Modern Montessori International, MMI Preschool, Raynes Park

An outdoor classroom in Cottenham Park and practical Montessori learning give this Raynes Park nursery its character. Children can choose hands-on activities, explore materials and use a garden directly from the older children's room. The emphasis is on doing things for themselves, with space for imaginative play alongside more structured resources.

At its January 2024 inspection, Ofsted rated the nursery Good and judged safeguarding effective. The main improvement point concerned staff questioning: children needed more consistent opportunities to extend their language and think through ideas.

There are 30 places in total, with care spanning nine months to five years. The Baby Room and Early Years Room separate the youngest children's needs from those of older children. Morning and full-day attendance follow a term-time calendar, with an additional Breakfast Club.

Rooms and Ages

For children from nine months to two years, the Baby Room combines sensory resources, comfortable resting areas and play spaces, with activities including treasure baskets, singing, stories, messy exploration and gentle garden play. That mix gives babies opportunities to investigate textures and sounds while also having somewhere quieter to rest.

The Early Years Room serves children aged two to five, combining Montessori materials, creative spaces and direct garden access to support practical independence, early maths and literacy, sensory exploration and imaginative play. Children can choose activities and work at their own pace.

Learning and Activities

The Early Years Foundation Stage (EYFS) provides the learning and care framework, with children developing skills through play and practical experiences. Montessori adds a child-led approach: children choose resources and explore at their own pace, while adults support their growing independence. Here, that approach has concrete equipment behind it, including materials for everyday tasks, sensory exploration, number work and literacy.

Imaginative play has its own spaces. A role-play room can become a Post Office, Home Corner or Sensory Room in response to children's requests. The Art & Crafts Room accommodates painting, messy activities and sand and water play. Children therefore have different ways to explore an idea, whether through handling materials, pretending or making something.

In January 2024, children selected activities such as grinding coffee beans, then returned the equipment when finished. Practical tasks made independence something to practise, rather than simply something adults encouraged verbally. Play dough offered another route to using tools and developing hand control.

Weekly cooking was also part of the January 2024 programme, drawing on the children's cultural backgrounds and introducing mathematical ideas through food preparation. Spanish lessons involved counting and learning phrases. These were additions to the practical Montessori work, with language and number appearing in different contexts.

Outdoor and Community Life

Cottenham Park is more than an address: the nursery has an outdoor classroom within the park, while the Early Years Room opens directly onto a secure garden. Access to nature sits alongside indoor materials, giving children another setting in which to investigate and play.

In January 2024, outdoor play included cooperative construction using large toys and hammers. Children also made bird feeders in preparation for the Big Garden Birdwatch, an activity that connected creative choices with observing birds. Those examples show how making and outdoor interests could come together in the nursery day.

Each baby has a key person, providing a consistent relationship for care and communication. Parents receive updates about experiences and developmental milestones. For families starting childcare with a baby, the useful detail is that continuity is built into the arrangement, alongside the room's rest and play spaces.

At the January 2024 inspection, Ofsted found that relationships with key persons were strong and that children with special educational needs and/or disabilities (SEND), and those learning English as an additional language, received effective support through work with parents and professionals. Children were encouraged to retain their home languages alongside learning English.

Communication in January 2024 included regular progress feedback and a termly newsletter containing home-learning information and routes to local services. Parents also participated in celebration days. This gave communication a practical purpose beyond recounting activities: families could use information at home and access wider support.

Everyday self-care featured in January 2024 too. Children practised washing their hands, using the toilet and putting on outdoor clothing, with adults encouraging further attempts. Healthy meals and snacks accompanied conversations about food choices at that time.

Sessions and Attendance

The nursery's address is The Pavilion, Cottenham Park, Melbury Gardens, London SW20 0DH. Enquiries can be made through the Raynes Park contact form or by telephone on 020 8947 5453.

Attendance is term-time only, across 38 weeks. Full days run from 9am to 4pm, with weekly bookings of three, four or five days. Morning bookings are also offered for three, four or five mornings; the funded five-morning pattern runs from 9am to 12.30pm. Breakfast Club is an additional session from 8am to 9am and includes breakfast.

A completed application and a non-refundable registration charge precede confirmation of a place. Registration does not guarantee the requested start date or sessions. A written offer requests a retainer, and the place may be withdrawn if it is not received within one week of the offer letter.

Funding and Paid Extras

Funded attendance includes a 15-hour arrangement for three- and four-year-olds and a 30-hour arrangement for children with an Early Years funding code. Both sit within the term-time offer. The attendance patterns also include paid hours beyond the funded allowance, so funded entitlement and the total booking are separate parts of the calculation.

Private weekly fees include snacks and enhanced provision; funded packages show separate snack and enhanced-activity charges for several patterns, while the five-full-day 15-hour package lists neither charge. Breakfast is included in Breakfast Club, and families should obtain a current written quotation for their chosen pattern.

The retainer is refundable on leaving only after at least six months' attendance and at least one full calendar month's written withdrawal notice. Missed sessions caused by sickness or holidays are not refunded. These conditions matter when comparing the cost of a regular booking with how often a child will attend.

• Term-time rhythm. Morning and full-day bookings cover 38 weeks, rather than the school holidays. Families needing care throughout the year should weigh that calendar against their working arrangements.
• Language and thinking. More consistent questioning was the January 2024 improvement point. On a visit, ask how adults now extend children's answers during practical activities and play.
• Starting with a baby. The Baby Room had a planned September 2025 opening. Ask how settling is organised and what the usual baby group size will be on your child's attendance days.
• The complete booking cost. Funded patterns can include paid extra hours, snacks and enhanced activities, and the retainer has attendance and notice conditions. Compare the written quotation for the exact pattern you want, including how meals and non-food consumables are handled.

This nursery suits families seeking term-time morning sessions or full-day attendance with practical Montessori learning and outdoor space. The changing role-play spaces and direct garden access give older children alternatives to working with classroom materials; babies have a separate room and their own key person.

The January 2024 Good judgement provides a positive inspection position, balanced by a specific improvement point around questioning. The newer baby provision deserves separate consideration from that preschool-era assessment. For parents whose calendar fits the term-time model, the combination of child choice, practical tasks and park-based learning is the clearest reason to consider Raynes Park.