Nest Nursery London

Outdoor learning gives Nest Nursery London its clearest identity. Children have access to a garden, weekly Forest School, which means outdoor sessions centred on caring for the natural world, and regular visits to the local allotment, playground and woods. That emphasis is more than marketing: Ofsted rated the nursery Good in July 2024 and described children developing physical confidence outdoors while cooperating in shared digging games.

The nursery occupies St Martin of Porres RC Primary School on Blake Road and has 58 places. Its published rooms are Hatchlings and Owls. Full-day sessions run from 8am to 6pm, while term-time funded days provide a different attendance pattern.

Rooms and Ages

Hatchlings and Owls give the setting two named room communities. Both rooms cook weekly, serve themselves at water stations and use the garden's mud kitchen. Owls children's surveys help shape new menus and activities, making their views part of day-to-day planning rather than an occasional exercise.

In July 2024, children aged one to four used the provision. The youngest children practised climbing a low-level slide, while older children used trikes, balanced on boards and explored under trees. Those observations show how physical challenge changes with development, rather than treating outdoor time as one activity for everyone.

Learning and Named Experiences

The Early Years Foundation Stage covers seven areas of learning and development, including communication and language, physical development, literacy, mathematics, understanding the world and expressive arts. In practice, that means play is planned across the whole child rather than as isolated lessons. Nest plans weekly from that framework, using children's interests and next steps to shape activities. Stories use props, songs include actions and rhymes, and play dough develops the finger strength later used for writing.

Makaton adds a practical communication tool for non-verbal children, very young babies beginning to sign and children who speak English as an additional language. Yoga uses real poses alongside self-affirming language. Emotion Coaching helps children identify feelings and understand how their actions affect others. Each has a defined purpose, rather than being a programme name left unexplained.

Outdoor and Community Life

Weekly Forest School centres on care for the natural world, supported by recycled materials indoors and regular trips to the allotment, playground and woods. Children dug for treasure, fetched water to make digging easier, negotiated roles and shared discoveries such as worms and leaves. This combines physical confidence, conversation and cooperative play in one strand of the day.

The nursery also publishes trips to parks, libraries and allotments, with possible curriculum-linked visits to places such as a fire station, bus depot or post office. These outings require parental consent and use a published maximum of two children per accompanying staff member.

Relationships and Communication

A minimum of three staggered settling sessions is normally arranged one to two weeks before a child starts. Families complete an All About Me record and send photographs for a family book or poster. This gives the key person concrete information and familiar images to use while a child builds trust.

In July 2024, staff knew children well, used their interests to extend learning and asked families for key words in home languages. Parents also received regular communication that helped them continue learning at home. Safeguarding arrangements were judged effective.

Inclusion and Wellbeing

Sleep follows the individual child. Younger children use a cot or low-level bed, may bring bedding and comfort objects, and are supported by a familiar adult nearby. Food is freshly cooked on site each day, menus change in winter and summer, and children receive fruit snacks. Weekly cooking gives Hatchlings and Owls direct experience of ingredients.

Three improvement points were recorded in July 2024. Organisation in the baby room sometimes limited meaningful engagement, staff training was not always evaluated for impact, and handwashing practice in the baby room was inconsistent. These are specific matters for families to discuss against current practice, even within an overall Good judgement.

Sessions and Attendance

The nursery opens Monday to Friday from 8am to 6pm throughout the year, excluding public holidays, and closes for five working days around the end of December and beginning of January. A full-day session is 8am to 6pm. The current fee structure sets a minimum of three full days each week, while the terms allow a two-session minimum where a sibling attends.

Term-time funded days provide an alternative to the full-day, all-year pattern. The nursery publishes both term-time and stretched arrangements, with a Monday required in a funded pattern. Families should match these rules carefully to working hours before accepting a place.

Funding and Paid Extras

The nursery accepts 15-hour and 30-hour funded childcare, subject to eligibility and its attendance rules. Its fees page explains the term-time and stretched structures. A funded agreement and eligibility information are required before the start of a term. Current private prices should be set out in the nursery's written quotation. Consumables and additional services carry an additional charge within funded arrangements.

Reserved sessions remain payable when missed, and the terms require one month's written notice to withdraw. The nursery operates a waiting list in application order and gives sibling priority when a full-time place is requested. These are durable joining rules, not a claim about current spaces.

Getting There

The address is St Martin of Porres RC Primary School, Blake Road, London N11 2AF. Families can book a tour through the nursery enquiry form.

• Baby-room organisation. The July 2024 inspection found that activities were not always prepared before children arrived, which sometimes reduced meaningful engagement. Ask what has changed in Hatchlings and how the room is set up now.
• Handwashing. Practice in the baby room was inconsistent in July 2024. Families should ask how the revised routine is checked across the day.
• Attendance commitment. The standard booking model requires three full days and funded patterns include Monday. This will suit some working weeks much better than others.
• Funded extras. The nursery refers to consumables and additional services within funded arrangements. Request a written breakdown of those charged categories before committing.

Nest Nursery London suits families who want a substantial outdoor strand rather than occasional garden time. Weekly Forest School, regular local nature visits, Makaton, child surveys in Owls and freshly cooked food give the offer recognisable detail. The Good judgement from July 2024 provides external assurance while also identifying practical questions about baby-room organisation, training evaluation and hygiene.

It is best aligned with families able to use full-day sessions from 8am to 6pm, or term-time funded days that include Monday. The published settling process and individual sleep arrangements add thoughtful support around the edges of that relatively structured booking model.