Little Learners Montessori Nursery

Real china at mealtimes, vegetables grown in the garden and mathematics explored through everyday objects: Little Learners Montessori Nursery has a practical, hands-on character. At its November 2023 inspection, Ofsted rated the nursery Outstanding and found that its teaching prepared children exceptionally well for their next stage of learning. The detail behind that judgement is more useful than the label alone.

Children aged 18 months to 5 years are accepted at this Edgware setting. The youngest starters are toddlers rather than young babies.

Attendance is built around full days, from 8am to 6pm, with a minimum booking of three days each week. This is a clear practical boundary for families weighing the educational approach against their working week.

Learning and Activities

In November 2023, the nursery followed Montessori, an approach that encourages children to develop independence through practical activity. It also worked within the early years foundation stage, the framework for children's learning, development and care: everyday play and routines contribute to learning, rather than education being confined to a lesson.

Mathematics had a concrete starting point that November. Staff used a ball divided into pieces to explain how halves relate to a whole. This made an abstract idea something children could examine. Conversations about continents offered another route into learning: children connected places with their own experiences, while adults used questions to extend the discussion.

Books, songs and family celebrations also featured in November 2023. Reading materials represented different cultures and languages, and children remembered making Diwali cards with visiting parents. The activity connected something familiar from family life with an experience shared among children. It gave parents a role in the learning, too.

Independence extended beyond choosing an activity. In November 2023, children handled china dishes, glasses and cutlery, learning to take care of objects as they used and tidied them. Younger children practised washing their hands with adult guidance. These were small responsibilities with a clear purpose: learning how to manage everyday tasks for themselves.

Outdoor and Community Life

The garden supported movement and food growing in November 2023. Children could climb, jump and run, while fruit and vegetables they cultivated became ingredients in meals and snacks. Physical play and growing food gave the outdoor space different uses, rather than treating it simply as a break from indoor activity.

Community involvement that November included fundraising for a local guide dog charity. Children encountered the idea of helping others through an activity they could take part in. Together with conversations about places and family celebrations, this brought life beyond the nursery into their learning.

Relationships and behaviour were closely connected in November 2023. Adults modelled courteous interaction, and children used polite language spontaneously. Older children adjusted their movements around younger ones, an important everyday consideration in a setting accepting different ages.

Disagreements became opportunities to practise negotiation. That November, when children wanted the same toy, staff helped them work towards a solution together. The emphasis was on developing the ability to resolve a disagreement, rather than relying on an adult to settle every dispute.

Communication with families in November 2023 combined photographs, observations and spoken updates. This gave parents more than a description of activities: they could follow what their child was learning and discuss it with staff. Training and staff supervision also included attention to supporting children with special educational needs and/or disabilities.

At the November 2023 inspection, Ofsted judged safeguarding effective, with staff understanding how to report concerns and using risk assessments to support children's safety. That is a dated inspection judgement, alongside the educational assessment, rather than a promise about future practice.

Preparation for school was practical in November 2023. Staff adapted the home corner into a pretend school and invited local teachers to meet children. These activities helped make an unfamiliar next step more recognisable; they were preparation activities, not an admissions arrangement.

Sessions and Attendance

The address is 45 Whitchurch Gardens, Edgware, HA8 6PF. Little Learners sells one session length: the full day, running from 8am to 6pm. Families can book three, four or five days a week, with three days the minimum. Morning and afternoon bookings are outside this branch's attendance model.

The annual attendance structure covers 48 weeks. Opening hours are 8am to 6pm, Monday to Friday. Enquiries can be made by telephone on 0208 951 0407 or through the contact form, selecting Little Learners.

Funding and Paid Extras

Funded and private childcare are offered. For children aged three and four, the funding options include Universal Free Entitlement of up to 15 hours weekly and Extended Entitlement of up to 30 hours weekly for eligible families. An Extended Entitlement supplement also covers younger children within the nursery's accepted age range. The entitlement is applied across 38 weeks, rather than stretched across the whole attendance year.

The funding timetable matters. Hours between 8am and 10am are excluded from funded entitlement here. Under the extended arrangement, three full days allow 24 funded hours each week; four or five full days allow the full 30 hours. Additional attendance is charged, and the remaining 10 weeks of the nursery year attract full nursery fees. Families should therefore distinguish funded hours from the total time booked.

Meals and snacks are charged separately on funded places, and taking these extras is not a condition of receiving entitlement. Invoices distinguish funded time, additional paid hours and food charges; annual costs are spread through monthly billing. Current prices come in the nursery's written quotation.

The Little Learners menu includes breakfast, snacks, lunch and afternoon food, with meals freshly prepared and adjustments offered for individual dietary needs. Food is therefore part of the practical planning alongside attendance, especially for a child requiring a particular diet.

• Three-day commitment. Only full-day bookings are offered, with at least three days each week. At a visit, discuss how a new toddler's settling arrangements fit that attendance pattern.
• Funding and paid time. The first part of the day, from 8am to 10am, falls outside funded hours, and entitlement applies for 38 weeks. Assess the written quotation against the full year you intend to book.
• Diet and daily supplies. Meals and snacks carry a separate charge on funded places, with dietary adjustments offered. Confirm current allergy arrangements and ask which personal supplies you need to bring for your child.

Little Learners suits families seeking a small setting for a toddler or preschool child, with either a three-day working-week pattern or attendance across four or five full days. Its November 2023 educational assessment was Outstanding, and the everyday examples give that judgement substance: practical responsibilities, tangible mathematics, garden activity and preparation for school.

The attendance commitment and funding timetable deserve equal weight in the decision. Families comfortable with full-day bookings have a clearly defined model to assess alongside the Montessori approach; those seeking shorter sessions need a different booking arrangement.