Nest Nursery London

Weekly Forest School and a baby sand pit give Nest Nursery London a clear outdoor identity. Nature is part of the learning here: children handle natural objects, explore outside in different weather and visit the local woods and allotment. For families who want early childhood to include muddy exploration alongside stories and conversation, that is the strongest reason to look closely.

At its July 2024 inspection, Ofsted rated the nursery Good and judged safeguarding effective, with outdoor exploration and children's communication among the strengths. The qualifications to that judgement matter: room organisation, evaluation of staff training and handwashing all needed attention.

Nest has 58 places in total on Blake Road in London, beside St Martin of Porres school. Hatchlings takes babies from six months to two years; Owls is the unit for children aged two and above. Full Day and Core day attendance sit alongside preschool term-time provision.

Rooms and Ages

Two buildings accommodate the children's different stages. Hatchlings is the baby unit, where a refreshed sand pit gives younger children opportunities to fill, tip and experiment with scoops, bowls and ladles. That is a concrete example of sensory play with objects children can use in several ways, rather than an activity with one prescribed result.

Owls combines older children's learning with preparation for school, including early name writing, phonics and discussion of feelings around change. The emphasis extends beyond recognising letters: sharing and meeting new teachers also form part of that preparation.

Learning and Activities

The Early Years Foundation Stage supplies the framework for learning through play, including language, movement and learning to manage relationships. Nest adds elements of the Curiosity Approach, alongside daily opportunities to explore nature, climb and run. The useful distinction for parents is between the framework every nursery follows and the experiences this nursery builds around it.

Invitations To Learn are activities shaped around staff knowledge of individual children and feedback from their parents. Makaton supports communication through signing, with a new sign shared with families each week through Famly so that practice can continue at home. These arrangements connect nursery learning with what parents can do between sessions.

Dough disco uses songs and instructions to get children squeezing, rolling and pinching dough, combining listening with small hand movements. Special Books collect children's work and their comments about it; revisiting those pages with a key person gives children a way to talk about what they have made and learnt. Both make learning visible through ordinary play and conversation.

Outdoor and Community Life

Forest School takes place weekly, with care for nature as an explicit theme. Regular visits to the woods, playground and local allotment extend that work beyond the nursery, while recycled materials are used indoors for activities and art. Children also use a recycling bin themselves, making environmental responsibility something they practise.

A mud kitchen in the garden brings pretend cooking outdoors. In July 2024, children also explored with digging, water and collaborative treasure hunts; older children tackled climbing and jumping, while younger children used a low slide. Those examples show the combination of physical challenge and shared problem solving that characterised the day at that time.

Southgate Fire Station visited Nest in June 2026. Children from the baby and preschool rooms explored the engine, handled safety equipment and tried the hose, joined by Reception children from the neighbouring school. This was a specific visit, rather than a promise of a recurring programme, but it illustrates how visitors can turn an unfamiliar job into something children can examine directly.

Relationships and Communication

Settling usually begins with at least three staggered sessions, arranged one to two weeks before a child's start. Parents complete All About Me information and send family photographs for a Family Book or Poster. Familiar pictures give staff something personal to discuss with a child and give the child a connection with home during the nursery day.

A key person is the main contact for parents and supports settling. There is an important exception: children attending one full day each week, or using Nest as their secondary setting, have the room leader as their lead person instead. Famly carries observations and communication, including photographs, messages and care updates, so the relationship is supported between conversations in person.

Parents are invited to staff meetings in April and October. Topic-based TWILIGHT SESSIONS normally take place twice yearly, with children able to stay and play. These offer a different kind of contact from a brief daily exchange: time to discuss an aspect of care and meet other families.

Inclusion and Wellbeing

Emotion Coaching helps children recognise feelings and work towards managing them. Staff also model language by repeating a child's words in fuller sentences and describing what the child is doing. In July 2024, home-language words gathered from parents helped children learning English participate in nursery life, while conversation and books supported vocabulary.

Naps follow younger children's needs, with a familiar adult staying close as they settle to sleep. Families bring bedding and comfort objects, and children use a cot or low bed. For a baby moving from home care, continuity of both adult and familiar objects is a practical part of the sleep arrangement.

A medical condition or allergy requires a Health Care Plan and discussion with the manager; administering prescribed medication also requires a completed medication log. Staff hold paediatric first aid certificates, and nominated collectors use a password. These are concrete arrangements, rather than a substitute for the dated safeguarding judgement.

The July 2024 inspection identified inconsistent handwashing in the baby room and occasions when its activities were insufficiently prepared, leaving younger children less engaged; it also found that staff training was not consistently checked for its effect on practice. Those concerns deserve attention alongside the positive findings, especially for families considering Hatchlings.

Sessions and Attendance

The nursery's contact address is 68a Blake Rd, London N11 2AF. Its Full Day runs from 8am to 6pm and Core day from 9am to 3pm. Preschool term-time attendance and discretionary ad hoc care are also offered, giving families more than one attendance pattern.

The parent information timetable gives opening hours of 8am to 6pm from Monday to Thursday, with Friday shortened to 9am to 3pm. Nest operates across the year, closing on bank holidays and for a week spanning Christmas and New Year. Session changes at short notice are at the manager's discretion, rather than an unconditional flexibility promise.

The 2026 fee schedule requires a minimum of three full days each week. A funded arrangement must include Monday. Cancellation requires a month's written notice, and the registration charge is not refunded if a family signs to accept a place but cannot start on the agreed date.

Funding and Paid Extras

Nest accepts both 15 hours and 30 hours of funded childcare. Across the year, these become 11 and 22 hours each week respectively. For children over two, a term-time route is offered for the 15-hour entitlement; the nursery does not deliver the 30-hour entitlement entirely within term time, offering the stretched arrangement instead.

For three-year-olds, funded time is allocated between 9am and 2.30pm on weekdays, and extending attendance carries an additional charge. Families need a funding agreement completed before the term begins. Current prices come in the nursery's written quotation; the fees page explains the attendance and funding structure.

A trained chef prepares food, with meals cooked on site each day and menus refreshed for winter and summer. Nappies through size six, wipes and infant formula are supplied; families provide larger nappies and follow-on formula themselves.

Moving on to School

Owls' school preparation includes role play about school life and introductions to new teachers, with the nursery working with local schools around transition. Nest's position beside St Martin of Porres does not guarantee a Reception place. Families still apply through the local authority admissions process; the useful benefit here is preparation for the change, rather than an admissions advantage.

• Hatchlings practice. July 2024 concerns covered activity preparation and handwashing, while evaluation of training needed strengthening across the nursery. On a visit, ask how routines now address those findings and how staff check that training changes children's daily experience.
• Your weekly timetable. The parent timetable has a shorter Friday, while the terms give a full-day Friday; the 2026 fee schedule requires three full days, while the terms contain a sibling exception. Ask for one written attendance agreement covering Friday hours and the minimum pattern for your family.
• The funded-hours bill. Funding includes a Monday requirement and age-dependent term-time arrangements. Ask for an itemised quotation separating extra attendance, meals and non-food consumables so that the total fits your intended week.
• Food and allergies. A Health Care Plan forms part of the arrangements for children with allergies. Discuss current food preparation and handling with the manager, including how your child's plan will work during cooking activities and outings.

Nest suits families seeking outdoor learning with full days, shorter Core day sessions or preschool term-time places. Weekly Forest School, practical signing shared with home and personal settling materials give its offer substance. The balance is clear: a Good July 2024 judgement and recognisable outdoor character, alongside baby-room and staff-development concerns that warrant specific discussion before joining.