New River Nursery

Purpose-built rooms and a large outdoor play area give New River Nursery a clear identity. The setting serves children aged two to five at White Hart Lane Learning Centre, White Hart Lane, London N22 5QR. Two play rooms sit within the secure, gated premises.

Ofsted rated the nursery Good in September 2023 across education, behaviour, personal development and leadership. Children settled easily and approached activities with enthusiasm. The most distinctive inspected experiences were specialist music lessons and yoga sessions that introduced mindfulness and ways to regulate feelings.

The Early Years Foundation Stage shapes learning here. In parent terms, that means staff observe how children play and interact, then plan individual next steps across communication, physical and personal development before extending learning into literacy, mathematics, understanding the world and expressive arts. The nursery also publishes an age-two progress check as part of this cycle.

In September 2023, staff combined songs with movement to help children remember words and join in. This gave children another route into communication and participation, including children with SEND supported by their key person.

Physical learning was equally concrete. Sensory outdoor play held children's attention, while obstacle courses, balancing, bikes with stabilisers, different-sized paintbrushes and finger-gym activities developed both large movements and hand-eye coordination. Specialist music teaching added dance and musical activities to that mix.

Two play rooms and a large outdoor play area make up the published environment. In September 2023, the setting had 62 registered places and 16 children on roll, figures that describe that date rather than today's daily attendance.

Key-person knowledge is a strength. In 2023, staff knew individual children well, built on what they could already do and planned for their next steps. Parents, including families of children with SEND and children learning English as an additional language, reported strong support for communication and language.

Inclusion involved work beyond the room. The manager and SENCos collaborated with external partners and parents to shape individualised learning for children with SEND. The team includes speakers of English, Italian, Spanish, Polish, Slovakian, Portuguese, Hungarian and French, which may help some families communicate more directly.

In September 2023, safeguarding arrangements were effective. Staff understood reporting routes, received refresher training and were tested on their knowledge, while daily risk assessments covered learning environments and resources. Healthy living was taught through conversations about food and daily tooth-brushing. One improvement remained: leaders needed to strengthen staff understanding of managing good behaviour so expectations were followed through consistently.

New River Nursery opens from 8am to 4pm on weekdays and operates during term time only. The published pattern is a term-time day; exact attendance requirements belong in the family’s written offer.

The nursery participates in funded early education for eligible two-year-olds and the universal and extended entitlements for three- and four-year-olds. Its fees and funding page says there is no waiting-list fee, deposit to secure a place or top-up fee to access a funded place. Additional private hours are available, with invoices payable weekly or monthly in advance and fees still due for absence. A current written quotation should identify any food or non-food consumable charges.

The address is White Hart Lane Learning Centre, White Hart Lane, London N22 5QR. The nursery publishes an on-site car park and identifies the W3 and W4 as nearby bus routes.

• Behaviour consistency. Ofsted found in 2023 that staff generally modelled good behaviour but did not always follow expectations through. Ask how leaders now check consistency across the team.
• Booking pattern. The nursery publishes an 8am-to-4pm opening window but not the sessions families can buy. Confirm days, start and finish times, minimum attendance and the term-time funding pattern in writing.
• Room organisation. Two play rooms are advertised without room names or age allocations. Ask which room a child would use, its normal group size and how movement between spaces works.
• Everyday costs. Funded-place protections are clear, but meals, snacks and consumables are not. Request the current position before comparing the total cost of attendance.

New River Nursery suits families seeking term-time early education for a child aged two to five, with purposeful physical activity, a large outdoor area and visible support for communication and SEND. Music with a specialist teacher, yoga and varied movement and sensory play give its curriculum recognisable substance.

The behaviour recommendation provides a focused point to test during a visit. The strongest fit will be for parents whose required term-time day the nursery can confirm and who value an active, play-led day.