Oak Tree Montessori Preschool

Independence has a practical shape at Oak Tree Montessori Preschool: children choose their work, help prepare the lunch table and take responsibility for their surroundings. Two separate classrooms support a Montessori approach built around individual activities and children progressing at their own pace. For parents seeking a preschool where doing things for oneself matters, that is the central attraction.

Based in Beckenham, Oak Tree accepts children aged two to five and operates during term time. At its 12 June 2026 inspection, Ofsted awarded Strong standard judgements for achievement, behaviour and routines, welfare and wellbeing, curriculum and teaching, and inclusion; leadership and governance received Expected standard, and safeguarding standards were met. The balance matters: classroom practice earned stronger judgements than leadership development.

Learning and Activities

The Early Years Foundation Stage (EYFS) covers children's learning and development, from communication and relationships to early mathematical understanding. Oak Tree adds Montessori education, with materials children can explore through hands-on activity, individual guidance and choices about what to do next. This gives the day both structure and room for personal interests.

Montessori Work Cycle is the named morning period combining individual work with a practitioner, freely chosen activities and a snack. Practical Life covers looking after oneself and the surroundings, alongside social skills; other Montessori subjects include language, mathematics, sensorial work and cultural studies. The latter brings in geography, history, botany and zoology. These are concrete strands of the day rather than a philosophy left unexplained.

Vertical Grouping means children of different ages learn together, with older children acting as examples for younger ones. Across the two classrooms, the emphasis is on exploration, creativity and independence. Children can move between activities and tackle work of increasing complexity, while painting, role play, songs and stories sit alongside preparation for reading, writing and mathematics.

Music, Spanish, Yoga and Science are named activity sessions in the daily timetable. Music and Sport also run weekly, while Forest School is included in the curriculum provision: an approach involving learning through outdoor experiences. The mix gives families a broader activity programme alongside Montessori work, with individual choice and shared sessions both represented.

In June 2026, children practised handling liquids with pipettes and forming shapes with dough. Mathematical problem-solving developed their understanding of numbers, while discussions around stories introduced the language used in storytelling. These examples show learning through manipulation and conversation, rather than relying on children listening passively.

Outdoor and Community Life

Outdoor exploration has its own place in the daily timetable. In June 2026, children cared for plants, followed plant and insect development and explored the origins of food. Exercise also gave them opportunities to practise balance, coordination and physical strength. Growing and movement were connected to daily learning, rather than treated as a break from it.

The day also includes collective responsibilities. Before lunch, children help arrange the tables; earlier, they help put the classroom in order before activity sessions. Those small jobs make independence part of the routine. Storytelling follows lunch, giving children a shared activity after the practical business of eating together.

Relationships and Communication

A key teacher system gives children individual guidance within the Montessori approach. That matters in a setting where children choose activities and progress at their own pace: freedom sits alongside an adult who supports the individual child.

In June 2026, staff helped children recognise their feelings, work through disagreements and negotiate space with others. Children practised sharing and taking turns, while adults adjusted routines around individuals' energy levels and their need for breaks. Emotional support was therefore connected to participation in learning, rather than confined to resolving upset.

Families also had conversations with staff about what their children could already do and how learning could continue at home. In June 2026, leaders explained policies and their implications for everyday practice. For parents, this made communication about both development and the running of the preschool.

Inclusion and Wellbeing

At the June 2026 inspection, Ofsted found that SEND support included adaptations for physical access, joint work with parents and specialist partners, and shared routines for school transitions; it also found that support for children learning English drew on assessment of their home language. These are useful mechanisms for families whose children need an individual approach.

In June 2026, pictures helped some children follow the sequence of their day. Staff and parents reviewed support together, and practitioners used agreed approaches consistently. When children moved on to school, staff shared strategies and routines with receiving schools. The practical value lies in carrying familiar support into the next setting, rather than expecting children to start again.

Staff development was the improvement priority in June 2026. Training plans were still developing, and opportunities for practitioners to improve their work were inconsistent. Leaders were asked to expand professional learning so the whole team could contribute to the preschool's development. This is a material qualification to the stronger classroom judgements.

Sessions and Attendance

The preschool is at Church of God 7th Day Sabbath Keeping, 2 Oakhill Road, Beckenham, BR3 6NQ. Attendance is term-time, with closure during school holidays, so the calendar needs to fit the family's working arrangements.

The daily timetable begins with Early Bird at 8.30am and reaches home time at 3pm. Its morning includes Montessori work and shared activity sessions, followed by outdoor learning; lunch and storytelling occupy the later part of the day. This is a preschool rhythm organised around daytime learning and care.

Funding and Paid Extras

Funded childcare is offered. The funding structure includes up to 15 hours for three- and four-year-olds from the term following their third birthday, with working parents potentially eligible for up to 30 hours; it also describes up to 30 hours for eligible two-year-olds receiving certain government support. Funded hours run from 9am to 3pm. Eligibility conditions matter, so these entitlements should not be read as an automatic allocation to every family.

The overall fee structure includes food and non-food consumables. The inclusive curriculum provision covers Montessori education and the named activities, including weekly Music and Sport. Tax-Free Childcare is accepted, and current prices come in the nursery's written quotation. The funding and fees information sets out the offer.

• Funded-place charges. The funding terms conflict: one version includes Montessori education and activities within the fee, while another specifies an additional charge for them. Before accepting a place, obtain a written breakdown showing how teaching, activities, food and consumables apply to your funded hours.
• The term-time timetable. School-holiday closure and a timetable ending at 3pm shape the practical fit. During an individual tour, establish which attendance pattern would match your working week.
• Individual support and settling. The key teacher system and June 2026 examples of adapted routines provide a useful starting point. Use the visit to discuss how your child's initial separation and any individual support would be organised.
• Staff development. In June 2026, professional learning opportunities needed further development. Ask how the team has acted on that priority, including support for practitioners leading group activities.

Oak Tree suits families seeking term-time Montessori preschool education for children aged two to five, with independent activity, mixed-age learning and shared sessions woven into the day. Its practical responsibilities, individual guidance and named activities give the approach substance. The June 2026 leadership-development concern deserves attention, as does the conflicting funded-charge structure. For families whose calendar fits the timetable, there is a clear educational proposition to weigh against those considerations.