The Tree House

A mud kitchen and trips to the Wetlands give The Tree House a character that reaches beyond its converted-house setting. This family-run nursery in Winchmore Hill has capacity for 22 children, with a garden connected to both rooms. Its strongest appeal is the combination of practical independence, outdoor exploration and close involvement with parents.

At its August 2025 inspection, Ofsted rated The Tree House Outstanding and found safeguarding effective. The detail behind that judgement matters: children used book votes to compare quantities, gardening included work on a wildlife pond, and a personalised superhero board recognised their achievements. These were everyday opportunities to make decisions, take responsibility and see their efforts acknowledged.

The age range starts at 3 months, but the youngest room has a significant operating restriction: Crawlers and Explorers is currently closed, with places reserved for siblings only. For families considering baby care, that condition is more useful than the nursery's overall age range. Older children have a separate room, Walkers and Talkers, with direct garden access and space for quieter activity alongside energetic play.

Rooms and Ages

Crawlers and Explorers (3m to 24m), currently closed with places reserved for siblings, has floor-level resources, sand and water activities, a music area, patio doors into the garden and doors that can separate it from the older room for rest.

Walkers and Talkers (24m to 59m) combines construction and pretend play with everyday independence, including table setting and making smoothies, while its messy play area, cushioned book corner and mindfulness area with sensory resources and a tepee offer different ways to participate or pause.

The building occupies the ground floor of a converted house. Resources sit within children's reach, and double doors connect indoor activity with the garden. That arrangement gives children a practical role in choosing what to use and where to play. Small toilets also support the move from potty training towards managing independently.

Learning and Activities

The Early Years Foundation Stage guides learning through play across seven areas of development. At The Tree House, child-chosen activities sit alongside adult-led experiences, with the day's rhythm adjusted around children's energy. Practitioners join games to introduce a problem or extend a skill, so learning can grow from something a child already wants to do.

There is a clear reporting rhythm for families. The key person follows development each week, reviews it monthly and offers a discussion with parents every 10 weeks. This links activity in the nursery to conversations about what a child is practising, rather than leaving progress to an occasional general update.

Specialist-led enrichment includes French, sport and music during the week. Tuesday's boogie bears music session is for all ages; Thursday brings a sports coach. Music and sports sessions carry additional charges. These activities add specialist input alongside the ordinary nursery day, while the combination of child-led and adult-led play remains the main learning arrangement.

In August 2025, children selected books by putting a wooden figure beside their preferred title, then compared the votes. Choosing the story also became an opportunity to use mathematical language. Expressive storytelling held children's attention, while learning was revisited through the day rather than treated as a completed, isolated activity.

Outdoor and Community Life

The garden has a balance beam, climbing apparatus, a planting area and a soft play shed. A mud kitchen supplies pots and utensils for pretend cooking, while a swing hangs from a fruit tree. Shade and shelter come from a sail, and waterproof clothing supports play in wet weather. Outdoor activity is built into the routine, with indoor and garden areas used together during the morning.

Community experiences have recognisable destinations. Children make regular walks and bus outings, visiting the library and Sainsbury’s for supplies. Walks to the Wetlands can involve sports equipment or returning tadpoles once they have become frogs; occasional picnics take them by bus to Enfield Town Park. These outings connect shopping, wildlife and play to places beyond the garden. A 6-seater buggy helps younger children join, and children wear high-visibility vests on outings.

Relationships and Communication

Each child has a key worker who supports the move into nursery, keeps a development folder and maintains an all about me diary. Other team members also spend time with the child, but the key worker provides a recognisable point of contact for day-to-day conversations. The nursery aims to continue familiar home routines where possible, giving families a role in explaining the small details that help their child settle.

Parents can contribute more than updates at collection. A daily parents hour allows a parent in each room to spend time alongside their child, and parent representatives meet practitioners quarterly. Photographs and objects from home are welcomed too. Together, these arrangements offer several routes for sharing information, observing nursery life and raising ideas about how it works.

In August 2025, parent representatives provided a route for concerns and questions, and staff helped families with changes outside nursery, including a new sibling or a dentist visit. Support therefore extended to experiences that could affect a child's mood or confidence during the nursery day.

Inclusion and Wellbeing

Quiet spaces and sensory resources give children alternatives to busy group activity. In August 2025, staff used colour monsters to help children discuss feelings, and checked development at entry and subsequent points so that emerging gaps could prompt additional support. The practical emphasis was on recognising what a child needed and responding, rather than expecting everyone to manage the same activity in the same way.

Current safeguarding procedures include a designated lead and deputy, with a designated person on duty throughout opening hours. Parents are informed about safeguarding procedures when joining and kept informed of updates. The attendance policy also requires same-day notification of sickness absence and contact with families when a child is an hour later than their usual start time.

A cook prepares food on site each day, and meals bring children together socially. The nursery's allergy policy provides for meals to be adapted to individual allergies; water is accessible throughout the day.

Sessions and Attendance

The address is 2 Fords Grove, Winchmore Hill, London N21 3DN. Full-day attendance is offered, and the minimum booking is three days. The opening window is 8am to 6pm. Funding is spread across 47 weeks, while fees are annualised over 52 weeks excluding bank holidays, so the payment calendar and attendance calendar need to be understood separately.

The opening-times schedule includes closures at Easter, during summer, at October half term and over Christmas and New Year, as well as bank holidays. The different operating schedules require attention before a family builds work or holiday arrangements around them.

Applications follow a show-around: forms are accepted only after a visit, which is booked by telephone. The online registration form provides the application route. If the requested arrangement cannot be accommodated immediately, the nursery places the child on its waiting list and tells the family their position. A non-refundable registration charge applies when booking a child onto the system.

Getting There

An adjacent pay-and-display car park has 80 spaces; it is a public parking option rather than nursery parking. Winchmore Hill Station is 7 minutes walk away, and Green Lanes, served by bus routes, is 30 seconds away.

Funding and Paid Extras

Funded childcare and privately paid attendance are both offered. The fee structure distinguishes universal 15-hour funding from extended 30-hour funding, with age-specific categories and funding annualised over 47 weeks. Meals are charged separately, including for funded attendance, and music and sports sessions attract additional charges.

Charges can change with one month's notice, making the complete attendance and extras package more useful for budgeting than the childcare element alone.

• Baby-room restriction. Crawlers and Explorers is currently closed and reserves places for siblings only. Families seeking care for a younger child should discuss how that restriction applies before proceeding with a visit or application.
• Operating calendar. The opening-times schedule gives Monday to Thursday across 47 weeks, while the home page gives Monday to Friday across 49 weeks. Resolve the intended days and annual closure calendar during the show-around before committing to an attendance pattern.
• Minimum attendance and extras. The minimum is three days, with meals, music and sport charged separately. Obtain a current written quotation covering attendance, meals and specialist sessions.
• Allergy arrangements. Meals are adapted for allergies. Families affected by an allergy should confirm the current preparation and serving arrangements during their visit.

The Tree House suits families wanting a substantial weekly nursery routine, with a three-day minimum, rather than occasional attendance. Its practical appeal rests on accessible indoor and outdoor play, familiar local outings and several ways for parents to contribute to nursery life. In August 2025, book voting and gardening gave children purposeful roles; everyday tasks and quieter spaces extend the current offer of participation and time to pause.

The August 2025 Outstanding judgement is a strong dated assessment. For a present-day decision, the baby-room restriction and operating calendar are consequential: they determine whether the offer fits a child's age and a family's working week. For older children whose attendance needs fit, the combination of independence, specialist sessions and community exploration gives this small setting a clear identity.