Highbury Community Nursery

Children’s interests shape the learning, parents help shape the nursery, and the garden stays part of the day whatever the weather. Highbury Community Nursery combines child-led play with a substantial expectation of family involvement. Its parent committee contributes to policy, finances and events, while practitioners build learning around the things that catch each child’s attention.

At its July 2025 inspection, Ofsted judged the nursery Good, found safeguarding effective and reported good progress for children, with staff tracking development and seeking additional support when needed. That gives families a clear quality judgement, alongside a specific improvement point about younger children’s lunchtime.

The nursery welcomes children aged six months to five years at Aubert Park in Highbury. Rainbow Unit serves the younger age group; Sunshine Unit takes children from two and a half. Across both, settling centres on a key person, communication runs through the Famly app, and Makaton signing supports children’s communication. Funded attendance and paid care across the year sit alongside term-time-only places for children aged three and above.

Rooms and Ages

Rainbow Unit, for children from six months to two and a half years, emphasises sensory exploration and emotional wellbeing, with a key person providing continuity for children and families. The practical importance is a familiar relationship while a young child adjusts to spending time away from home.

Sunshine Unit, for children aged two and a half to five, combines independent problem-solving with indoor exploration and garden areas for construction, imaginative play, sand and investigating small creatures. Its teacher supports older children through play, introducing letter sounds and developing the hand control needed for early writing. School preparation therefore sits within play rather than becoming a separate academic timetable.

Learning and Activities

The Early Years Foundation Stage (EYFS) provides the framework for children’s learning and development, covering the areas practitioners support through play and everyday experiences. Highbury’s approach within that framework is Planning in the Moment: staff notice children’s interests, adjust the environment and use those interests to extend learning. A child’s curiosity becomes the starting point for teaching.

Open-ended resources allow children to change how they use materials and find their own solutions. Practitioners give older children time to think and use questions that invite more than a single correct answer. For parents who value independence, the useful detail is the relationship between child choice and adult teaching: staff follow an interest, then develop it.

Sunshine’s voluntary enrichment includes Sports School, which adds movement, teamwork and problem-solving activities. Cooking, languages, dance, music and yoga also complement the usual play provision. These activities enrich the nursery day alongside the EYFS.

In July 2025, children explored cornflour mixed with water and made painted tracks using wheels. A reading of Dear Zoo involved matching puppets with story animals, while songs introduced movement and vocabulary. Older children worked on letters and sounds in small groups. Those examples show learning through materials, conversation and stories, rather than relying only on a curriculum label.

Outdoor and Community Life

Garden access continues through rain and snow, with suitable clothing expected from families. Sunshine’s sand pit, mini beast area and construction area give outdoor play several different purposes. Children can follow an interest outside without waiting for an allocated garden slot.

In July 2025, the outdoor challenges included rope ladders and stepping stones for older children, with tunnels and low planks for younger ones. Counting planted sunflowers brought mathematics into gardening. Composting food waste and growing produce also gave children practical examples of where food comes from and how resources can be conserved.

Regular outings follow children’s interests and cultural celebrations. Fundraising includes Carnival, the Christmas party and an Easter Bunny Hop, with proceeds supporting resources and trips. These events also give families ways to participate in nursery life beyond conversations about their own child.

Relationships and Communication

Settling begins with short visits that lengthen as the child becomes comfortable. A parent stays initially, then gradually withdraws as the relationship with the key person develops. Staff gather information about home routines, preferences and comforting possessions, and children can bring a familiar blanket or toy. Families should allow time for that gradual introduction.

The key person remains the family’s main contact beyond settling. Information about the day, achievements and interests is exchanged in conversation and through Famly, and parents are encouraged to contribute observations from home. That two-way exchange matters to Planning in the Moment: an interest noticed at home can inform what practitioners offer next.

Parent involvement extends into governance. The management committee consists of parents whose children attend, with opportunities to contribute to financial decisions, policies and event organisation. Participation is also a condition of a child’s place, so this is a practical commitment as well as an invitation to get involved.

