Buttercups at Teddington

Wizard House gives preschool children their own Montessori hall, while the main nursery adds an Art Room, Dance Studio and Soft Play Room. Buttercups at Teddington has more to its character than a High Street address: children can move between spaces built for making, movement, sensory exploration and increasingly independent learning.

At its 7 May 2025 inspection, Ofsted rated the nursery Outstanding and found safeguarding effective, with teaching that developed children's interests into purposeful learning. The strongest impression is of adults paying close attention to what each child can already do, then choosing an achievable next step.

Children are accepted from 3 months to 5 years. The younger age groups use the main building; preschool children have Wizard House on the same site. Full days and shorter blocks of paid attendance are offered, with the detail of funding and booking deserving careful attention.

Rooms and Ages

For under-twos, dedicated playrooms have a calm atmosphere and a separate sleep room, giving rest its own space away from play; children aged 2 to 3 use wooden and other natural-material equipment chosen for learning through play.

Wizard House accommodates the 3-to-5 age group in a separate Montessori hall, where supervised ICT, science experiments and daily early mathematics and literacy activities extend children's interests towards school preparation.

The Soft Play Room combines movement and sensory exploration: its two levels include a den, with slides, tunnels and stairs alongside changing coloured lights and buttons that produce animal sounds. Babies have sensory experiences here, while the climbing and sliding equipment gives children opportunities to practise larger movements indoors.

An Art Room provides a dedicated setting for techniques and materials, with famous artists providing weekly inspiration. The Dance Studio supports yoga and Bend and Stretch activities, and its music controls allow children to choose what they listen to. These spaces make indoor activity a substantial part of the offer, rather than simply a fallback when outdoor play is difficult.

Learning and Activities

The early years foundation stage sets the requirements for children's learning, development and care: here, play, communication and growing independence form part of that daily learning. Montessori adds a child-led approach using purposeful equipment, with adults guiding children's choices and exploration. Babies encounter Montessori materials too, so the approach begins before preschool.

In Wizard House, the equipment makes the approach concrete. Golden Beads introduce place value and mathematical operations; Landform Trays explore geographical features; Solar System Models support learning about planetary movement. Volcano Models and Inside the Human Body models extend the resources into eruptions and anatomy. These are useful specifics for parents who want to understand what a Montessori hall actually contains.

Specialist visitors have included an optician and a cardiologist, bringing adult occupations into children's learning. Cooking, French, Science and Sports Club add further activities, while yoga and dance use the studio. The practical appeal is the combination of specialist resources and experiences beyond the everyday playroom.

In May 2025, staff shaped activities around children's interests and adjusted the next steps for different stages of development. Children had time to answer questions, younger children explored pictures during stories, and babies joined action songs. Learning took different forms according to age, rather than asking everyone to complete the same task.

Outdoor and Community Life

The garden contains natural resources and play equipment, with forest school inspired sessions and physical activity forming part of its use. That description supports outdoor exploration here; it is the actual garden and activities that matter to a family's decision.

In May 2025, children watered lettuce they had planted and talked about what plants need to grow. Outings included buying fruit at a local greengrocer, connecting nursery learning with an ordinary community activity. Children also explored festivals and cultures. These examples show how practical experiences can introduce care for living things, shopping and differences between people's lives.

Relationships and Communication

Each child has a key person, and settling is handled gently. In May 2025, the settling period could be shortened or extended around an individual child's needs, with daily feedback for parents. That flexibility matters: the transition was treated as a relationship to build, rather than a fixed timetable every child had to meet.

Daily communication also carried learning beyond the nursery. In May 2025, emails and newsletters explained activities and offered ideas and resources for home. Parents could see what children were working on and continue an interest outside nursery hours, rather than receiving only an account of meals and sleep.

Independence was built through ordinary care routines in May 2025: babies practised feeding themselves, toddlers worked on putting on coats and shoes, and preschool children managed the bathroom themselves. Timers helped younger children share, while older children took turns with less adult prompting. These small routines give children repeated opportunities to practise doing things for themselves.

