Montessori by Busy Bees Harrow

Learning through play gave this Harrow nursery its clearest character in March 2022. Ofsted rated the provision Good after finding children secure with familiar staff and engaged by activities tied to their interests. The setting at 76 Marlborough Hill has capacity for 96 children aged three months to five years.

The detailed examples date from 2022 rather than describing the current day. Activities, staffing and routines can change, while the published grade remains a dated judgement.

In March 2022, children found their own photographs on the walls and brought toys or objects from home for show and tell. Those simple links with family life gave them material they knew well, encouraging them to speak proudly with friends and build a positive sense of self.

Routines and rules also helped children understand boundaries and prepare for their next stage of learning. Behaviour was judged Good, with the report connecting predictable expectations to children's safety. The result was a day in which personal development sat alongside talk and practical exploration rather than being treated as a separate lesson.

Learning was often tangible. Children cut and squeezed oranges and lemons with different utensils, then found words for the flavours. Staff also extended farmyard play after children discussed a farm visit, introducing comparisons between animal sizes. These examples show the Early Years Foundation Stage in practice: communication, mathematics, physical control and personal development were developed through purposeful play rather than separate formal lessons.

Older children helped construct an assault course then navigated an obstacle route involving boards, water and boxes under close supervision. The activity combined gross-motor development with learning to judge manageable risks. Ofsted nevertheless asked leaders to organise larger-group activities so quieter children benefited as fully as more confident peers, and to strengthen staff coaching around challenge and children's next learning steps.

Settling was a strength in March 2022. Staff used what families shared about children's interests, offered comfort and reassurance, and knew their key children well. Regular communication with parents then fed into activity planning, connecting home interests with nursery experiences.

In March 2022, mealtimes supported both health and independence. Older children served food and poured drinks while staff modelled language; babies practised feeding themselves with suitable cutlery. Children whose first language was not English were also encouraged to share their home language, following staff training in supporting their communication.

Safeguarding arrangements were judged effective. Staff understood signs of abuse or neglect, knew the reporting procedures, carried out risk assessments and supervised children's play effectively at that time.

Leadership had clear oversight of care in March 2022, supported by regular supervision. The 15 staff then employed held relevant qualifications spanning levels 2 to 6, including one person with qualified teacher status. These are historical staffing details, but they explain the professional structure behind the dated judgement.

The nursery is at 76 Marlborough Hill, Harrow, HA1 1TY. Its provider record covers children from three months to five years and gives a total capacity of 96.

In March 2022, the nursery provided funded early education for two-, three- and four-year-olds. Families should ask the nursery directly about its current fees and terms.

• Inspection age. The Good judgement and detailed examples date from March 2022. A visit should establish how the settling approach, staff coaching and quieter children's participation work now.
• Group activities. Ofsted wanted quieter children to gain more from planned larger-group sessions. Ask for a recent example of how practitioners include children who are less likely to speak first.
• Learning challenge. Leaders were asked to improve coaching so activities reflected children's next learning steps. Explore how your child's key person now plans, reviews and increases challenge.

Montessori by Busy Bees Harrow has a useful record of warm settling, family-informed planning and concrete learning experiences. Show and tell, citrus-juice making and the pre-school assault course reveal a setting where talk, independence and physical confidence could grow through recognisable tasks.

This is best suited to families prepared to test an older picture against current practice. The 2022 grade is positive, but the two improvement points make staff coaching and inclusion in larger groups the decisive questions for a visit.