Kindred Edmonton Nursery & Pre-school

A reading shed, a garden set aside for babies and learning bags about a new sibling give Kindred Edmonton a character beyond its daily timetable. Outdoor play and practical family support are its clearest strengths: children can move between inside and outside, while books and activities travel home to help with changes in family life.

At its February 2022 inspection, Ofsted judged the nursery Good overall and found safeguarding effective, with appropriate support helping children with SEND and those learning English as an additional language make good progress. That is a dated judgement. The current setting cares for children from 3 months to 5 years at 19 Tristram Drive, London N9 9TQ.

Full-day, morning and afternoon bookings sit alongside an opening window of 7.30am to 6pm. The distinction matters: the booked full day finishes before the nursery closes, so families need to match their working arrangements to the session they choose.

Rooms and Ages

The Baby Room emphasises early language, movement and close relationships with adults, supported by a dedicated baby garden and resources chosen for the youngest children. Having an outdoor space intended for babies gives their physical exploration a place of its own within the wider nursery.

Pioneer Place centres on independent exploration, solving problems and learning through play. Readiness Road gives greater emphasis to kindness, managing personal care and expressing needs in the way each child prefers. These are useful distinctions for parents: the emphasis moves from early relationships and communication towards making choices and handling everyday tasks.

The wider garden has areas for cycling, gardening, water play, soft play and pretend play. A reading shed gives children somewhere to enjoy books outdoors.

Learning and Activities

The early years foundation stage is the framework for children's learning, development and care; here, learning through play includes conversation, stories, movement and practical independence. The day combines activities led by adults with play chosen by children. Singing and stories feature in the morning, with smaller activities involving the key worker and further play inside and outside later on.

Gardening Club and Cooking are named activities, alongside Tiny Mites. Their practical detail is a useful subject for a visit, especially for parents comparing how enrichment fits into an ordinary week rather than a special occasion.

In February 2022, babies experimented with making marks on a chalkboard using wet paintbrushes, while older children joined in with familiar stories. Dolls became a way to explore dental care and a pretend hospital. These examples show how ordinary play materials could carry learning about language, health and cause and effect.

There were also weaknesses to address. In February 2022, some activities led by adults lacked a sufficiently clear learning purpose, and staff sometimes supplied answers before children could think them through. Ofsted's February 2022 improvement priorities were clearer planning for what children should learn next and questioning that gave their thinking more room to develop. Those priorities are more useful to parents than the grade alone: they concern the quality of interaction within the daily activities.

Outdoor and Community Life

Refurbished indoor spaces and refreshed outdoor areas support free movement between inside and the garden throughout the day.

In February 2022, toddlers pushed trolleys in the garden and older children tackled an obstacle course involving balance, climbing and crawling. A weekly children's council also gave children a way to influence activities, with their requests contributing to football and dance sessions delivered by visiting professionals. This was participation with a practical result: children's ideas affected what they experienced.

Relationships and Communication

Settling starts with an hour together for parents, the nursery team and the child's key person, using the All About Me form to discuss routines, interests and individual needs. Children then have two further settling sessions, each lasting roughly two and a half hours. The process can change to fit the child, which makes the initial conversation more than an administrative step.

Food is part of that introduction: a morning settling session includes lunch, while an afternoon session includes tea. Children can therefore become familiar with a meal as well as the play spaces and adults. Parents have a concrete opportunity to explain eating habits and daily routines before regular attendance begins.

Going to the Doctors and New Sibling are borrowing bags containing activities, resources and books to help families discuss unfamiliar experiences. A lending library and story sets extend that support. These are useful tools for a parent dealing with an appointment or a growing family, giving the conversation something tangible to work around.

Stay and Play sessions, family events and graduations involve parents in nursery life. Learning bags and story sacks let families revisit experiences at home.

Inclusion and Wellbeing

Readiness Road includes helping children communicate their wishes through their preferred method. That is a concrete part of the room's emphasis, rather than a general promise about inclusion. In February 2022, staff tracked children's development and worked with the local authority inclusion team when extra help was needed.

The current afternoon routine makes room for rest: children who need sleep have quiet and nap time, while those who no longer nap continue with play they choose. Meals are prepared each day by two chefs working on site, using an accredited menu.

School preparation is practical. Visiting teachers meet children, photographs support conversations about the next setting, and children practise managing coats, shoes, uniforms and their belongings. The home corner becomes a classroom for pretend play. These activities make an unfamiliar change more concrete, while building the everyday independence children will need.

Sessions and Attendance

The nursery opens Monday to Friday, 7.30am to 6pm. Booked sessions are different: Full Day runs from 8am to 5.45pm, Morning from 8am to 1pm, and Afternoon from 1pm to 5.45pm. An ad hoc Half Day is also a booking option. Parents comparing care with work need to use those booked times, rather than assuming the whole opening window belongs to every session.

The all-year arrangement covers 51 weeks. Current prices come in the nursery's written quotation.

Getting There

The address is District Scout Headquarters, Scout Hall, 19 Tristram Drive, London N9 9TQ. The nursery gives its location as an 8-minute walk from Edmonton Green Station and 16 minutes from Silver Street Station; nearby street parking provides another option for families travelling by car.

Funding and Paid Extras

Eligible working families may access up to 30 funded hours from the term after their child turns nine months; 15-hour funding starts from the term after the child's third birthday. Funding is stretched across the all-year arrangement, so the entitlement is distributed through the year rather than delivered as the headline number of hours every week.

Private childcare fees include home-cooked meals, snacks, nappies, wipes, milk and formula. Funded sessions have separate charges for food, non-food consumables and activities. The Edmonton fees page sets out those categories.

Families who do not want consumables alongside funded hours follow the Nursery Consumables Policy and notify the nursery in writing. The distinction between childcare hours and those additional categories deserves attention when comparing the total booking arrangement.

• Session times. Full Day finishes at 5.45pm, although the nursery remains open until 6pm. At a visit, discuss how a booking would cover your actual collection time.
• Learning conversations. The February 2022 priorities concerned purposeful activities and giving children time to answer. Ask how practitioners now plan the next learning step and encourage children to explain their ideas.
• Enrichment in practice. Gardening Club, Cooking and Tiny Mites are named activities. Ask what Tiny Mites involves and how these activities fit into the week for your child's room.
• Funded extras. Food, non-food items and activities are charged separately during funded sessions. Compare the written quotation with your intended attendance pattern and discuss the consumables arrangements before booking.

Kindred Edmonton suits families choosing either full-day attendance or shorter morning and afternoon sessions, especially those who value outdoor choice and practical support for learning at home. The baby garden, reading shed and borrowing bags give that offer substance.

Its Good judgement dates from February 2022, and the learning priorities from that visit deserve attention alongside the current spaces and routines. For parents, the strongest case is the combination of different attendance patterns, purposeful room emphases and tangible help with everyday transitions.