Toad Hall Montessori Nursery School

A role-play post office, child-led minibeast investigations and regular yoga give a clear sense of how Toad Hall Montessori Nursery School turns ordinary experiences into purposeful learning. This is a small Kennington setting for children aged two to five, with capacity for 20 children at 37 St. Marys Gardens, SE11 4UF.

Ofsted's November 2025 report card judged achievement, behaviour and routines, welfare, curriculum, inclusion, and leadership at the strong standard. Safeguarding standards were met. The earlier full inspection in February 2020 judged the nursery Outstanding, but families should use the newer report card for the most recent account of practice.

The Early Years Foundation Stage is woven through practical activities, meaning communication, physical development, mathematics and personal development are built into play rather than treated as isolated lessons. During the 2025 inspection, children wrote letters in a role-play post office, weighed parcels and threw balls at numbered targets. A play-dough activity brought together vocabulary, small-muscle control, size, capacity and colour mixing.

Children also helped shape activities. When they asked for minibeasts, staff used magnifying glasses and questions about habitats to extend their knowledge and language. Books mattered too: children shared stories in the reading corner and acted out The Tiger Who Came to Tea with props. The report describes an outdoor garden, regular trips and physical play involving balancing, throwing, catching and dancing.

These examples show staff extending an idea rather than rushing children to the next activity. In the post office, mark-making became letters to family and friends, parcel weighing introduced number recognition, and target games added movement. During play-dough making, children sequenced the recipe, compared spoon sizes and experimented with food colouring. These are small, concrete episodes, but together they show how the curriculum connects language, mathematics, coordination and problem-solving. Children could then revisit what they knew, explain it and take pride in the result.

Relationships are a defining strength in the 2025 account. Children had clear bonds with staff and sought trusted adults for comfort and to share their work. Circle time and books provided opportunities to discuss feelings, while one-to-one support and role play helped children regulate emotions. Regular yoga added stretching and breathing exercises.

Inclusion was judged at the strong standard. Staff swiftly identified children with special educational needs and/or disabilities, set specific targets and reviewed them with families and outside professionals. Staff supported children learning English as an additional language through both their home language and English. Parents received updates and ideas for extending activities at home.

Daily routines supported independence as well as comfort. Children selected activities before welcome circle time, followed instructions at group time and helped tidy away. Adults praised kindness and manners, and a wiggle song reinforced kind hands. Attendance and punctuality were monitored for continuity, while returning children could be resettled with a parent after an absence.

Safeguarding standards were met in November 2025. Leaders had made protecting children a shared duty, with worries noticed and handled. Outdoors and on trips, adults discussed how children could keep themselves safe. The report also found that individual adjustments helped every child take part, with training chosen around specific needs and new learning applied to day-to-day practice.

The nursery accepts children from two to five and has capacity for 20 children. The provider record describes term-time opening. Families should obtain the nursery's current schedule and quotation directly before making comparisons.

At inspection, families were asked to bring fruit and vegetables to share, and staff sent healthy-eating guidance home. Treat that as a November 2025 snapshot rather than a current charging or food policy.

• Attendance and costs. Ask for one current written schedule covering session choices, term dates, minimum attendance, funded hours and any extras before making comparisons.
• Curriculum in practice. The inspection gives detailed examples of interest-led Early Years Foundation Stage learning. Families for whom the setting's named educational tradition is important should discuss how that shapes the daily routine.

Toad Hall Montessori Nursery School is best evidenced as a small, relationship-led setting where practical play carries real educational purpose. The 2025 inspection account is consistently positive: children were confident, emotionally secure and deeply engaged, while inclusion and curriculum planning reached Ofsted's strong standard. It suits families who value close adult bonds, language-rich play and careful SEND support. The strong emphasis on children revisiting prior learning is another plus. Celebration-of-work scrapbooks let children share success with adults, while careful questioning encouraged them to recall knowledge and solve problems. The main homework is practical, because current sessions, funding delivery and extras need confirming directly.