BarleyMont Fairlop Montessori Nursery

Individual support gives this Fairlop nursery its clearest character. Alongside a Montessori approach, which allows children to lead their learning, there are individual support plans, sensory resources and practical arrangements for children who need help with communication or daily routines. The setting occupies the Jean Brown Indoor Arena at Redbridge Sports and Leisure Centre in Barkingside and cares for children under five, including babies. It has 50 places in total.

At its March 2026 inspection, Ofsted judged inclusion to be Strong standard, the other assessed areas to be Expected standard, and safeguarding standards to be met. That is a useful distinction: inclusion was the strongest assessed area, while teaching still needed more consistent work to extend children's language and thinking.

Morning, afternoon and full-day attendance sit alongside term-time preschool sessions. Families can therefore consider shorter sessions as well as care across the working day.

Rooms and Ages

Babies, Toddlers and Preschool are the nursery's room names. For families choosing care for a younger child, the day involves more than a room label: comfort, opportunities to move and the way adults respond all matter.

In March 2026, babies explored the playroom, stacked small toys and investigated a game involving objects hidden in a bag. Older children assembled large floor puzzles independently. These are concrete examples of learning through handling objects, trying things out and working out how pieces fit together.

Learning and Activities

The EYFS (Early Years Foundation Stage) provides the framework for care and learning, with play and observation helping staff plan each child's next steps. Montessori sits alongside that framework as an approach to child-led learning. Practitioners use observations to decide what a child might tackle next, and parents contribute to that process through regular communication.

There is a clear difference between providing an activity and making the most of it. In March 2026, children counted during play, matched puzzle pieces and explored number through songs. Story activities used small animal figures, while an interest in cars prompted related play. These examples connect early language and mathematics with things children already want to investigate.

Adult interaction was less consistent. In March 2026, some exchanges missed opportunities to encourage more speech, ask questions or stretch children's ideas. The next steps were to develop staff's understanding of language-supporting interactions and strengthen how activities were planned and led to extend learning. This matters for parents weighing the Montessori approach: child-led exploration still needs thoughtful adult involvement.

Outdoor and Community Life

The garden added a physical dimension to the day in March 2026. Children climbed, ran and used wheeled toys, with opportunities to investigate nature. Older children used stairs on the way to the garden, bringing movement and growing independence into ordinary routines.

Festivals and cultural celebrations also featured in March 2026, giving children opportunities to learn about other people's lives. The emphasis here was on everyday exploration and shared experiences rather than a timetable of named outings.

Relationships and Communication

In March 2026, key persons knew children's routines and individual needs, including babies' ways of seeking comfort. Staff supported potty training and helped children rest through soothing responses. For a parent, these details make the relationship with an adult as relevant as the activities on offer.

Communication has a practical purpose. Parents contribute information about their child's development, while staff share learning and wellbeing updates. In March 2026, a parent app carried information about children's next steps, allowing families to see what staff were working towards rather than receiving only an account of the day's activities.

Inclusion and Wellbeing

An Individual Support Plan sets out goals and strategies for a child with SEND, with reviews involving parents and professionals. A SENCO coordinates the provision and contact with outside specialists. Staff receive continuing training covering communication difficulties, autism and behaviour, giving the support arrangements a defined structure.

Quiet spaces and sensory equipment provide alternatives for children who need a calmer setting. Visual prompts and adapted activities are also part of the support arrangements. Before an external referral, parents' consent is sought; progress discussions take place termly. These mechanisms give families a role in decisions about support.

School transition work for children with SEND includes visits, reports and meetings with the receiving setting. Personalised plans also support moves between nursery rooms, so the child's needs can be carried into the next stage rather than discussed afresh each time.

The Early Years Oral Health Programme promotes dental hygiene habits from an early age. Its practical value is the inclusion of oral health within nursery life alongside learning and care.

Sessions and Attendance

Opening hours are 7am to 7pm, Monday to Friday. Nursery and preschool bookings include morning, afternoon and full-day sessions, plus term-time preschool attendance. Breakfast Club runs from 7am to 8:45am, while Afterschool Club runs from 3pm to 7pm; these provide care before and after the school day.

The nursery operates for 50 weeks, with a two-week Christmas closure and bank holiday closures. Holiday Club also offers morning, afternoon and full-day attendance during school holidays, providing a separate holiday-care option.

Getting There

The address is Jean Brown Indoor Arena, Redbridge Sports and Leisure Centre, Forest Road, Barkingside, IG6 3HD. Fairlop enquiries can be made by telephone, text or email, and there is a nursery and preschool registration route.

Funding and Paid Extras

Funded childcare includes 15 funded hours, 30 funded hours for eligible working families, universal funding for children aged three and four, and funding for eligible two-year-olds. Eligible children can access funding from nine months to school age. Delivery can be term-time over 38 weeks or stretched across the 50-week operating year, giving families different ways to organise their entitlement.

Meals and non-food consumables are charged separately on funded hours, as are optional services. Families who choose not to pay for extras can discuss alternatives with management; choosing optional services is separate from access to funded care. Current prices come in the nursery's written quotation, and the funding and fees page explains the charge structure.

• Language and teaching. The March 2026 next steps concerned extending conversation and making activities more challenging. During a visit, ask how practitioners now build language and thinking into child-led play.
• Babies and settling. Babies, Toddlers and Preschool are separate room labels, while familiar adults featured in babies' care in March 2026. Ask how settling sessions work and how your baby's sleep and feeding routines will be shared with the key person.
• Attendance and closures. Morning, afternoon and term-time preschool sessions offer alternatives to full-day bookings, but Christmas and bank holiday closures affect childcare planning. Match the attendance pattern and closure calendar to your working arrangements.
• Funded extras. Meals and consumables attract separate charges during funded hours, with alternatives open to discussion. Consider the complete written quotation and the arrangements that would suit your child.

Fairlop suits families considering morning or afternoon sessions, full-day bookings or term-time preschool attendance, with a Montessori approach and defined mechanisms for individual support. The inclusion judgement gives the SEND arrangements particular weight, while sensory equipment, support plans and transition work make those arrangements tangible.

The reservation is teaching consistency. Opportunities to extend children's speech and thinking were still being missed in March 2026. Parents choosing this nursery should give that issue as much attention as the attendance options and care arrangements.