Pre-School Of Excellence

Named programmes, practical independence and frequent parent updates give Pre-School Of Excellence a clearer identity than a generic preschool offer. At Tabot Centre on Granville Road, the provider describes its care as covering birth to five. In March 2025, Ofsted judged overall effectiveness, quality of education, behaviour and attitudes, personal development, and leadership and management Good. Safeguarding arrangements were effective at that inspection.

The learning offer has some useful anchors. The provider uses EYFS planning to plan next steps around skills children need to develop, then pairs it with a Montessori Inspired Curriculum that adds selected resources and accessible trays for independent choices. It also names Jolly Phonics and Letters and Sounds for early sound work. Famly records observations, photographs, videos, artwork and mark making for families to follow. That gives parents a concrete route into what their child has been doing, rather than a progress update that arrives only at the end of term.

For attendance, the published choices are a Core Day, an Extended Day and a Half Day. The nursery operates Monday to Friday for 50 weeks of the year.

Learning and Named Experiences

The EYFS is the framework that informs planning here. The provider describes matching activities to skills children need to develop, with the three prime areas receiving early attention. Its Montessori Inspired Curriculum adds selected resources and accessible trays intended to help children make independent choices, plus mixed-age peer learning. These are practical additions to the framework, not a substitute for it.

Early literacy is more clearly named than it is at many settings. Jolly Phonics uses songs alongside letter sounds, while Letters and Sounds begins with Phase One speaking and listening. This makes the published offer more than an eventual school-readiness promise: it sets out the first language and sound experiences the nursery intends to use.

Communication with home has a defined channel too. The Famly app is used to share a child's observations, photographs, videos, artwork and mark making across their EYFS journey. A parent can use that material to continue a conversation or interest at home.

Outdoor and Community Life

The provider describes a purpose-built centre with spacious outdoor facilities and an open indoor-outdoor arrangement. Its Eco-Schools Green Flag Award Merit is linked to Recycle Walks, Earth Awareness sessions and litter picking. That joins the physical space to a recurring environmental theme rather than treating outdoor time as a separate add-on.

Each child is assigned a key worker, with planning intended to follow the child's interests. For children who need extra help, the published approach refers to Development Matters, repeated practice and breaking learning into smaller steps. Families weighing a place for a child with specific needs should discuss how those arrangements would translate into an individual plan.

In March 2025, staff were found to use questioning, praise and encouragement to guide play. The published improvement point was to strengthen staff skills so they can respond more effectively to individual needs and extend learning through play. That is the key area to explore alongside the nursery's current account of its approach.

Safeguarding arrangements were effective in March 2025. Parent communication is supported by Famly's individual learning records, while the provider describes a settling-in period in which a parent may stay until their child is comfortable.

Pre-School Of Excellence is at Tabot Centre, 151 Granville Road, London, NW6 5AR. Published opening hours are 08:00 to 17:30, Monday to Friday. The Core Day runs from 08:00 to 16:00; the Extended Day runs from 08:00 to 17:30, and a Half Day is also listed. This provides both a shorter pattern and two day-length choices.

The nursery states that it opens for 50 weeks each year. It closes for two weeks between Christmas and New Year, as well as on bank holidays, inset days and maintenance days in the final week of August. Families arranging year-round care should factor those dates into their plans.

Government-funded hours are advertised for eligible children from nine months onward. Current nursery-specific prices are supplied in the provider's written quotation. The fees page sets out the attendance patterns and charge structure.

Meals and snacks are included for paid places. Funded places require a contribution for meals and snacks, although the provider allows a packed lunch instead. Nappies, wipes and creams are supplied by parents. These differences matter when comparing a funded pattern with private hours.

Age group. The provider's current public wording describes care from birth to five, while the March 2025 inspection included children aged two to four. Discuss the group and attendance pattern that would apply to your child.

Learning through play. The March 2025 improvement point concerned how consistently staff extend each child's ideas and learning in the moment. Ask how the key worker would use your child's interests and next steps in everyday play.

Funded hours and food. Paid and funded places have different meals-and-snacks arrangements, while nappies, wipes and creams are parent-provided. Request a written quotation for the pattern you need.

Settling. The provider allows a parent to stay during the initial settling-in period. Agree the expected approach and timetable for your child before the start date.

Pre-School Of Excellence suits families who value a named early-literacy approach, Montessori-inspired independence and detailed sharing through Famly. Its March 2025 Good judgement across the graded areas, alongside the stated improvement point, makes responsiveness to individual learning a sensible topic to test during a conversation with the nursery.

It is best suited to households choosing between the 08:00 to 16:00 Core Day, the 08:00 to 17:30 Extended Day and a Half Day pattern. The difference between paid and funded food charges also deserves attention before deciding on hours.