The Nest Pre-School CIC

Clay, Italian songs and outdoor den-building give The Nest Pre-School CIC a recognisable character. This parent-run, not-for-profit preschool makes art and practical activity central to its day, with ceramics projects, cooking and weekly Forest School providing several ways for children to explore an idea. Longfield Hall is the home base. Its gardens and nearby Myatts Field Park extend the opportunities beyond indoor play.

At its November 2023 inspection, Ofsted rated the setting Good overall and judged safeguarding effective. The improvements requested were specific: children needed more help listening to one another in larger groups, and management needed closer observation of teaching practice. Those points matter alongside the appealing curriculum.

Children join from two and ordinarily stay until four, before moving to Reception; the setting has capacity for 20 children in total. Attendance is term-time, with morning, afternoon and flexible sessions rather than one fixed pattern for every family.

Learning and Activities

The early years foundation stage sets the requirements for children's learning, development and care: here, play and practical activities give children opportunities to develop language, movement, early number skills and independence. The Nest's arts-based approach adds a concrete emphasis on making, performing and expressing ideas. Its curriculum overview connects this approach to activities children can take part in, rather than leaving it as a general statement about creativity.

Ceramics involves projects each term, with children trying glazing, coiling and pinch-pot techniques. This gives making something a longer arc than a single painting activity: children explore a material and develop their own piece. Cooking links to the topics children are learning about and uses produce they have grown. Bread, smoothies, pizza and elderflower cordial are examples, connecting ingredients and growing food with the practical work of preparing it.

Weekly Italian sessions use songs with actions, visual cards, repetition and guessing games. Beginner and advanced groups allow different starting points, while the session leader speaks Italian throughout. Yoga and mindfulness bring another kind of activity into the curriculum, using gentle exercises and attention to movement. For families interested in creative learning, the appeal is the variety of ways children can participate: language, physical activity and making things each have a place.

Weekly Drama & Music uses the Lower Ground Hall for stories explored through role-play, dance and movement, with singing, drums and gym equipment. A performance for parents each term gives children a shared aim.

Children are grouped according to both development and age, with activities adapted for different stages. In November 2023, older children practised recognising their written names while younger children used pictures for support; counting games and pretend-money play brought mathematics into ordinary activities. These examples show how early literacy and number work sat alongside the arts, rather than being confined to a separate lesson.

Outdoor and Community Life

Weekly Forest School brings seasonal outdoor learning into the programme, including making dens and cooking over fires. The gardens and nearby Myatts Field Park extend the opportunities for discovery.

Natural Thinkers is a programme connecting children with nature through access to an outdoor natural space. At The Nest, that space is used for curiosity, scientific exploration and imagination. It sits alongside Forest School rather than replacing the everyday opportunities in the gardens.

In November 2023, children grew vegetables and fruit, worked out how to cross planks and helped one another on the climbing frame. The examples are useful for understanding the outdoor provision at that time: it involved cooperation and physical problem-solving as well as exercise. Gardening also linked the outdoor space to conversations about food.

Settling starts before regular attendance. The enrolment process includes an information guide and a pre-welcome session, with the introduction planned alongside parents. A key-worker role, SENCO lead and designated child-protection role are part of the staff structure. These give families identifiable responsibilities for everyday care, additional learning needs and safeguarding concerns.

In November 2023, parents could remain while their child became comfortable, and staff used parents' knowledge of what children could already do to plan learning. Regular meetings kept families informed about development. This made communication part of planning for the child, rather than simply an account of what had happened during the day.

At the November 2023 inspection, Ofsted found that learning gaps were beginning to narrow for children with special educational needs and/or disabilities, with the SENCO working alongside families and external agencies on targeted teaching. That is a dated finding about how support worked, rather than a general promise about every child's experience.

Practical independence was also visible in November 2023: older children managed their shoes, coats and toileting, while younger children were encouraged to try putting on their coats themselves. Staff reviewed children's packed lunches and snacks and guided parents towards healthier choices. These observations place self-care and health alongside the more eye-catching creative activities.

Sessions and Attendance

The address is Longfield Hall, 50 Knatchbull Road, London SE5 9QY. Opening hours are 8.30am to 3pm on weekdays, during term time; closures follow local school holidays. This is a school-term attendance pattern, so families need separate arrangements for the holiday periods.

Morning sessions run from 9am to noon, and afternoon sessions from noon to 3pm. Flexible sessions are also offered. Funded attendance falls between 9am and 3pm; the 15-hour pattern can be taken as five mornings or two and a half days, and additional private hours can be purchased. That makes the morning option a different practical proposition from spreading attendance across fewer, longer days.

Registrations are handled throughout the school year in order of application. Enquiries can be made through the contact route or by telephone, and the enrolment process includes admission paperwork and a funding declaration where applicable. Prices for private hours and extras come in the nursery's current written quotation.

Funding and Paid Extras

The Nest offers government-funded places of 15 or 30 hours, subject to eligibility, delivered during term time. Children must already be two or three before the term starts to receive funding for that term. Additional hours are paid for separately. The funding and charges information distinguishes entitlement hours from purchased attendance and identifies classes and trips as additional voluntary services.

Weekly classes for children aged three and over carry separate charges, and termly trips are also chargeable extras. For a family choosing The Nest because of Forest School, Italian or practical arts, the distinction matters: the attendance pattern and the activities selected both affect the quotation. The creative programme should be considered alongside its charging structure.

Getting There

Pedestrian entry is through Burton Road, and on-street parking is limited. Transport options include the P5 stop on Loughborough Road, buses on Brixton Road, Brixton Underground, Loughborough Junction Railway and Denmark Hill Overground.

• Group listening and teaching oversight. In November 2023, children sometimes spoke over one another during group activities, and weaknesses in teaching were not identified quickly enough through management monitoring. During a visit, ask how turn-taking is taught and how staff practice is observed now.
• Creative activities and extra charges. Weekly classes for children aged three and over and termly trips are separately charged voluntary services. Ask for a written quotation matching your attendance pattern and chosen activities, so the arts programme and its costs can be considered together.
• The weekly timetable. Ceramics and Drama & Music have recurring places in the programme, but the curriculum and charging timetables assign activities to different weekdays. The current calendar matters if particular activities will determine which days you book.
• Food and everyday supplies. In November 2023, staff reviewed children's packed lunches and snacks. Ask what families should supply now, including food and non-food consumables, and how those arrangements apply to funded attendance.

The Nest suits families looking for an arts-led preschool where children make ceramics, cook, explore Italian and spend time learning outdoors. It also serves different attendance needs: morning sessions, afternoon sessions and flexible arrangements all sit within its term-time model. The parent-run structure and planned introduction offer a clear route into preschool life.

The Good judgement from November 2023 is balanced by specific work needed on group listening and teaching oversight. For parents, the decision turns on the fit between the creative programme, the chosen attendance days and separately charged activities. The setting's character is clear; those practical choices deserve equal weight.