Mount Park Montessori Nursery

Montessori learning, a large hall and practical independence shaped the February 2023 inspection picture of Mount Park Montessori Nursery. At its February 2023 inspection, Ofsted judged the nursery Good, found safeguarding effective and assessed children’s progress positively. Those findings provide a useful picture of care and learning at that time.

Based at Methodist Church on Pitshanger Lane in London, the nursery has capacity for 34 children aged 24 to 60 months. It operates during term time, with opening hours of 9am to 3.30pm, Monday to Friday.

In February 2023, the curriculum combined Montessori with the early years foundation stage, the framework for children’s learning, development and care. Activities followed children’s interests and next learning steps: using scoops to compare quantities, for example, brought mathematical ideas into practical play. Montessori sat alongside that framework rather than replacing it.

The large hall supported movement in February 2023, including treasure hunts and hurdle jumping. Pipettes gave children practice controlling their hands, while numbers in the garden prompted counting and ordering. Learning extended across physical activity and careful work with small tools.

Language work that February included explanations of unfamiliar words, repeated story phrases and questions that encouraged children to express ideas. Some children recognised familiar written words; others practised writing their names. However, adults sometimes steered activities too closely, leaving children less scope to decide what to explore and where to play.

In February 2023, children chatted with staff during imaginative play and practised everyday independence through taking off coats and helping prepare the lunch table. Staff encouraged cooperation and turn-taking, with children working together on a floor puzzle. These examples show how ordinary routines gave children opportunities to manage tasks and relationships.

Communication with parents in February 2023 included information about children’s learning. The improvement priorities also reached beyond activities: parents needed opportunities to contribute ideas to nursery development, and induction for temporary staff needed strengthening. These are useful distinctions between keeping families informed and involving them in decisions, and between supporting permanent staff and preparing temporary colleagues.

The address is Methodist Church, Pitshanger Lane, London, W5 1QP. Opening hours are 9am to 3.30pm on weekdays during term time; the nursery closes for school holidays. That calendar matters for families whose childcare needs continue through holiday periods.

In February 2023, the nursery received funding for early education for children aged two, three and four. This is a dated funding position, rather than a promise of an individual funded place.

• Children’s choices. In February 2023, some activities were too adult-directed. During a visit, how do children now choose their activities and play spaces?
• Family involvement and temporary staff. The February 2023 priorities included parent input into nursery development and stronger temporary-staff induction. Ask how these arrangements now work.
• Term-time attendance. School-holiday closures make the calendar a practical consideration for families needing care throughout the year.

Mount Park Montessori Nursery suits families seeking term-time childcare, with practical learning and everyday independence prominent in its February 2023 picture. The hall, garden number activities and small-tool work give that picture substance. The balance between adult guidance and children’s own choices deserves attention, alongside the arrangements for parent participation and temporary staff.