Carol Jane Montessori Nursery

Montessori is the named framework at Carol Jane Montessori Nursery. In parent terms, it means child-led learning through practical activity and an emphasis on independence. The setting pairs that approach with an Outstanding Ofsted judgement and unusually purposeful outdoor learning. This active Early Years Register setting at 80 The Ridgeway, Enfield, serves children from two to five years old. Ofsted judged every inspected area Outstanding in September 2023, including education, behaviour and attitudes, personal development, and leadership and management. Ofsted also found safeguarding arrangements effective.

The strongest impression from that inspection is not a label but the precision behind children's learning. Individual planning drew on early conversations with families and what interested each child. The result was excellent progress for all children, including those with special educational needs and disabilities. Its early years curriculum brings communication, physical, personal and wider areas of learning together through purposeful play rather than separating them into school-style lessons, giving staff a structure for building from each child’s interests and progress.

Learning was active, investigative and closely connected to stories in September 2023. After hearing The Three Little Pigs, children tested hard and soft materials, then built houses from rubber bricks, straw and sticks. Younger children painted large walls with water; older children explored texture and explained how white paint changed a colour. These were not isolated crafts. Staff repeated vocabulary and encouraged children to use new words confidently in play, connecting literacy, science and creative work.

Outdoor provision carried real weight. Children spent extended periods outdoors and met daily physical challenges. They made an obstacle course from large wooden blocks, added rods with steering wheels and balanced while pretending to lift weights. Toddlers fed two nursery rabbits and discussed how carrots helped them grow. Such experiences gave children reasons to cooperate, solve problems and talk.

The published record covers ages two to five but does not identify a current room structure, so the experience is best understood through these dated observations rather than assumed room names or group sizes.

Key-person relationships were a major strength in September 2023. Close, trusting bonds between children and the adults responsible for them gave children a secure base for exploration. Support included children with special educational needs and disabilities, who made excellent progress across the early years curriculum.

Communication with families extended learning beyond the setting. Parents received home-learning materials, joined coffee-morning workshops and contributed to assessment. A lending library and parent mystery readers strengthened the focus on stories and language. This joined-up approach matters: adults at home had practical ways to reinforce vocabulary and learning.

At the September 2023 inspection, safeguarding was effective. Staff understood how to record and refer welfare concerns, and leaders maintained thorough recruitment, induction and ongoing suitability checks. At mealtimes, children set tables, poured drinks, talked with friends and cleared away, giving care routines a purposeful role in independence.

The nursery is at 80 The Ridgeway, Enfield EN2 8JF and is registered for children aged 24 to 60 months. Its registration category is full day care. Families can use that as a starting point when discussing the current booking model and attendance agreement.

The setting's recorded age range makes this an option for families seeking continuity from age two through the preschool years. A provider-specific quotation will establish the current cost structure.

• Day length. Full day care is the recorded service type. Families needing a particular start or finish should compare the current booking pattern with their working day.
• Practical costs. A written quotation can set out childcare and any other charge categories before families compare the total cost.
• Room organisation. The setting serves ages two to five, while current room names, group sizes and age groupings are not established here. Room organisation is an important point to establish during an enquiry.

Carol Jane Montessori Nursery is best suited to families seeking full-day weekday care alongside a highly active, language-rich approach. Exceptional practice appeared across the inspected areas, with outdoor challenge, story-led investigation and strong parent partnerships standing out. It will suit parents who value the full-day-care model and can agree a current attendance pattern that matches their week.