Rising Stars Nursery

A large garden, practical oral-health work and a clear emphasis on involving parents give Rising Stars Nursery a recognisable character. This is a sessional setting in South Harrow for children aged two to five, working from a community building on Eastcote Avenue. Its Early Years Foundation Stage curriculum uses play and guided activity across the framework's areas of learning, shaped around children's individual development and next steps.

Ofsted judged the nursery Good in July 2022. Children were happy to attend, behaved considerately and engaged well with the activities around them. The strongest impression is of a small setting where staff knew children's development closely and used that knowledge to plan what came next.

The nursery opens Monday to Friday, 8am to 4.30pm, during term time. Families should establish which attendance patterns within that window can actually be booked, since opening hours do not by themselves define a session.

Learning and Named Experiences

The Early Years Foundation Stage provides the framework. It sets out the areas of learning through play and guided activity, with three prime areas: personal, social and emotional development, physical development, and communication and language. Rising Stars says each child's key person observes development and plans activities around the child's age, stage and next steps. This creates a more individual starting point than a fixed programme applied identically to everyone.

In July 2022, that individual planning was working well. Staff assessed children accurately, spotted gaps quickly and adapted their teaching or sought help from other professionals. Children built independence and school-readiness skills, while circle times used props, repetitive action songs and familiar stories to hold attention and invite participation.

Tooth Brushing Program gives the curriculum a concrete health strand: children practise oral-health habits from an early age. Children also used real toothpaste and toothbrushes as they learned why healthy routines matter. It is practical learning with an immediate use at home.

Mathematics and home languages were the two weaker points in 2022. Staff encouraged counting but did not consistently extend spontaneous play into broader mathematical ideas and vocabulary. They also missed some chances for children to use their home languages during play. These were improvement points rather than a finding that children were not progressing, but parents for whom either area matters should ask how practice has developed since then.

Outdoor and Community Life

Outdoor provision had genuine variety in July 2022. In the large garden, older children invented games with hoops, tunnels and a climbing frame, planted cress and sunflower seeds, and developed coordination through active play. Toddlers explored sand with moulds and a large-play cement mixer. Those examples show physical development, curiosity and early scientific thinking sharing the same space.

Published family events extend nursery life beyond the daily routine. Stay and Play invites parents into the setting, while the Family Picnic & Sports Day combines physical activity with a shared occasion.

Relationships and Communication

A key person is responsible for tracking and supporting each child's progress, with ongoing observations used to plan the next activities. In July 2022, staff knew children well and communicated effectively; children formed friendships, cooperated with one another and could express their feelings. Clear expectations helped them listen, share and take turns.

Parent involvement is built into the published model through meetings, volunteer opportunities and Stay and Play sessions. In 2022, parents understood what their children were learning and how staff were supporting them. That connection matters because it gives families something more useful than a handover: a basis for reinforcing learning and routines at home.

Inclusion and Wellbeing

Support for children with special educational needs and disabilities was a strength in July 2022. Individual support was coordinated quickly when children needed extra help. This helped children take part fully rather than being given a parallel experience.

Safeguarding arrangements were effective in July 2022. Staff understood signs of abuse and neglect, reporting routes and procedures for concerns about colleagues. Recruitment, vetting, induction, risk assessment and supervision all formed part of the protective system described by inspectors.

The nursery's current terms give families practical health rules. Specified infectious illnesses carry a minimum 48-hour exclusion, and staff administer prescribed medicine only after parents provide signed instructions. Children who are not fully toilet trained must arrive with nappies and a full change of clothes, so families need to build those supplies into the routine.

Sessions and Attendance

Rising Stars Nursery is at 28 Eastcote Avenue, Harrow, HA2 8AL. Opening is Monday to Friday from 8am to 4.30pm during term time. The provider is classed as sessional day care.

A term's written notice is required when a child leaves. Missed sessions due to illness are not refunded, although the nursery says it tries to replace them where possible. Collection by somebody other than the usual adult must be arranged with the nursery in advance.

Funding and Paid Extras

The nursery offers government-funded places and describes funded early education for eligible two-, three- and four-year-olds, including the working-family entitlement.

The admissions page also lists registration and learning-log charges, but amounts change and are deliberately not reproduced here. Families need a current quotation covering meals, nappies and other consumables during funded and privately paid hours.

• Bookable sessions. The setting publishes its weekday opening window but not distinct session products with clock times. Ask for the available patterns and any minimum attendance requirement before comparing it with a work schedule.
• Inspection date. The Good judgement and detailed practice evidence come from July 2022. Ask what has changed since then, especially in the teaching of mathematical ideas through play and the use of children's home languages.
• Term-time calendar. Provision is term-time rather than year-round. Families needing care during school holidays will require another arrangement.
• Charges and supplies. The admissions material identifies additional charge categories and requires non-toilet-trained children to bring nappies and clothes. A complete written breakdown is important.

Rising Stars Nursery is best suited to South Harrow families seeking a term-time, sessional setting from age two, with close developmental observation and meaningful parent involvement. Its garden experiences, Tooth Brushing Program and family events give children concrete ways to learn and participate.

Evidence from 2022 showed secure relationships, effective inclusion and positive behaviour, balanced by clear work to do in mathematics and home-language opportunities. The practical deciding point is the timetable: the published opening window works best once matched to a bookable attendance pattern.