Inclusion and Wellbeing

A SENCO provides a contact for families with questions about special educational needs. Makaton, a signing system used to support language and communication, is used across the nursery with support from Makaton Ambassadors. The emphasis is on giving children another way to communicate, including when spoken language is still developing.

Millie’s Mark recognises the nursery’s paediatric first-aid training arrangement for staff who work directly with children. Safeguarding officer roles and early years teacher roles are also part of the team structure. These are concrete arrangements, separate from the dated safeguarding judgement.

Monthly family workshops cover topics such as speech and language, toilet training and choking treatment, with nursery families prioritised. Sign & Learn introduces parents and carers to Makaton through songs for use at home; Baby First Aid Training covers infant emergencies. These are family services, rather than promises about what every enrolled child receives.

Meals are cooked on site by the chef, with summer and winter menus rotating over three weeks and adaptations for children’s dietary needs and allergies. The two basement dining rooms are also used for cooking, science and yoga activities.

At the July 2025 inspection, Ofsted identified noisy waiting periods during younger children’s lunch that distracted them and asked the nursery to improve mealtime organisation. This deserves attention from families of babies and toddlers: food provision and the experience of sitting down to eat are separate considerations.

Sessions and Attendance

The address is 15 Aubert Park, London N5 1TL. Opening hours are 8am to 6pm from Monday to Friday, with children expected to attend during the central part of the day, between 10am and 4pm. The beginning and end of the opening window include communal time.

Attendance is booked in two-, three-, four- or five-day patterns. Two days means Monday and Tuesday or Thursday and Friday; three days means Monday to Wednesday or Wednesday to Friday. The four-day arrangement combines Monday and Tuesday with Thursday and Friday. This is a defined weekly pattern, rather than a choice of any scattered days.

Funded hours are offered during term time, including a three-full-day pattern from Monday to Wednesday or Wednesday to Friday; additional days are chargeable. Children aged three and above can attend on a term-time-only basis. Care across the year is also offered, with charges outside funded hours.

Closures include bank holidays, five training days and closure weeks during the year. Families receive important dates through the Famly calendar. General enquiries can be made by email to enquiries@highburynursery.org or by telephone on 020 7354 4292.

Funding and Paid Extras

Funding includes the universal 15 hours for three- and four-year-olds and, subject to eligibility, up to 30 hours from nine months. The application form also provides a route for eligible two-year-olds seeking 15 funded hours. The nursery’s fees information explains the term-time delivery and charges for additional care; current prices come in its written quotation.

Joining the admissions list carries a non-refundable administration charge and does not guarantee a place. Applications begin after a baby has been born. A deposit equivalent to one month’s fees is required, and leaving requires one month’s notice; the account is reconciled after departure before any remaining deposit is returned.

Working or studying families receive priority. Allocation also takes account of age group, the type of place and attendance days, with priority possible for siblings and specified additional needs or family circumstances. An offered place cannot be deferred, although the application can remain on file for a future offer.

• Younger children’s lunch. The July 2025 finding concerned noise and waiting before food was served. During a visit, ask how lunchtime now works for Rainbow children and how staff help them settle at the table.
• Parent participation. Family contribution is compulsory and a child’s place depends on it. Discuss the expected commitment before applying, especially if work or caring responsibilities constrain your time.
• Fixed attendance patterns. The two- and three-day options sit at either end of the week, while four days combine the two pairs. Match that pattern against your working week, and ask for a written quotation separating care, meals and consumables.
• Dietary needs. The chef adapts meals for allergies and other requirements. Allergy-affected families should discuss current kitchen practice and their child’s individual arrangements during a visit.

Highbury suits families seeking either paid attendance across the year or term-time provision for children aged three and above, including those using funded hours in the specified three-day pattern. Its appeal is the combination of interest-led teaching, sustained garden access, signing and close family participation.

The parent commitment and fixed weekly patterns need to fit family life. For younger children, the July 2025 lunchtime concern is the clearest point to explore. For families comfortable contributing to nursery life, the committee and family services offer substantial ways to take part.