Holland Park Pre-Prep and Nursery

Holland Park Pre-Prep and Nursery's clearest strength is its combination of specialist teaching, imaginative outdoor play and careful language work. Ofsted rated it Good in March 2024, with Good judgements across education, behaviour and attitudes, personal development, and leadership and management.

Children were happy and settled with affectionate key-person relationships. Babies sought comfort from familiar adults, while older children chose play confidently, persisted with tasks and managed small routines such as recognising their own name and hanging up a coat.

Practitioners planned learning in a clear sequence. Messy play, mark-making and cutting strengthened small muscles and pencil control. Communication ran through ordinary care as well as planned activity: songs and rhymes accompanied baby changing, toddlers connected the initial sound in bear with its letter, and older children selected books for adults to read.

There was real variety. Children counted olive and sunflower seeds during a growing activity, took turns as doctors in a role-play hospital and used a tree house for sustained imaginary play. Weekly specialist sessions covered yoga, dance, music and Spanish. The Early Years Foundation Stage provides the statutory areas of learning and development; the observed activities translated those areas into talk, books, movement, number work and self-directed play.

Warm relationships shaped the day. Staff comforted children responsively, praised them and modelled respectful behaviour. Children cooperated, formed friendships and learned about different cultures through festivals.

Support was also purposeful. Key persons identified difficulties early and worked with parents and other professionals on targeted plans for children with special educational needs or disabilities and those learning English as an additional language. Parents knew their children's targets. Ofsted found safeguarding arrangements effective.

The nursery is at 5 Holland Road, London W14 8HJ. It has 54 places in total.

Families should use a visit to understand the current attendance patterns and written quotation.

• Mathematical language. The stated improvement priority was fuller use of play to develop number bonds and mathematical vocabulary. Families can explore how this priority is now reflected in everyday activities.
• Attendance pattern. A visit is the right point to establish which attendance patterns can be booked.
• Outdoor routine. The tree house was a sustained centre for role play. Families can explore how outdoor time is organised across the week.

This is a setting where warmth joins substance. The tree house, specialist weekly classes and well-used books give children varied ways to move, imagine and communicate, while key-person support was attentive enough to connect parents and professionals around individual targets. It is best suited to families who value language-rich care, imaginative outdoor play and specialist weekly activities, though they need current attendance details directly from the nursery before deciding whether the pattern fits their week.