College Green Nursery

College Green Nursery combines a 70-place setting for children aged 12 months to four years with an Outstanding judgement from September 2023. Its strongest character comes from a research-informed curriculum and close key-person relationships: children were highly engaged and curious during the September 2023 inspection, and Ofsted found them exceptionally well prepared for their next stage.

The setting is at College Green Nursery School, 161 College Road, London NW10 3PH. It operates during term time and closes for school holidays, making the calendar an important fit question for working families.

The Early Years Foundation Stage provides the educational framework, meaning that play and adult guidance build communication, physical development, personal and social skills, literacy, mathematics, understanding of the world and expressive arts. In September 2023, the curriculum was carefully sequenced around individual needs and interests rather than a collection of disconnected activities.

In September 2023, children experimented with colourful balls and pipes, testing how many would roll together. That simple investigation joined movement, prediction and persistence. Songs, rhymes and carefully chosen books supported spoken English and early phonics, while enthusiastic singing ran through the day.

Outdoor play had equal purpose. Children chose their own play indoors and outside, including a delighted game of hide-and-seek. The combination of choice and skilful adult interaction helped them remain engrossed and curious. Staff established expectations quickly but paired them with reassurance and praise. This matters because confident exploration depends on children feeling secure enough to take an idea further, try again and involve other children.

In September 2023, key workers knew children and families closely. They adapted learning to individual interests and gave parents regular feedback, including narrated termly learning-story videos. Parent panels, workshops and happiness journals added structured ways for families to contribute and continue learning at home.

Emotional development was explicit. Staff used Emotion Coaching and inclusive persona dolls to help children recognise feelings and regulate them. Warm interactions gave these methods a relational base rather than treating self-regulation as a standalone lesson. Children could therefore practise language for feelings within ordinary play and routines. Visual charters, reassurance and praise helped new children settle into routines; before lunch, children found their own photographs, turning a daily transition into an exercise in independence.

Safeguarding arrangements were judged effective in September 2023, supported by safer recruitment, ongoing suitability checks, regular training, staff supervision and daily site checks. The SENCo worked with parents and other professionals, and inspectors found that swift adaptations enabled children with SEND to access the curriculum and make excellent progress from their starting points.

Food also became learning. During a TastEd activity, children juiced oranges and peeled satsumas, strengthening gross- and fine-motor control while exploring food positively. Children received balanced, nutritious lunches and were willing to try unfamiliar foods.

College Green Nursery has capacity for 70 children and accepts children from 12 to 48 months. The input record describes full-day care during term time, Monday to Friday, with school-holiday closures. The term-time calendar is clear, while the precise booking pattern remains a point for the written joining terms. That distinction matters to anyone coordinating work across several weekdays.

The College Road address gives families a concrete starting point for planning a daily journey alongside the term-time calendar.

• Term-time calendar. The setting closes for school holidays. Families needing year-round childcare will need a separate plan for those weeks.
• Booking details. Ask for the current written session pattern and how it applies across the week. This determines whether the provision fits work and travel commitments.
• Visit priorities. Ask to see how Emotion Coaching, key-person communication and outdoor investigation work for your child's age. These were central strengths in the 2023 inspection and are useful points to explore in current practice.

College Green Nursery is best suited to families seeking term-time, full-day early education with a strongly evidenced emphasis on communication, emotional regulation and individual progress. Its 2023 Outstanding judgement rests on concrete practice: warm key-worker relationships, thoughtful curriculum sequencing, purposeful outdoor investigation, effective inclusion and structured family communication. It is a less obvious fit for anyone who needs year-round care or a confirmed part-day arrangement.