needed, enabling children with special educational needs and/or disabilities to access the curriculum. The same period identified two next steps: helping children take turns in conversations more consistently, and developing their understanding and expression of feelings.

Food is prepared daily by an on-site cook, with breakfast, lunch, tea and snacks described in the published menu information. The nursery publishes a nut-, kiwi- and popcorn-free policy, and says it will work with special dietary requirements. In August 2023, safeguarding arrangements were effective.

Settling is structured around at least two days in which parents or carers can remain nearby as their child gets used to the nursery, with flexibility over when they step away. That can give a younger child time to form a relationship with their key worker before the usual attendance pattern begins.

Kidz Choice 2 Nursery is at 1A Hammond Close, off Mays Lane, Barnet EN5 2EQ. It is open Monday to Friday from 08:00 to 18:00, with bank holidays, the Christmas closure and three staff training days listed as closures.

Sessions and Attendance

The published booking choices include full days, morning sessions and afternoon sessions. For the 15-hour funded route, the nursery gives three mornings from 08:00 to 13:00 or three afternoons from 13:00 to 18:00; it also publishes term-time five-morning and five-afternoon patterns with shorter windows. Children using the 30-hour funding route must attend at least three full days, while the Baby Room has a minimum of two full days.

The pre-registration form lets Hammond Close families select morning, afternoon or full-day attendance. One full calendar month’s written notice is required to reduce sessions or end the contract. Current nursery-specific prices are supplied in the provider’s written quotation.

Funding and Paid Extras

The nursery states that it accepts funding entitlements and publishes routes for eligible two-year-olds, three- and four-year-olds, and the extended 30-hour entitlement. Funded patterns include a charge for meals and snacks, with the alternative of supplying packed food independently. Private paid hours sit alongside those funded arrangements.

Meals are freshly prepared on site for the nursery’s usual food provision.

Nappies, wipes, creams and formula milk are on the parent supply list, so those non-food consumables need to be factored into the practical routine.

• Funded attendance. The published funding patterns range from three longer mornings or afternoons to shorter term-time windows, while the 30-hour route has a three-full-day minimum. Discuss the pattern that matches your entitlement and working week before making arrangements.

• Food and allergies. The nursery publishes a nut-, kiwi- and popcorn-free policy and on-site meal preparation. Families managing an allergy should confirm current menus, ingredients and individual arrangements directly.

• Settling and baby attendance. Babies have a two-full-day minimum, and the settling plan asks families to make time for at least two days. Consider whether that rhythm works for your child and childcare handover.

• Whole-nursery trip. A large yearly trip, usually by coach, is part of the published programme. Ask how the day is organised for your child’s age and usual session.

Kidz Choice 2 Nursery will suit families who value a small, clearly structured setting, especially parents of babies who want a six-child Baby Room with a separate sleep room and outdoor space. The August 2023 Good inspection adds evidence of kind relationships, purposeful play and effective safeguarding at that point, while also giving a clear view of the communication and emotional-development work still being developed.

The practical fit is broader than a single long-day model. Full days run alongside funded morning sessions and afternoon sessions, with shorter term-time funded patterns also published. That makes it a credible option for families who need a conventional workday, as well as those arranging a smaller funded pattern, provided the minimum attendance rules suit their child.