North Star Preschool

A Scout Hut setting with a large garden gives North Star Preschool its character: outdoor exploration sits alongside music, cookery and imaginative play. Based in Chiswick, it has capacity for 27 children. The emphasis is on children choosing, investigating and doing things for themselves, rather than a day built entirely around adult direction.

Ofsted rated the preschool Good at its September 2022 inspection and judged safeguarding effective. Children attending then were aged two to four; that age range describes the inspection period. Morning, afternoon, long-morning and full-day bookings give families several ways to organise attendance.

Learning and Activities

The EYFS provides the framework for learning through play, with activities shaped around children's interests and development. Here, music sessions and cookery classes sit alongside groups exploring reading and mathematics, creative workshops, movement and team games. That gives children different ways to participate: listening, making, moving and working with others.

Drama brings together story sacks, theatre shows and building workshops. Science centres on investigating the natural world, discovering how things work and studying mini beasts. These are concrete starting points for imaginative play and curiosity, rather than programme names standing alone.

In September 2022, children made their own play dough, explored its texture and colour, and used baking equipment to shape pretend cakes. They stayed with activities long enough to repeat and refine what they were doing. Elsewhere, marks on paper became letters for a post office role-play area, connecting early writing with a purpose children could understand.

Outdoor and Community Life

The Garden provides space for running, digging, planting and sowing. Caring for growing things gives outdoor play a practical purpose alongside physical activity. The garden is a substantial part of the offer, rather than simply somewhere to pause between indoor activities.

In September 2022, children practised balancing on a beam and tree stumps, investigated worms and worked out which tools could tackle harder soil. A nature corner supported digging and moving mud. Those examples show how physical coordination and problem-solving shared the same activity, although garden-equipment checks were also an improvement point at that visit.

A key person is allocated to each child, and the complaints procedure makes that practitioner an initial contact for concerns. Families can then speak with management if an issue needs further attention. This gives parents a clear route from the person closest to their child's day to those responsible for the setting.

At the September 2022 inspection, Ofsted found that support for children with SEND and those receiving additional funding was effective, including small-group language activities tailored to individual needs. The practical detail matters: children needing help with speech had repeated opportunities to hear vocabulary and use it themselves.

In September 2022, practitioners planned activities around their key children's interests and next steps. Children learning English as an additional language received support through games, with adults listening and allowing them to lead. Children also explored food, dance, music and language connected with cultures represented in the setting.

Daily independence had small, tangible expressions in September 2022: children collected their own eating utensils and helped clear tables. Music also signalled a shared tidy-up activity. These routines gave children responsibilities they could manage, alongside their chosen play.

Sessions and Attendance

North Star Preschool is at The Scout Hut, Oxford Road North, London, W4 4DH; its contact address specifies Scout HQ, Rear of 27 Oxford Rd North, Chiswick. Opening hours are 9.15am to 3.15pm, Monday to Friday.

Morning sessions run from 9.15am to 12.15pm, afternoons from 12.15pm to 3.15pm, long mornings from 9.15am to 2.15pm and full days from 9.15am to 3.15pm. The long morning offers a middle option between a shorter session and the complete day. In September 2022, opening was term-time only.

Enquiries can be made through the contact form or by telephone on 07940 072486. Gunnersbury train station and the Great West road are nearby transport links.

Funding and Paid Extras

The Northstar Pre-School fee schedule includes 15 Hour funded and 30 Hour funded provision for its Over Twos category, alongside paid sessions and an extra-hour option. Funded attendance depends on eligibility: some two-year-olds may qualify, and eligible children may receive an additional 15 funded hours each week.

Private booking choices and funded entitlement should be considered separately when planning attendance. Current prices come in the nursery's written quotation; the fees page sets out the session choices and funding categories.

• Garden readiness. In September 2022, some outdoor equipment was wet and dirty, and more consistent maintenance and checks were required. On an appointment to see the facilities, ask how equipment is checked before children use it.
• The attendance calendar. Morning, afternoon, long-morning and full-day sessions cover different needs, while September 2022 opening was term-time only. Ask whether the current calendar and funded-hours arrangement match the weeks your family needs.
• The complete booking cost. Funded categories sit beside paid sessions and extra hours. Ask for one written quotation covering your intended pattern, including the arrangements for meals and non-food consumables.

North Star Preschool suits families considering either shorter morning or afternoon sessions, a long morning, or a full day ending at 3.15pm. Its garden, cookery, music and drama give the offer clear substance, while the September 2022 Good judgement provides a dated assessment of quality. The garden-checking concern deserves attention alongside that positive judgement, especially for families drawn to the outdoor emphasis.