Hummingbirds Montessori School

Montessori work and outdoor learning share equal billing at Hummingbirds Montessori School. This term-time Kingston setting takes children from two and a half to five, with capacity for 36. Its classroom joins practical life, sensory work, language, numeracy and cultural studies to an extensive garden, while Forest Friday gives the final morning of the week a different rhythm.

Ofsted rated Hummingbirds Outstanding in September 2022. It found children deeply engaged indoors and outside, with confident communication, exceptional relationships and carefully planned opportunities to become independent. That evidence is now four years old, so those observations are best read as a strong inspection-era picture rather than a guarantee of today's practice.

Hummingbirds combines Montessori education with the Early Years Foundation Stage and outdoor education. The EYFS supplies the areas of learning and developmental goals; Montessori practice adds child-chosen, hands-on work that children can repeat at their own pace. The classroom has practical-life, sensorial, language, numeracy and cultural-study areas, plus spaces for art, books, small-world play and emotional regulation. This makes the educational offer concrete: children can practise everyday tasks, investigate shape and texture, build early number and language, then return to an activity until they are satisfied with it.

Outside is not a short break from the classroom. Children have free access to a garden with a mud kitchen, Wendy house, bikes, scooters, a climbing area, den-making materials and gardening. In September 2022, children chose freely between indoors and outdoors and sustained concentration. They also investigated the bug hotel with magnifying glasses, comparing insects and learning words such as larvae.

Forest Friday brings woodland-themed activities, a warm snack and a session hosted by Kingston Playball. Monday to Thursday afternoons have a named club each day: Music, Tennis, Dance and Art. Community life has similarly concrete anchors, including the Diversity Breakfast, Sports Day and summer picnic, with families invited to contribute their cultures, interests and talents. This is more than an events calendar; it gives children direct opportunities to talk about difference and see family experience treated as part of nursery learning.

Each child is assigned a Key Teacher, who tracks development across the curriculum and supports the move from home into the setting. Staff training includes paediatric first aid and safeguarding, while the team structure includes safeguarding and SEND responsibilities.

In September 2022, staff knew children closely and built ambitious next steps from what each child could already do. Communication was a clear strength: practitioners modelled vocabulary, used open questions and read animatedly throughout the day. Inspectors also found that children with SEND or English as an additional language received individual support which staff kept under review.

Independence extended into daily care routines. In the same year, children took responsibility for preparing the class snack and tidying afterwards. Children staying for the afternoon now bring a packed lunch from home, so families retain direct control over what is eaten at midday. The morning snack arrangement works differently: children help prepare a shared buffet, turning a routine into practice in safe tool use, cooperation and clearing away.

Sessions and Attendance

The core Montessori Morning runs from 9am to 12.30pm. Monday to Thursday, Afternoon Clubs extend the day from 12.30pm to 3pm; Forest Friday runs from 9am to 12.30pm. An optional early drop-off starts at 8.30am. Under-threes attend at least three core days each week, while children from the term after their third birthday attend at least four core sessions.

Hummingbirds operates in term time at 293 Park Road, Kingston Upon Thames, KT2 5LY. Families register interest through the admissions form and are then guided through the enrolment steps. The setting recommends a visit with the child before enrolment, useful for seeing how the single classroom and large garden operate across the morning.

Funding and Paid Extras

The setting offers eligible two-year-old funding, the universal 15-hour entitlement and the extended 30-hour entitlement. Funded morning hours run from 9.30am to 12.30pm, while funded afternoon hours run from 12.30pm to 2.30pm. Additional hours and services outside those windows are charged, and afternoon enrichment can also carry charges. Families should request a written quotation that separates funded hours, private hours, curriculum and resource contributions, and afternoon clubs.

Children prepare and share the morning snack buffet. Families provide the packed lunch used after the morning session.

• Weekly pattern. The minimum rises from three core days for under-threes to four core sessions from the term after a child's third birthday. Families wanting fewer days should weigh that requirement before applying.
• Funded hours and enrichment. Funded windows do not cover every minute of the published day, and afternoon enrichment carries associated charges. Ask for a worked quotation for the exact weekly pattern you need.
• Friday is different. Forest Friday replaces the usual Montessori Morning format with outdoor and woodland-themed activity plus Playball. Ask what clothing and food children need for that session.

Hummingbirds has a clear identity: child-directed Montessori work, unusually substantial outdoor choice and a weekly Forest Friday, all within a small term-time setting. The Outstanding 2022 inspection gives that model credible backing, especially around language, independence and relationships, though families should judge how the inspection-era strengths look now.

It best suits families seeking consistent morning attendance, with the option of Music, Tennis, Dance or Art afternoons from Monday to Thursday and a nature-led Friday morning. The minimum weekly commitment and the split between funded hours, private time and enrichment deserve careful costing before enrolment.