Inspirations Montessori Nursery School, Enfield

Child-sized shelves, Montessori materials and the grounds of Enfield Cricket Club give Inspirations its character: children can choose an activity, work through it at their own pace and spend time playing outdoors. This is a nursery for children aged two to five, with 28 places in total. The emphasis is on growing independence, with practical tasks sitting alongside language, numbers and creative play.

At its November 2024 inspection, Ofsted rated the nursery Outstanding and found safeguarding effective. The physical setting is a spacious hall within the cricket club grounds, with a playground providing another setting for movement and exploration. Morning, afternoon and full-day attendance operate during term time.

Learning and Activities

The Early Years Foundation Stage provides the learning framework, covering children's communication, physical development, relationships and early understanding of the world. Montessori adds a concrete way of working: children select accessible materials and use equipment designed to help them recognise and correct mistakes. Choice has a practical structure here.

Practical Life introduces familiar tasks connected with caring for oneself and the surroundings. Sensorial activities use materials that encourage children to explore through their senses. Alongside these sit mathematics, language and cultural studies, so practical independence and early academic learning share the same classroom.

Several materials make that approach easy to picture. The Montessori Globe uses different colours for the continents, giving geography a physical starting point. Number Rods connect quantity with length, while The Pink Tower asks children to arrange cubes by size. These are objects children can handle and compare, rather than concepts introduced only through spoken explanation. The Montessori practices page explains the materials in more detail.

Early literacy includes sandpaper letters, which introduce letter sounds through touch. Science brings experiments with floating and sinking, magnets and reflection; geography includes maps and flags. A nature table accepts objects children bring in, making their discoveries part of the learning space. Painting and collage are everyday choices, while music, dance and yoga add movement and opportunities for expression.

In November 2024, children used large construction blocks together and discussed whether their structures would fall. Staff also brought counting and comparisons into ordinary activities, including songs and looking at aeroplanes. Those examples show how a planned curriculum can extend into play rather than remain confined to a separate lesson.

Outdoor and Community Life

The cricket club setting gives outdoor play a recognisable backdrop. Indoors, accessible shelves support independent choices; outside, the playground offers space for physical activity. The combination matters for children who want both sustained work with materials and room to move.

In November 2024, outdoor activities included climbing, running uphill and a game using coloured lights as signals to move or stop. Children noticed their faster heartbeats after exercise, and staff connected that sensation with how the body works. Movement became an opportunity for conversation as well as physical practice.

In November 2024, community activities brought learning beyond the classroom. Children distributed food locally for harvest festival, while families contributed food and stories during international week and Black History Month. These experiences connected classroom discussion with other people's lives and the surrounding community.

Relationships and Communication

A child's key worker is the point of contact for discussing progress at parent meetings, held at the ends of the Autumn and Summer terms. Those appointments provide a planned opportunity to talk about development, rather than leaving every conversation to the end of a session. Parents can also contribute interests such as cooking, storytelling or art to nursery activities.

Settling is intended to help children feel comfortable with the group and confident that their parent will return. Individual planning follows each child's interests and development, fitting the Montessori emphasis on learning at a personal pace. For families, the important connection is between the child's choices and the adult's understanding of what comes next.

In November 2024, home-learning activities helped families continue nursery learning beyond the session. Children also practised everyday self-care: managing coats and boots, changing into slippers and collecting their lunch boxes. A sand timer helped them negotiate turns with a toy. These small routines gave children concrete ways to manage both their own needs and shared resources.

Inclusion and Wellbeing

At the November 2024 inspection, Ofsted found that support for children with SEND and those learning English as an additional language was precisely tailored, with professional advice incorporated into individual plans. In November 2024, pictures, labels and children's home languages also supported communication during activities.

Collection has a specific safeguard: an unfamiliar authorised adult must give the child's password before the child is released. Parents notify staff who will collect, and can change the password when needed. Policies are accessible in a cloakroom folder, with updates communicated through the newsletter.

The nursery has no sleeping area. That is a significant practical consideration for a younger child who still needs a daytime nap, especially when weighing a full day against a shorter session.

Sessions and Attendance

The address is Enfield Cricket Club, Lincoln Road, Enfield, EN1 2RY. Opening hours are 9am to 3.30pm, Monday to Friday, during term time; the nursery closes for school holidays.

Morning attendance runs from 9am to noon, afternoon attendance from 12.30pm to 3.30pm, and a full day from 9am to 3.30pm. Lunch Club operates daily between noon and 12.30pm. That gives families different session lengths to consider, with the lunch period sitting between the morning and afternoon sessions.

Enquiries about applications can be made through the contact form, by telephone or by email. Fees fall due at the beginning of each term. A deposit reserves the child's place and is credited against the final term's invoice, provided a term's written notice of withdrawal is given; current prices come in the nursery's written quotation.

Funding and Paid Extras

Government-funded childcare is offered, with 15-hour and 30-hour funding options and Terrific Two Funding among the arrangements. Attendance is term-time, rather than a holiday-care pattern. Funding participation should be kept separate from a family's individual eligibility.

Parents supply a packed lunch for Lunch Club and contribute a piece of fruit for each session their child attends. Food therefore needs to be included in the family's daily preparation, whether choosing funded attendance or private sessions.

• Daytime sleep. There is no sleeping area. At a visit, discuss how a child who still naps would manage a full day and whether a morning or afternoon session would fit better.
• School-holiday cover. Attendance is term-time and the nursery closes during school holidays. Families needing childcare throughout the year will need a separate holiday arrangement.
• Lunch and fruit. Families provide a packed lunch and fruit for each session. If your child has an allergy, confirm the current food-handling arrangements before joining.
• Deposit and notice. The deposit is credited against the final term only when a term's written withdrawal notice is given. Read those terms alongside the proposed start date and attendance pattern.

Inspirations suits families seeking morning or afternoon sessions as well as full-day, term-time attendance for a child aged two to five. Its strongest practical appeal is the connection between accessible Montessori materials, individual planning and the outdoor setting at Enfield Cricket Club.

The November 2024 Outstanding judgement adds weight to that offer. The decision still turns on daily fit: a child comfortable with a day that does not include a sleeping area, parents able to prepare lunch and fruit, and a family whose childcare needs align with school terms.