Early Stars Preschool Nursery

Play dough, story acting and neighbourhood walks give Early Stars Preschool Nursery a recognisable character, drawn from its December 2024 daily life. Based at St. Philips Church in Tottenham, it caters for children aged 0 to 60 months and has 23 places in total.

At its December 2024 inspection, Ofsted rated the nursery Good and judged safeguarding effective. The practical strengths were personal relationships, language-rich activities and opportunities to explore the surrounding neighbourhood. Two teaching priorities deserve attention: accurate early reading instruction and giving children more time to tackle tasks themselves.

In December 2024, children shaped play dough and used a mark-making area, giving them different ways to practise the movements involved in writing. The early years foundation stage sets the framework for children's learning, development and care: here, the activities included communication, physical play and early writing.

Language work involved selecting words for children to practise throughout the day, with home languages used alongside English. Stories became acting opportunities. However, letter sounds were sometimes modelled inaccurately, making the consistency of early reading teaching an important consideration.

Outings included shops and parks, nature walks and library visits. Short walks brought daily fresh air and opportunities to learn about the neighbourhood. Ball games involved throwing, catching and taking turns; balancing a hula hoop added another physical challenge.

At the December 2024 inspection, Ofsted found that children with special educational needs and/or disabilities received support through key-person relationships, visual timetables and work with health visitors and local authority teams. These mechanisms helped children understand changes in their daily routines and provided routes to more targeted support.

In December 2024, calm reminders and visual prompts helped children practise sharing. Staff knew families well, and daily conversations covered care, learning and next steps, including practical ideas for learning at home. This gave parents something concrete to build on between nursery days.

Meals and snacks supported healthy eating at that time, while dentist role play and toothbrushing activities introduced oral health. Independence was less consistent: adults sometimes intervened before children had enough opportunity to manage tasks, including putting resources away.

The address is St. Philips Church, Philip Lane, London N15 4HJ. Opening hours are 8am to 6pm, Monday to Friday, throughout the year except bank holidays. That opening window gives families a useful starting point for planning their working day.

In December 2024, the nursery provided government-funded childcare.

• Early reading. In December 2024, letter-sound teaching was inconsistent. At a visit, ask how practitioners now model sounds and maintain a consistent approach.
• Doing things independently. Adults sometimes took over tasks too quickly in December 2024. Look for opportunities for children to practise self-care and tidying at their own pace.
• Attendance arrangements. The weekday opening window runs from 8am to 6pm. Which booking patterns can accommodate your family's required hours?

Early Stars suits families seeking a small-capacity setting with weekday opening across the year. Its December 2024 strengths lay in personal communication, practical language activities and neighbourhood exploration. The judgement was Good, with clear work to do on early reading and independence. Those priorities are useful tests of how the nursery's teaching has developed.