Right Start Montessori Pre-School

A cricket-club setting, a Forest Area and hands-on Montessori learning give Right Start Montessori Pre-School its character. Outdoor exploration belongs alongside classroom activity here: children can investigate natural materials, choose their own tasks and help prepare a snack. This is a setting for families who value practical independence as much as adult-led learning.

At its 12 June 2025 inspection, Ofsted rated the nursery Outstanding and judged safeguarding effective. The detail behind that judgement matters: children explored mathematical ideas outdoors, used objects to develop language and practised expressing their feelings. Those examples give parents more to consider than the grade alone.

Based at Botany Bay Cricket Club in Enfield, the nursery accepts children aged one to five and has 28 places in total. Attendance is term-time, with morning and full-day patterns. The combination of outdoor space and self-selected classroom activity is its clearest attraction.

Learning and Activities

The EYFS connects children's play with development in language, movement, relationships, literacy, mathematics and understanding the world. Here, those areas meet in practical activities: comparing natural objects, making marks with twigs and talking about changing seasons. Learning need not stop when children go outside.

Montessori adds an emphasis on sensory materials, practical experience and children progressing at their own pace. The classroom allows children to choose activities that interest them, while resources that can be used in different ways leave room for imagination and solving problems. For a child who enjoys returning to a task, that choice gives scope to pursue an interest rather than move immediately to the next group activity.

Circle time brings a different rhythm. Children discuss themes together and take part in an activity led by an adult, balancing individual choices with shared conversation. Snack preparation also becomes an activity: children may help slice food, spread ingredients or make juice. Everyday jobs provide practice for small hand movements and an opportunity to encounter unfamiliar foods.

In June 2025, song activities linked animal toys with sounds and names, giving younger children something concrete to connect with new words. Older children matched animals with their continents, while questions encouraged fuller answers. These were examples of language being developed through an activity children were already interested in, rather than through isolated repetition.

Outdoor and Community Life

Forest School brings exploration of nature into the routine, with outdoor activity taking place in different weather. The Forest Area provides natural objects to investigate; elsewhere, children can use bikes and scooters, build, explore sand and water or play in the mud kitchen. These spaces support different kinds of play, from energetic movement to close observation.

In June 2025, children listened for sounds outdoors and looked for insects, with staff explaining why a discovered worm should be returned to its habitat. Mathematical learning also extended outside: a hunt for shapes introduced more complex forms. Staff also introduced mathematical vocabulary about quantities and measures in everyday contexts. Nature was both the subject of learning and a source of materials for it.

The cricket field added room for movement. In June 2025, children used cones and an agreed bench as boundaries during running games. That concrete arrangement made the limits of the play space understandable to children, rather than relying only on verbal reminders.

Relationships and Communication

Listening is part of the nursery's approach, both in group conversations and with individual children. Parents are encouraged to contribute suggestions and discuss their child's experience. For families, that creates a route to share what interests or concerns a child at home, alongside what staff see during the nursery day.

At the June 2025 inspection, Ofsted found that learning was closely adapted to individual needs, including for children receiving additional funding, and that support for emotional development helped children express themselves and manage change. This is evidence of the practice seen at that visit, rather than a promise about any individual child's experience.

In June 2025, younger children used dough and older children used emotion boards as ways to work with feelings. Staff also modelled respectful behaviour and supported friendships. The practical point is that emotional expression had resources and adult guidance attached to it, rather than being left to children to manage alone.

Inclusion and Wellbeing

Home learning had a tangible link with nursery activity in June 2025: families could borrow from a home lending library and take activity bags away to practise skills together. This gave parents materials to use, extending communication beyond a description of the child's day.

Cultural exploration also formed part of the June 2025 experience. Mexican-themed days included food and music, offering children concrete ways to discuss different traditions. These examples sit alongside the nursery's emphasis on listening to children and helping them develop appreciation of others.

Sessions and Attendance

The address is Botany Bay Cricket Club, East Lodge Lane, Enfield, EN2 8AS. Opening hours are 8.30am to 4pm, Monday to Friday, during term time; the nursery closes for school holidays. Families therefore need a separate arrangement for those breaks if they require childcare throughout the year.

Morning sessions and full-day sessions form part of the booking model. Enquiries can be made by telephone or email, and visits can be arranged through the nursery. The difference between the opening week and the funded-hours window is important when planning attendance.

Funding and Paid Extras

Funded childcare is offered, with funded hours between 8.30am and 4pm from Monday to Thursday. Private hours are also offered. Current prices come in the nursery's written quotation, allowing families to consider their chosen attendance pattern alongside the funded-hours arrangements.

For funded sessions, a separate package carries a voluntary contribution. It covers a snack alongside outdoor resources and outings, celebrations and activities, and sport-related provision; an IT package and printed learning journal carry no charge within that breakdown. The snack therefore sits within the separate contribution package. Children usually help prepare the mid-morning snack, making food preparation part of the nursery experience as well as a break in the day.

• Holiday cover. Attendance follows term time and the nursery closes during school holidays. Families needing year-round care should plan how those breaks will work.
• Funded attendance. The funded-hours window runs from Monday to Thursday, while the nursery opens on Fridays too. Discuss the written quotation for the days and session pattern you want.
• Outdoor routine. Forest School and outdoor play continue in different weather. At a visit, ask how clothing and outdoor routines work for your child's age and confidence.
• Individual support. The June 2025 findings included close attention to children's needs and emotional development. At a visit, ask how settling and any additional support would be organised for your child.

Right Start suits families seeking either morning sessions or full-day attendance during term time, with practical Montessori activity and substantial outdoor play. Its Forest Area and cricket-club surroundings give children different ways to move, investigate and use materials. The June 2025 Outstanding judgement adds weight to that offer, while holiday closures and the Monday-to-Thursday funded window are important practical considerations. The strongest fit is a family that values children's independence and exploration alongside shared activities.