Perfect Start Montessori School

Perfect Start Montessori School combines a warm, inclusive atmosphere with purposeful early learning. Ofsted judged it Good in September 2025, finding that children, including recent starters, felt happy, safe and secure. The setting at St Michaels Church, The Riding, has capacity for 40 children.

Its strongest thread is conversation woven through play. Inspectors saw staff repeat new vocabulary, listen attentively and help children sustain two-way exchanges. Children made good progress from their starting points. Safeguarding arrangements were effective at the September 2025 inspection.

The Early Years Foundation Stage provides the statutory framework: children build communication, physical, personal, social and early academic skills through planned play and everyday routines. Here, the 2025 inspection recorded staff using dough and construction blocks to develop shape and size language. Play had a clear learning purpose.

Books and creativity also carried weight. A story about a colour monster helped children explore feelings, while high-quality books linked to current themes encouraged engagement with reading. Children made models from recycled materials, worked with ribbons on a giant weaving table, and used paint and brushes. Outdoors, climbing, sliding, ride-on vehicles and ball games in the nursery's outdoor areas and local parks developed physical skills.

A well-established key-person system helped children settle and feel secure in September 2025. Staff shared care and education updates with parents and offered ideas for learning at home. Calm mealtimes supported conversation, while children gained independence by managing outdoor clothing and footwear.

Individual support was joined up: inspectors found that staff worked with other professionals to target help around children's needs. The inspection also identified a clear improvement point. Leaders needed to strengthen performance management so teaching was consistently high quality, especially the use of open-ended questions with children who speak English as an additional language.

The setting operates from St Michaels Church, The Riding, London NW11 8HL. Its Ofsted record identifies it as sessional day care, rather than a full-day nursery, and shows capacity for 40 children.

• Teaching consistency. Ofsted's September 2025 improvement point concerned inconsistent open-ended questioning, particularly for children learning English as an additional language. Families for whom language support is central should discuss how practice has developed since that inspection.
• Sessional arrangements. This is recorded as sessional day care. Families should establish the current session timetable and whether its attendance pattern fits the hours they need.

Warm relationships, language-rich play and thoughtful use of books give this setting a coherent character. The September 2025 inspection supports confidence in children's progress and security, while its teaching-consistency finding deserves a direct conversation. Perfect Start Montessori School is best suited to families seeking sessional early-years care with a strong emphasis on communication, creative activity and independence.