Inclusion and Wellbeing

At the May 2025 inspection, Ofsted found that children with SEND or emerging additional needs received highly effective support, with staff responding promptly, adapting activities and sharing strategies across the team. For families needing additional help, the meaningful detail is the connection between identifying a need and changing everyday practice.

In May 2025, children also practised recognising emotions and expressing how they felt. Babies were asked whether they wanted a cuddle, and toddlers learnt handwashing and nose-wiping. Preschool children practised road safety when moving to the annexe, with parents supporting the approach. Care included learning to recognise personal needs and make safer choices.

Meals are freshly prepared each day by the nursery's own cook, with catering for dietary requirements. Food and non-food consumables carry no separate surcharge under the attendance terms, including when a child takes funded hours only.

Sessions and Attendance

The address is 131-133 High Street, Teddington, TW11 8HH. Opening hours are 8am to 6pm, Monday to Friday, and the nursery operates across 51 weeks of the year. Bank holidays and a week at Christmas are closures to build into family arrangements.

A full day runs from 8am to 6pm. Parents without funding can also buy blocks from 8am to 1pm, 1pm to 4pm and 4pm to 6pm, combining them within a day if needed. A booking consisting only of the 1pm-to-4pm or 4pm-to-6pm block is limited to one such session per week.

Most children attend at least two full days, but that is a typical pattern rather than a universal minimum. Funded attendance has a minimum of 10 funded hours per week. Funded-only bookings must take the complete funded allocation offered for the day, up to the child's entitlement.

Where funded families purchase additional hours, attendance must begin at 8am or end at 6pm. Shorter days attract a higher hourly rate. For families without funding or those buying hours beyond their funded allocation, attendance below 20 hours attracts a surcharge that makes the weekly price three times the usual charge. The resulting bill depends on the whole weekly pattern, not simply the number of paid hours.

Funding and Paid Extras

Eligible families can use the 30 hour scheme or 15 hour scheme. Funding is stretched across 51 weeks, giving a maximum weekly allocation of 22 hours for the former and 11 hours for the latter. For children attending two or three days, the daily funded allocation is capped at 7 hours, with 7.5 hours on Mondays and Fridays.

Funded hours run from 11am to 6pm on Tuesday, Wednesday and Thursday, and from 10:30am to 6pm on Monday and Friday. Attendance outside those windows is chargeable. Funding is allocated first to days with the longest attendance, and changes that increase the funded allocation require local authority approval.

Food, non-food consumables, special classes and outings have no additional surcharge, including for funded-only attendance. A non-refundable registration charge applies to joining the waiting list, except for funded-only parents who provide eligibility evidence and select attendance within their entitlement.

Admissions prioritise longer attendance and bookings that match the nursery's opening and closing times. Current prices come in the nursery's written quotation; the Teddington fees page explains how the attendance pattern affects charges.

• The shape of your week. Full days and shorter paid blocks are offered, but shorter days attract a higher rate. Attendance below 20 hours makes the weekly price three times the usual charge for families without funding or those buying hours beyond their funded allocation. Use a visit to work through your exact weekly pattern and a written quotation.
• Wizard House and the younger rooms. Preschool has its own hall, while under-twos have separate sleeping space in the main building. During a visit, discuss how your child will use shared facilities and move between age groups.
• Funding across the year. Stretched funding has daily caps and specific clock windows, and Richmond's start-date rules can affect a first claim. Establish the funded start date alongside the proposed attendance before committing.

Buttercups at Teddington suits families wanting either full days or shorter paid blocks, alongside a substantial set of indoor spaces and a separate Montessori setting for preschool. Wizard House's equipment, the sensory elements of Soft Play Room and the dedicated art and movement spaces give parents concrete reasons to consider it.

The May 2025 judgement adds weight to that offer, especially the attention to individual learning and relationships. The booking arithmetic is the counterweight: funded windows, shorter-day pricing and attendance priorities make the fit between your family timetable and the nursery's terms an important part of the decision.