Riverside Nursery Schools, Richmond Montessori

A Montessori-led curriculum and activities spanning Spanish, dance, yoga and music give Richmond Montessori a clear educational identity, but a June 2026 welfare requirements notice is the decisive consideration for families. Its actions covered safeguarding communication, children's welfare, staff supervision, key-person consistency, deployment and babies' sleep. These are fundamental care matters.

At its 27 August 2024 inspection, Ofsted rated the nursery Good and found that children were settled, with effective support for emotional needs and communication. That judgement describes an earlier period; the June 2026 action must carry weight alongside it when choosing care.

Riverside Nursery Schools, Richmond Montessori accepts children from three months to five years at St. Johns Studios 6-9, Church Road, Richmond, TW9 2QA. Opening hours run from 8am to 6pm on weekdays, across 50 weeks of the year.

Learning and Activities

The early years foundation stage provides the framework for children's learning, development and care: everyday play and routines support communication, physical skills and growing independence. Alongside it, Richmond's Montessori-led curriculum is accompanied by music, Spanish, dance and yoga. These activities give families concrete examples of the learning offer beyond the curriculum label.

In August 2024, language learning included rhymes, songs and naming objects and pictures. Older children explored planets and the sun, then returned to new vocabulary through creative activities. The useful detail is the connection between talking and doing: a new word became something children could explore, rather than simply repeat.

Mathematical experiences in August 2024 varied with children's development. Babies reached towards bubbles outdoors, toddlers explored words describing size during shared stories, and older children recognised numerals and counted objects. This placed early mathematics within play and conversation rather than treating it as a separate lesson.

Creative experiences also included exploring sand and painting in August 2024. Cultural celebrations introduced children to different foods. Together, these examples show the breadth of the nursery day at that time, with sensory exploration, conversation and practical experiences contributing to learning.

Outdoor and Community Life

In August 2024, children had opportunities for outdoor play and exercise, as well as physical activity indoors. The garden featured in babies' exploration of bubbles, linking movement with noticing shapes.

Outdoor learning nevertheless needed more variety, especially for children who preferred learning outside. Opportunities to explore technology and understand how things work also needed expanding. These were specific educational improvement priorities, separate from the later welfare notice: access to fresh air alone did not provide the breadth of outdoor learning children needed.

Relationships and Communication

In August 2024, babies brought chosen toys to practitioners to share their play, while toddlers took part in tidying. Staff acknowledged older children's contributions to discussions and introduced words for emotions. These examples put relationships into everyday actions, from sharing an interest to expressing a feeling.

Independence developed through routines in August 2024 too. Older babies experimented with cutlery, toddlers put away a mat after using it, and older children practised handwashing. Such small tasks gave children opportunities to participate in their own care.

Inclusion and Wellbeing

In August 2024, assessment helped staff identify where individual children needed extra help, and planning involved parents and other professionals. Support included learning new English vocabulary and understanding behavioural boundaries. These are concrete mechanisms for responding to individual needs, rather than a blanket assurance about every child's experience.

On 17 June 2026, Ofsted carried out a regulatory visit, found unmet requirements and served a welfare requirements notice requiring action on safeguarding information-sharing, attendance and welfare monitoring, staff induction and supervision, consistent key-person care, staff deployment and safe sleep.

The notice's actions were due by 26 June 2026. Its latest published position, dated 19 June 2026, was that the nursery remained registered and the response would be monitored. This is a dated regulatory position, not confirmation that the actions were completed.

For babies, the requirements concerning a consistent key person and safe sleep deserve particular attention. Deployment was also a practical concern: staff needed to prioritise children's supervision and care over tasks away from them. Educational activities cannot substitute for reliable implementation of these arrangements.

Sessions and Attendance

Richmond Montessori opens Monday to Friday, 8am to 6pm, for 50 weeks annually. These are opening hours. The nursery's address is St. Johns Studios 6-9, Church Road, Richmond, TW9 2QA.

An enquiry form provides a route to contact the admissions team and arrange a visit. Richmond station is nearby, with the nursery describing its position as 1 min walk from Richmond Station. That connection may be useful for families combining nursery attendance with rail travel.

Funding and Paid Extras

Funded childcare is offered for children aged nine months and over, two years and over, and through the 15-hour and 30-hour three-year-old entitlements. Eligibility conditions still matter; participation in funding does not establish an individual child's entitlement or a particular attendance arrangement.

Current prices come in the nursery's written quotation. For families considering funded childcare, the useful comparison is the complete arrangement for their intended attendance, rather than the entitlement label alone.

• June 2026 welfare notice. Required actions included safeguarding communication, welfare monitoring and staff supervision. Before joining, ask what official outcome and practical changes now address the notice.
• Baby care consistency. The June 2026 actions specifically addressed key-person responsibility, deployment and safe sleep. During a visit, ask how these arrangements operate together throughout a baby's day.
• Outdoor and practical learning. In August 2024, outdoor variety and learning about technology needed development. Look for concrete examples of how both areas now contribute to children's experiences.

Richmond Montessori may suit families seeking Montessori-led learning with Spanish, music, yoga and dance, and those for whom weekday opening from 8am to 6pm near Richmond station is useful. Its August 2024 educational examples give substance to the learning offer.

The June 2026 welfare notice changes the decision, however. Consistent baby care, safe sleep, supervision and safeguarding communication deserve priority over the activity list. A choice of this nursery needs to take that later regulatory position seriously alongside the earlier Good judgement.