Millbrook Pre School

In March 2025, storybooks, language work and a garden with rope structures shaped daily life at Millbrook Pre School. At its March 2025 inspection, Ofsted rated it Outstanding, finding that its ambitious learning programme helped children make exceptional developmental progress.

Based at St Edmunds Centre on Millbrook Road, London N9 7HY, the pre-school has 34 places in total. Children attending in March 2025 were aged two to four. The strongest thread through that snapshot is purposeful play: staff used children's interests to develop language, counting and problem-solving.

In March 2025, learning followed the early years foundation stage, the framework for children's learning, development and care, with stories and practical play connecting those strands. The Very Hungry Caterpillar prompted younger children to identify fruit and colours; older children made fruit from dough and counted it. One story supported different stages of learning.

Bookstart and a loan library extended children's access to books that month. Shared reading introduced new vocabulary and helped children understand how books work, including the jobs of the illustrator and spine. Communication assessments helped staff identify language gaps, including for children learning English alongside another language.

Daily garden access in March 2025 gave children opportunities to balance and climb rope structures. Indoors, building a house with soft bricks required persistence as children adjusted its base. Staff left space for children to test solutions rather than immediately solving problems for them.

Community learning also reached beyond the setting that month. Children visited shops, religious venues and the library, while parents shared cultural traditions and celebrations. Fundraising for the local church connected activities with the surrounding community.

At the March 2025 inspection, Ofsted found safeguarding effective and praised support for disadvantaged children and those with special educational needs and/or disabilities, with additional funding supporting attendance, specialist help, music and sport.

In March 2025, starting-point assessments helped staff tailor support to individual children. Children practised cooperation by sharing materials and preparing snacks for each other. Learning about teeth, hygiene and exercise linked daily care with growing independence.

Regular communication and guidance for learning at home supported parents that month. Links with neighbouring schools helped staff prepare children for the move on. Managers also matched staff training to children's needs and monitored the quality of provision.

The address is St Edmunds Centre, Millbrook Road, London N9 7HY. In March 2025, opening hours ran from 9am until 3.15pm, Monday to Friday, across 38 weeks of the year; government-funded childcare formed part of the provision at that time.

• Attendance fit. The March 2025 opening window ended at 3.15pm and covered 38 weeks. What attendance arrangement would fit your family's working week now?
• Language and learning. March 2025 activities connected stories, conversation and counting. This makes the inspection snapshot especially relevant to families who value language-rich play.
• Outdoor challenge. Rope structures supported balancing and climbing in March 2025. Physical exploration was a concrete part of the day, alongside books and indoor construction.

Millbrook suits families seeking a pre-school experience built around communication, practical exploration and community connections. Its March 2025 strengths lay in the detail: books carried learning across different developmental stages, outdoor play brought physical challenge, and individual assessments shaped support. The dated daytime opening pattern is an important part of that fit.