Alexandra Montessori

Pouring water between jugs, choosing materials and returning them after use give Alexandra Montessori’s Hounslow nursery a practical character: independence is something children practise during the day. Montessori Inspired care here combines hands-on exploration with familiar routines, natural materials and a consistent key person. The creative atelier and outdoor garden add spaces for making and movement.

At its 27 July 2022 inspection, Ofsted rated the nursery Good, found safeguarding effective and judged that children made good progress and were prepared for the move to school. That is a dated assessment, rather than a judgement on today’s provision.

Based at Ved Court on Alexandra Road, the nursery welcomes children from six months to five years and has 37 places in total. Morning, afternoon and full-day bookings give families different ways to use the setting.

Rooms and Ages

The 2-plus room emphasises independence through child-chosen activities, practical tasks and a rhythm of shared time, outdoor exploration and rest. Children can return to an activity rather than move on simply because someone else has finished. This makes repetition part of the learning, rather than a task to get through once.

A physical task makes that approach easier to understand. Children pour water from one jug to another, explore shapes and take responsibility for carrying materials and clearing their workspaces. These are concrete opportunities to practise coordination and self-care. They also give children a role in looking after the room they use.

Learning and Activities

The EYFS is the framework for children’s learning, development and care, bringing play, communication and everyday experiences into their education. Montessori sits alongside that framework here: children choose hands-on activities, while adults observe and guide their next steps. This Montessori approach complements the EYFS through practical activities and child-chosen exploration.

In Hounslow’s daily routine, circle time brings children together before a Montessori work cycle, a period for choosing and concentrating on activities. Afternoon experiences include making things, cooking and science exploration. Outdoor time and rest interrupt the work periods, giving the day changes of pace rather than a continuous sequence of adult-led tasks.

In July 2022, older children constructed an elaborate tower with wooden blocks, while younger children explored vegetables in kitchen role play. A parent’s account of a child’s interest in science also prompted experiments at nursery. Those examples show how interests could become activities with something tangible to investigate.

The July 2022 inspection identified two limits: questioning did not consistently extend children’s thinking enough, and community experiences needed broadening beyond opportunities such as a dentist’s visit. These matter alongside the positive assessment. Choosing an activity is one part of learning; receiving a suitable next challenge is another.

Outdoor and Community Life

Garden play is part of the current offer, giving indoor activities a physical counterpoint. In July 2022, children grew vegetables and cared for sunflowers, checking their growth and discussing what plants needed. Children also helped choose fish as nursery pets. Caring for living things gave them practical responsibilities and a visible consequence to their decisions.

Relationships and Communication

A consistent key person connects care with communication. Gradual settling visits help children become familiar with nursery before starting, while photos, observations and daily highlights give parents a view of their child’s experiences. Termly key-person meetings provide a more deliberate opportunity to discuss development, alongside ongoing two-way feedback.

Parent workshops and home-learning ideas extend that relationship beyond a daily update. Their practical value is continuity: families can understand the activities children are choosing and use related ideas at home. They also give parents different ways to take part, rather than relying on one meeting format.

In July 2022, staff followed babies’ eating and sleeping routines from home. This was a useful example of individual care, with familiar patterns carried into the nursery day. For older children, the current Hounslow routine includes a rest period after lunch, before afternoon activities begin.

Inclusion and Wellbeing

The Hounslow terms describe collaboration with families and outside professionals to tailor support for children with SEND. This is a support mechanism, rather than a blanket assurance about outcomes. Secure entry is also part of the premises arrangements.

An onsite chef prepares meals, and the nursery provides freshly made food and snacks with attention to dietary needs and allergies. Meals are charged separately where applicable; the funding arrangements are explained below.

Sessions and Attendance

Opening hours are 8am to 6pm, Monday to Friday. Full Day bookings run from 8am to 6pm, Morning Session bookings from 8am to 1pm, and Afternoon Session bookings from 1pm to 6pm. These are separate attendance options, rather than simply different collection times within one booking.

Year-round attendance covers 49 weeks, excluding bank holidays and training days; funded-only attendance is also offered over 38 weeks. Fees remain payable for booked sessions during bank holidays and a child’s absence, including illness or holidays. Families therefore need to distinguish the attendance calendar from the payment terms.

The address is Ved Court, Alexandra Road, Hounslow, TW3 1LS. A buggy store is provided. Childcare enquiries can be made through the Hounslow contact form, by telephone on 0208 001 5165 or by email to info@alexandramontessori.co.uk.

Funding and Paid Extras

Government-funded 15 and 30 hours are offered, with entitlement based on 38 weeks and a stretched arrangement across 49 weeks. Private attendance and additional paid hours are also offered. Current prices come in the nursery’s written quotation.

Funding pays for early education. Meals and non-food consumables are separate charges where applicable, including nappies, wipes and sun cream; for fully funded places, meals and other additional charges are voluntary. Montessori tuition is an optional separate charge for additional learning materials and activities. It adds provision alongside the EYFS, rather than changing the framework’s requirements.

Funded-only bookings require a refundable deposit, subject to account clearance and compliance with the terms. Year-round bookings have a non-refundable registration charge and a refundable deposit credited against the final invoice, provided fees have been settled. Leaving, reducing attendance or changing sessions requires at least one full term’s written notice.

• Challenge in the 2-plus room. Extending children’s thinking was an improvement point in July 2022. During a show-around, ask how practitioners introduce a harder task when a child has mastered a familiar activity.
• Experiences beyond the garden. Wider community learning also needed development in July 2022. Ask what experiences now extend children’s understanding beyond the nursery, and how they connect with room activities.
• Funding and the final bill. Meals, consumables and optional Montessori tuition sit alongside funded education. Request a written quotation for your chosen pattern, including the voluntary options for a fully funded place and the deposit conditions.
• Changing your attendance. A full term’s written notice applies to session changes as well as leaving. This deserves attention if your working pattern may change during the placement.

Alexandra Montessori suits families seeking practical, child-chosen Montessori activities with a consistent key person, whether they need morning sessions, afternoon sessions or full days. The Hounslow routine gives independence a concrete form through pouring, choosing and taking care of materials, while parent updates and termly meetings connect home with nursery.

The balance rests on challenge as well as choice. The dated Good assessment provides a useful starting point, and the improvement points make extending learning and widening community experiences the most useful subjects for a visit.