Chiswick Nursery and Pre-School Academy

Music, language and warm relationships defined this Chiswick setting at Ofsted’s May 2023 inspection, when it was rated Good and children were found happy, busy and eager to learn. The nursery has capacity for 78 children aged from three months to five years at 4 Marlborough Road, Chiswick.

Safeguarding arrangements were effective, while communication and language work was a clear strength. It also set two clear priorities: staff needed to extend learning more consistently during activities, and outdoor learning needed a broader range of rich opportunities.

Music lessons were a real high point in that dated snapshot. Children sang and danced to songs played on a piano, then joined in with tambourines and bells. Babies developed fine-motor control by shaping scented play dough, while older children used a family photo album to discuss relatives, identity and life beyond nursery.

The nursery follows the Early Years Foundation Stage, which means play and adult interaction build communication, physical, personal and early academic development towards the next stage. Stories, singing and conversation ran through the day. Children also explored Diwali and Chinese New Year, practised yoga and used a garden obstacle course for balance. Younger children counted in sequence while playing hide and seek. These are useful examples of how movement, early mathematics and cultural understanding could sit inside ordinary play rather than being isolated as formal lessons.

Practitioners planned stimulating activities and resources around individual needs and interests. Babies looked through interactive picture books with adults who pointed out what they could see, while older children met open questions designed to help them express their ideas. The curriculum intent was clear, though adults did not always seize every opportunity to extend learning. For parents, the key issue is not whether activities were available, but how consistently staff turned a child’s curiosity into the next step.

Secure key-person bonds were a central strength. Staff were warm and attentive, spoke with parents at handover and planned activities around individual needs and interests. Children learned independence through clearing plates, setting tables, putting on outdoor clothes and using open cups.

Support for children with SEND was effective. The SENCo worked with parents and other professionals to arrange targeted help, while staff used games about feelings to develop self-regulation. Families could also borrow books and learning resources through the lending library. Parent partnership extended into everyday convenience: the setting ran a grab-and-go breakfast service and provided take-away meals and snack packs at that time. Those practical touches addressed some of the pressure around family routines at the time.

Behaviour was another positive thread. Staff taught sharing, turn-taking and listening calmly, and children were described as kind and thoughtful towards one another. Games about feelings helped them recognise happiness and sadness in themselves and others. This matters because emotional vocabulary gives young children something more useful than frustration when a game, friendship or transition becomes difficult.

The nursery is on Marlborough Road in Chiswick. At that date, the setting operated all year and offered funded early education for children aged two, three and four. Families should request a current nursery-specific quotation directly.

The 78-place capacity describes the whole setting, not the number of children attending on a particular day or the size of an age group. Families comparing the setting should therefore ask how children are grouped now, where babies sleep and play, and how often each group uses the garden. Those answers will be more useful than treating the whole-setting number as a room size.

Outdoor learning. The provider was asked to broaden the range of rich outdoor learning opportunities. Families may want to see how the garden curriculum has developed since May 2023.

Extending learning. Staff sometimes missed opportunities to deepen children's learning during activities. Ask how coaching now helps practitioners follow children's thinking further.

Attendance pattern. Discuss the current booking options directly, including how days or shorter sessions can be combined.

Chiswick Nursery and Pre-School Academy showed a joyful, language-rich culture in the dated picture, with piano-led music, close key-person relationships and practical independence woven into children's days. The two improvement points matter, especially for families prioritising ambitious outdoor learning, but they sit alongside a Good judgement and effective safeguarding. It is best suited to families who value expressive activities, attentive relationships and an all-year weekday setting.