Crickets Montessori Nursery School

Montessori here means children choosing accessible resources, working independently and returning them afterwards, alongside adult-taught language and early mathematics. Crickets Montessori Nursery School's clearest strength is the substance of its February 2026 inspection. Rather than issuing one overall grade, the report card judged achievement, behaviour and routines, welfare and wellbeing, curriculum and teaching, inclusion, and leadership and governance. Every area met the strong standard. Safeguarding and the compulsory Childcare Register requirements were met too.

The setting is registered for children from two to five years at 51a Chatsworth Road, London NW2 4BL, with 60 places. Its daily character is calm and purposeful: children sustain concentration, persevere through challenges and make excellent progress.

The name signals a Montessori strand: children choose accessible resources from open shelves, work independently and return them afterwards. Alongside it, the Early Years Foundation Stage is the curriculum framework. For parents, this means that play and planned teaching connect communication, early mathematics, physical development, relationships and independence rather than treating them as separate school subjects. In February 2026, staff carefully assessed progress and adapted teaching around each child's next steps. Floating-and-sinking investigations, Dinosaur Bingo, imaginative dinosaur play and problems involving elastic bands and a jar of water gave that teaching unusual specificity.

Children independently selected resources from open shelves and put them away. That is practical independence, not independence as a slogan. Reading, singing and regular story sessions were central, while outdoor play brought different age groups together to negotiate roles and sustain games without disagreements.

The teaching observations show adults extending ideas rather than directing every move. Language sessions developed communication, and early mathematics was woven through ordinary activities. Children stayed curious and focused when a problem became difficult. One especially telling outcome was that children who had previously communicated through gestures were confidently using full sentences by the time of the inspection.

Weekly Mystery Reader events brought families into children's experience. Family photographs and birthday walks also reflected children's identities, giving the setting's family partnership a concrete form rather than leaving it as an abstract promise.

Calm, consistent routines are a defining feature. In February 2026, children organised their belongings and changed into indoor shoes independently; planned settling sessions let new starters learn those routines at their own pace. Sand timers, visual prompts, picture cues, puppets and stories helped children name and regulate emotions.

Inclusion was integral to the inspected provision. Leaders identified barriers early, worked with families and external professionals, and adjusted support for individual children. Careful assessment then linked those adjustments to each child's next steps. For a family whose child needs extra help, that combination of early identification and responsive teaching matters more than a generic support promise.

The report also found an open safeguarding culture in which concerns were identified, acted on and managed. Leaders held ambitious expectations, monitored the curriculum closely and supported staff development and workload. Strong partnerships with families completed that picture: the inspected practice joined day-to-day communication with purposeful parent involvement.

The nursery is at 51a Chatsworth Road, London NW2 4BL. The setting takes children aged two to five and has 60 places in total; capacity is a whole-setting limit, not a promise about availability or the number in any group.

Families should request the current session menu, attendance minimum, funded-hours terms and a written provider-specific quotation directly from the nursery. Request the nursery's current written position on meals and non-food consumables as part of that quotation.

• Current attendance pattern. Ask which full-day or part-day patterns are presently sold and which days can be combined; the inspection evidence does not establish the current booking model.
• Budget detail. Request written terms covering funded hours, meals, non-food consumables, deposits and notice before comparing the total cost.
• Inspection context. The 2026 report asks leaders to sustain high standards while seeking transformational impact for children facing barriers to learning or wellbeing. Families needing tailored support should discuss how this priority translates into their child's plan.

This is a compelling inspection-led picture of calm routines, purposeful teaching and thoughtful emotional support. It should suit families who value independence, sustained concentration and close adaptation to a child's next steps. The limitation is practical rather than educational: families need the nursery's current attendance menu before deciding whether its pattern fits their week.