Rooftops Nursery

Two rooftop gardens give Rooftops Nursery an unusual Kentish Town identity. The independent nursery serves children aged two to five from Priestly House, pairing those outdoor areas with indoor workshop spaces rather than a generic, single-room offer. In October 2023, it was judged Good across overall effectiveness, education, behaviour and attitudes, personal development, and leadership and management. Safeguarding arrangements were effective.

The nursery has capacity for 32 children. Its published attendance list includes core-day, term-time, short or extended morning and afternoon, and full-day places, so the offer reaches beyond one fixed routine.

Learning and Named Experiences

The Early Years Foundation Stage guides the day. For children, that means planned play and experiences across communication, movement, early literacy and maths, understanding the world, creativity, and personal and social development, rather than a school-style timetable. Rooftops describes staff observing, supporting and extending development, with workshop areas giving that work a practical setting.

Its published seven areas run from personal, social and emotional development through communication and language, physical development, literacy, mathematics, understanding the world, and expressive arts and design. That gives parents a clear sense of the ingredients practitioners use when shaping activities around a child's individual development, rather than treating the framework as a list of later school subjects.

In October 2023, children learned familiar songs and nursery rhymes, heard books during circle time and met new vocabulary, while staff planned activities to motivate them. It is a picture of language development woven through shared routines and play, not separated into formal lessons. Children also concentrated with resources and showed confidence in activities, a useful sign that the planned experiences were holding their attention.

Outdoor Life

The two rooftop gardens are the physical feature that makes this nursery easiest to picture. They give the top-floor Priestly House site dedicated outdoor areas. In October 2023, children had well-organised outdoor space and equipment for bikes and scooters, alongside chasing games. That matters for families looking for active play to sit alongside workshop-based learning. It also gives the day a separate place for physical confidence, instead of leaving every active experience to the main workshop areas.

Relationships have a clear structure. Each practitioner takes responsibility for a small group of children, observes progress and keeps records, while the contact book system is a written link between home and nursery. The arrangement gives families a regular route for sharing what is happening outside the setting and following early development.

Settling in is treated as an individual process, using reduced hours and a one-hour first day. The purpose is a measured start, rather than expecting every child to cope with the same timetable. In October 2023, practitioners were attentive, children quickly formed bonds and familiar routines helped them know what to expect.

Support for emotional development also came through clearly in October 2023. Children with special educational needs and/or disabilities made good progress, while staff modelled ways to manage frustration and emotions. Safeguarding arrangements were effective; the report recorded suitable vetting, supervision, allergy and dietary-information routines, risk checks and staff training. Those findings give useful context to the nursery's key-person and settling-in arrangements.

There was one improvement point. Leaders were asked to make their systems for monitoring the impact of staff training and coaching more consistent across the provision. It is a specific leadership-development task, rather than a finding that the day-to-day care described above was unsafe or ineffective, but it is relevant context for a family reading the Good judgement in full.

Food is prepared and cooked on site. Rooftops describes breakfast, lunch and tea, a four-week rolling menu with summer and winter versions, and provision for dietary requirements. Its Heartbeat Award is Camden recognition attached to those menus. In October 2023, shared mealtimes also gave children practice in finding their place mats, using cutlery and talking about where food comes from, connecting social routines with growing independence.

Rooftops Nursery is at Priestly House, Athlone Street, Kentish Town, London NW5 4LN. The premises are on the top floor and the building has no lift. That is a material practical point for families using a pram or needing step-free access.

Sessions and Attendance

Opening runs from 08:00 to 18:00, Monday to Friday, for 51 weeks of the year. The nursery closes for Bank Holidays and for one week over Christmas and New Year. Its published patterns are core day, term time, short mornings or afternoons, extended mornings or afternoons, and full day. This gives families several attendance shapes, though the exact clock window and combination for each named pattern needs to suit the family's plans.

Getting There

Camden permits cover some collection and drop-off parking. Athlone Street has free parking from 11:00 daily, with parking meters on Grafton Road. The nursery names Kentish Town West Overground and Kentish Town Tube on the Northern line, as well as several local bus routes. For a setting reached by stairs, the travel plan deserves the same attention as the attendance pattern.

• Stairs and access. Rooftops is on the top floor and the building has no lift. Families using a pram or requiring step-free access should discuss how the routine would work for them.

• Attendance pattern. Core-day, term-time, short or extended morning and afternoon, and full-day places are listed. Confirm the exact start, finish and combination available for the pattern your family needs.

• Funding. The nursery advertises a term-time 2 Year Scheme alongside its other attendance patterns. Families considering funded childcare should clarify current eligibility and how any hours are delivered.

• Dietary requirements. Food is cooked on site and the nursery describes arrangements for dietary needs. Families managing an allergy should discuss current food handling and menu practice directly.

Rooftops is a thoughtful option for families seeking a small, recognisable nursery with rooftop outdoor space, workshop areas and a well-documented October 2023 inspection. The judgement and safeguarding finding give weight to the relationship-based care, language work and practical independence described here.

It suits families who want a full-day or core-day arrangement across most of the year, as well as those looking for term-time, short morning or afternoon, or extended morning or afternoon attendance. The top-floor, stair-only access is the clear trade-off. It should be considered early, alongside the exact session combination and funding position.