Miss Delaney's

A mud kitchen, story-led learning and park exploration give Miss Delaney's at Avondale Park Lodge a recognisable character. The garden has a climbing frame, sand pit and water play, while the Ducks' summer activities connected early reading, practical maths and art with the world beyond the classroom. This is a nursery where a familiar story can become a baking activity, a counting exercise or an outdoor investigation.

Ofsted rated the nursery Good at its October 2023 inspection and found safeguarding effective, with individual settling support and early help for children with additional needs. The judgement also carried two teaching priorities: stronger conversations during child-initiated play and better organisation of larger group activities. Those are useful points to weigh alongside the positive picture.

There are 45 places in total. Children attending in October 2023 were aged three to four; the admissions policy also allows individual consideration of entry in the term after a child's second birthday. Morning and extended-day patterns featured in the September 2025 to July 2026 fee schedule.

Learning and Activities

The Early Years Foundation Stage provides the framework for learning and care: children build language, movement, social understanding and early mathematical skills through play and planned activities. Tapestry, each child's online learning journal, connects photographs and observations with that framework, giving parents a way to follow progress beyond the finished work brought home.

For the Avondale Ducks, stories supplied a practical starting point during summer 2026. In May, The Gingerbread Man led to biscuit-making, matching quantities and practising the sounds within words. Mixing and shaping dough put hand control alongside conversation and counting. The activities made the story something children could work with, rather than simply listen to.

Artist of the Month adds an introduction to artists through children's own creative work. In May 2026, painting, cutting and sticking drew on Piet Mondrian; June brought collages inspired by Henri Matisse. The emphasis was on making something themselves. Alongside this, phonics activities included combining sounds into words, while handwriting practice developed pencil control.

School preparation was explicit by July 2026. The Ducks practised listening, taking turns, kindness and independence, as well as using Numicon for counting and simple addition. That balance matters: preparation for Reception included managing everyday relationships and tasks alongside early literacy and maths.

Outdoor and Community Life

Avondale's garden provides several ways to be active and investigate materials. The climbing frame supports physical play; the mud kitchen, sand pit and water play offer opportunities to manipulate, mix and experiment. These are concrete resources children can use in different ways.

Forest School adds outdoor exploration, using nature and practical activities as starting points for learning. During summer 2026, the Ducks had weekly sessions, first at Holland Park and later at Avondale Park. Activities included leaf prints, exploring habitats and creating seed bombs. The change of venue within the term is worth understanding when considering the outdoor routine.

A June 2026 pond-dipping session at Holland Park with the Ecology Centre included learning about amphibians and making clay dragonflies. Earlier that summer, firefighters visited and children used a hose and climbed onto a fire truck. These experiences connected classroom themes with real places, equipment and people doing familiar jobs.

Relationships and Communication

Settling is deliberately gradual. A member of staff is allocated before entry, and the child's key person develops from the adult they feel comfortable with; a back-up contact is also provided. Families have pre-start visits, and parents may remain while their child adjusts, provided this does not disrupt the nursery's smooth running. The policy allows attendance to be shortened and increased again as confidence grows.

The progression towards a full session takes place over the first few weeks, rather than assuming every child can manage the same separation immediately. That has a practical consequence for parents: the initial attendance routine needs room for flexibility. The child’s relationship with staff drives the pace.

Parentmail carries reminders, weekly bulletins and term-end newsletters. Termly parent meetings can take place in person or through Teams, while Tapestry provides photographs, observations and comments about learning. These routes serve different purposes: quick administration, a scheduled discussion and an ongoing picture of nursery life.

Inclusion and Wellbeing

SEND support has a defined process. A SENDCo coordinates communication about additional needs, and individual plans are assessed, put into practice and reviewed with parents involved throughout. Written parental consent is required before correspondence with third-party therapists begins. This gives families a specific structure for discussing support and how it will be followed up.

Medical arrangements include working with parents on treatment plans for children needing allergy medication or asthma inhalers. The food policy asks families about dietary needs before entry and takes precautions to avoid nuts and nut products; snacks are mainly fruit or vegetables.

Behaviour support starts with understanding what a child is communicating. Staff and parents use observations to explore recurring difficulties, with the key person and SENDCo involved where behaviour persists. The policy also permits withdrawal of a place in some unresolved cases, a significant term for families to understand alongside the support procedures.

Sessions and Attendance

The nursery address is Avondale Park Lodge, Walmer Road, London W11 4PQ. Administrative enquiries go through the office by telephone on 020 7603 6095 or email at office@missdelaneys.co.uk.

For September 2025 to July 2026, the booking schedule offered mornings from 9am to 12.30pm and extended days from 9am to 3pm. Packages combined mornings and extended days across the weekday week. These were separate attendance choices, rather than simply an opening window.

The 2026/27 calendar follows school terms, with half-term breaks. Autumn finishes on 11 December 2026, spring on 24 March 2027 and summer on 9 July 2027; the dates are provisional. Families therefore need to plan around the term calendar rather than assume continuous care throughout the year.

Registrations are accepted from birth. The waiting list is ordered by birth date, with home location and existing siblings also potentially considered. Sibling priority requires registration within three months of birth. Registration involves a fee, and accepting an offered place requires a deposit.

Funding and Paid Extras

In October 2023, funded places were offered for children aged three and four. The September 2025 to July 2026 terms set out the Universal Entitlement of up to 15 hours for three- and four-year-olds, starting in the term after their third birthday and requiring a Parent Declaration Form. They also referred to a Working Family 2-year olds Funding Entitlement of 15 hours per week for eligible two-year-olds.

That schedule priced Lunch Club separately from the main sessions. Current prices should come in the nursery's written quotation, with the attendance package and extras itemised together.

• The first weeks need flexibility. Settling can involve shorter attendance and a parent remaining nearby. At a visit, discuss how that gradual start would work with your family's commitments.
• Teaching beyond planned activities. The October 2023 priorities concerned staff conversations during spontaneous play and engagement in larger groups. Ask how these aspects work now, especially for a child who finds group participation difficult.
• Attendance and the total package. Earlier terms offered mornings, extended days and separately priced Lunch Club, while the current calendar includes holiday breaks. Request a written quotation covering your intended pattern, funded hours, food and consumables together.
• Support and access. Removable ramps at Avondale require advance warning, and the behaviour policy allows place withdrawal in some unresolved circumstances. Families with access, behavioural or allergy needs should discuss the arrangements and current practice before joining.

Miss Delaney's suits families seeking a term-time nursery experience built around stories, practical learning and outdoor exploration. Its September 2025 to July 2026 schedule served families choosing morning attendance or a mixture of mornings and extended days. Avondale's garden resources and the Ducks' park activities give that offer substance.

The gradual settling approach and several channels for parent communication are useful practical strengths. The Good judgement from October 2023 provides a positive inspection position, while its teaching priorities and the behaviour policy deserve attention when deciding whether the setting matches an individual child's needs.