Iqra Preschool

A private playground and premises devoted entirely to nursery life give Iqra Preschool in Manor Park a clear practical identity. Indoor spaces are organised around different areas of learning, while the outdoor space gives children somewhere to play beyond the rooms. This is a setting for children aged two to four.

At its October 2024 inspection, Ofsted rated Iqra Preschool Good, judged safeguarding effective and found that children, including those with SEND and from disadvantaged backgrounds, were progressing well. The strongest examples concerned language, independence and learning through physical activity. Two improvements concerned extending learning and checking staff practice more closely.

Learning and Activities

The early years foundation stage provides the framework for children's learning, development and care: in everyday terms, play and conversation support language, relationships, movement and early reading and number skills. At Manor Park, the indoor layout separates areas of learning, giving different activities their own space within premises used exclusively by the nursery.

In October 2024, activities followed children's interests as well as topics. Staff assessed what children could already do and used that understanding to plan subsequent learning. Books were read together, and children also looked through them independently. When children wanted to try writing their names, staff demonstrated on whiteboards and encouraged an attempt.

Language ran through interactions. During October 2024, practitioners repeated expressions, added vocabulary and listened to children's contributions. Number learning also extended beyond counting: building towers prompted comparisons of size, while outdoor shape activities connected mathematical ideas with movement. These examples show how everyday play could carry learning rather than leave it confined to a separate lesson.

There was a limitation to that teaching. In October 2024, some questions stopped short of helping children connect an activity with something they had learnt before. Recognising an answer and developing an idea are different steps; the latter needed more consistent attention.

Outdoor and Community Life

The private playground is a substantial part of the setting's physical offer. It gives families a nursery with its own outdoor space alongside indoor areas organised for learning.

In October 2024, children used a slide and wheeled toys outdoors, practising movement and taking turns. Indoors and outside, paint, chalk and play dough gave them opportunities to strengthen hand control. The combination matters: climbing and riding exercise larger movements, while manipulating materials and making marks support the smaller movements involved in early writing.

In October 2024, children took on manageable responsibilities, including finding their snack bags, helping clear away and passing painting materials to friends. These were small tasks with a useful purpose: children could contribute to the group and do things for themselves. Staff reinforced boundaries and reminded children to move safely indoors, connecting behaviour expectations with everyday situations.

Support for additional needs involved practical collaboration. In October 2024, staff consulted other professionals and incorporated their advice into targeted help for individual children; a special educational needs coordinator also discussed the setting's arrangements during the visit. For a parent, that mechanism matters more than a broad promise that every need will be met. It provides a basis for discussing how professional advice becomes part of a child's activities.

Communication with families was daily in October 2024, with updates about what children had been doing. Development assessments also informed the next steps staff planned, linking observation with subsequent activities rather than simply recording completed tasks.

The team comprised five staff in October 2024, including the manager, and each held a level 3 early years qualification. At that point, staff supervision and observation of newly introduced practice had not yet been put in place. Leaders consequently lacked a clear picture of individual strengths and development needs. This was a management issue with direct relevance to the consistency of children's experiences.

Sessions and Attendance

The address is 57–59 Gladstone Avenue, Manor Park, London E12 6NR. Opening hours are 9.15am to 3.45pm, Monday to Friday, during term time. That operating window matters for families organising nursery alongside work or other children's routines.

In October 2024, attendance included morning, afternoon and all-day sessions. These are different patterns of attendance, rather than evidence that every child stayed for the whole opening window. The branch can be contacted on 020 8001 6986.

Funding and Paid Extras

Government-funded 15 and 30 hour places are offered. There is no registration charge and no deposit, removing those two upfront costs from joining. Funded childcare still depends on the entitlement that applies to the child; participation by the nursery does not itself establish a family's eligibility.

• Teaching beyond the first answer. In October 2024, staff did not consistently help children connect new activities with earlier learning. During a weekday visit, ask how practitioners now extend a child's idea or question.
• Oversight of staff practice. Supervision and monitoring needed attention in October 2024. Ask how these now operate and how feedback changes day-to-day teaching.
• Attendance and family logistics. Term-time opening runs from 9.15am to 3.45pm; morning, afternoon and all-day attendance featured in October 2024. Agree the current session pattern and collection time before joining.
• Food and daily supplies. Before starting, ask what food and non-food supplies your chosen attendance pattern requires you to bring, and have the arrangements included in your written quotation.

Iqra Preschool suits families seeking a nursery for a two-to-four-year-old with dedicated indoor learning spaces and a private playground. Its October 2024 examples give substance to the Good judgement: children practised independence, used books and writing materials, and encountered number ideas through play.

For families considering morning or afternoon attendance as well as an all-day pattern, it merits consideration within a term-time routine. The key qualification is teaching consistency. Extending children's thinking and establishing closer oversight of staff were the two areas requiring attention, and both deserve a direct conversation before committing.