Casa Montessori Richmond

Children choosing their own work, languages woven through play, and a garden with a mud kitchen: Casa Montessori Richmond has a clear identity. Its Montessori approach gives children practical tasks to master for themselves, while English, French, Spanish and Italian form part of everyday conversation. This is an offer for parents who want independence and language exposure to shape the nursery day.

At its November 2024 inspection, Ofsted judged the nursery Good overall, found safeguarding effective and described staff who understood individual targets for children with special educational needs and/or disabilities (SEND). Casa accepts children aged 2 to 5 and has capacity for 35 children. Morning sessions, short days and long days run during term time, giving families different ways to use the same setting.

Learning and Activities

Montessori here means children choosing prepared activities and working at their own pace, guided by adults. It sits alongside the Early Years Foundation Stage, the framework for children's learning, development and care: play and practical tasks develop communication, physical skills, early literacy and number understanding. The morning work cycle protects time for numeracy, literacy, construction, art and practical life.

In November 2024, adults demonstrated transferring water through a funnel into a jug before children practised independently. Story sessions offered a choice of English or Spanish for Dear Zoo, while real fruit accompanied The Very Hungry Caterpillar. Children also sang in French and Spanish.

Today, native-speaking staff use English, French, Spanish and Italian in routines, conversation and play. Families can choose one or two additional languages alongside English, with a key teacher who speaks the selected language. Exposure therefore extends beyond scheduled lessons.

November 2024 also brought two teaching concerns: questions too often invited closed answers, limiting children's spoken ideas, and staff did not consistently change their approach when attention drifted. These weaknesses matter alongside the opportunities for independent work.

Outdoor and Community Life

The Hall has high ceilings and large windows, with materials arranged for independent use. The Front Garden accommodates running, balancing and group play; the Back Garden has a sandpit and mud kitchen. Morning movement between indoors and outdoors lets children switch between table activities and physical play.

Forest School brings regular outings to Pensford Field for exploring, building and investigating nature. Weekly Playball uses sports games to practise balance and coordination; weekly music and drama develop listening and imaginative expression.

Brazilian Jiu-Jitsu with Tiny Jitz emphasises emotional control and working together. Yoga introduces poses and breathing, while cooking involves measuring and mixing. Practical skills, creative expression and organised movement all have a place alongside self-chosen work.

Relationships and Communication

In November 2024, key-person play and reassurance during difficult transitions gave children familiar adults to turn to. Children also prepared snack fruit and washed their dishes, bringing practical independence into care routines.

My Montessori Child, the online learning journal combining Montessori philosophy with the Early Years Foundation Stage, gives parents an account of development. Everyday conversations provide another opportunity to exchange information.

Inclusion and Wellbeing

The manager holds both the SENCO and designated safeguarding lead roles, and the team includes paediatric first aiders. Applications invite families to share medical conditions, allergies, home languages and additional support needs. That creates an early opportunity to discuss the child's circumstances before attendance begins.

Children staying into the afternoon can rest after lunch in a quiet area, supervised by a teacher. A child who still needs a nap therefore has a rest arrangement within the longer attendance patterns. Sleep does not depend on choosing the longest day.

Naked Nosh delivers freshly prepared lunches each day, and snacks include fruit and vegetables; meals and snacks are included during private paid hours but charged separately during funded attendance. The food-production policy excludes sesame seeds, peanuts and nuts, while the funding policy prohibits packed lunches and sets out alternatives for families who opt out of food charges.

Sessions and Attendance

Casa operates at 23 Marksbury Avenue, Richmond, TW9 4JE, between Richmond and Kew, near North Sheen Recreation Area. It opens Monday to Friday during term time, from 8am to 5pm. Morning sessions only run from 8am to noon, Short day from 8am to 3pm, and Long day from 8am to 5pm.

Attendance patterns are agreed in advance; half-term breaks and inset days affect care planning. Enquiries use the contact form, email or WhatsApp. Applications gather the intended start, attendance, funding and health or support information, with follow-up within two working days.

Funding and Paid Extras

Funded childcare is offered through the 15-hour universal offer and the 30-hour extended offer for eligible working families. Funding runs for 38 weeks a year, during term time. Funded hours are applied to the first booked hours of the week, and additional attendance is charged privately once those hours are used.

The charge structure separates childcare hours from extras. During private paid hours, meals, snacks, consumables and activities are included; during funded attendance, food, consumables and specialist or Montessori activities are itemised separately. Consumables cover hygiene items such as wipes, soap, sunscreen and nappy cream. This distinction matters when comparing a funded attendance pattern with one that includes additional private hours.

Parents may request to opt out of additional charges. For consumables, they can supply their own items, and fruit can be supplied for snacks. Opting out of lunch charges requires either collecting the child to eat off-site and returning afterwards, or choosing attendance outside lunchtime, because packed lunches are prohibited. That is a practical condition, not simply an invoice choice.

Children who do not take part in a separately charged activity receive alternative provision, although it does not reproduce the specialist session. Parents already paying extras must give at least one term's written notice to opt out. Families considering that route need to weigh the effect on the child's day as well as the charge structure.

Funded-hours-only attendance carries no registration fee, and any deposit is returned within one week of the nursery receiving the first local authority funding payment. If a family later adds private paid hours, the registration fee and full deposit become payable; that deposit is held against the final invoice, subject to the required written notice. Tax-Free Childcare is also supported.

The fees and funding calculator helps compare attendance scenarios, but current prices come in the nursery's written quotation. A useful quotation separates funded hours, private hours and each extra, so the family can understand what changes when its pattern changes.

• Conversation and concentration. November 2024 identified limited opportunities to extend children's spoken ideas and inconsistent responses to distraction. During a visit, ask how adults now develop a child's answer and re-engage children during the Montessori work cycle.
• Funded extras and opting out. Food, consumables and specialist activities are charged separately during funded hours, with a term's notice required to stop paying existing extras. Discuss the proposed pattern and alternatives together, especially the off-site meal arrangement, before agreeing the charges.
• Term-time attendance. Morning sessions, short days and long days operate within a termly calendar that includes half-term breaks and inset days. Match the calendar to your working arrangements before choosing a daily pattern.
• Allergies and food arrangements. The menu's production policy excludes nuts, peanuts and sesame, and packed lunches are prohibited. Allergy-affected families should confirm current handling arrangements and how their child's needs will be managed during snacks, lunch and cooking activities.

Casa Montessori Richmond suits families seeking term-time morning sessions or short days, as well as those wanting the longer day to 5pm, with Montessori independence and multilingual interaction running through the experience. The gardens, Pensford Field outings and varied movement activities add useful substance to that offer. Children have opportunities to choose, practise and explore.

The decision rests on the fit between that approach, the family's calendar and the funded charge structure. The Good judgement from November 2024 sits alongside clear teaching improvements around conversation and sustained attention. For parents drawn to languages and practical independence, Casa offers a recognisable nursery day with concrete features to assess.