Riverside Nursery Schools, St Margarets Montessori Twickenham

Independence here has a practical shape: pouring water, serving lunch and clearing away after play. During the August 2024 summer provision, children practised these everyday tasks alongside drawing, storytelling and outdoor exploration. That gives the Montessori name something concrete for parents to weigh: children taking responsibility for what they do.

At its 27 August 2024 inspection, Ofsted judged the nursery Good, found safeguarding effective and recognised children's progress across the areas of learning. The important qualification is that the visit covered a summer session, rather than the ordinary term-time offer. Its observations belong to that period.

Today, the nursery has capacity for 55 children aged 24 to 60 months at 8 Victoria Road, Twickenham. Its term-time calendar covers 34 weeks each year. For families, that calendar deserves as much attention as the educational approach: it determines how nursery attendance fits around work and holidays.

Learning and Activities

The early years foundation stage provides the framework for children's learning, development and care, bringing communication, physical development and social learning into everyday activities. Montessori was the educational approach used in August 2024; the observed emphasis on children managing tasks for themselves gives parents a practical example of independence within that framework.

During that summer session, older children worked with scissors, tape, stencils, rulers and pencils to make their own pictures. Name-writing received adult support, while memory games involved identifying objects concealed from view. These were different routes into early literacy, attention and recall, rather than a day built solely around adult-led instruction.

Books also prompted conversation. Children discussed stories with staff, and their interests shaped both planned activities and play. The useful distinction for parents is between simply having resources and having adults help children make connections through them.

Outdoor and Community Life

In August 2024, the outside space included a slide and a frame for climbing, alongside beams for balancing. Wheeled toys and barrels gave children further opportunities to control their movements and judge the space around them. Mud digging and searches for minibeasts added exploration to the physical play.

Large boxes became building materials linked to The Three Little Pigs, connecting imaginative construction with a familiar story. However, extending those interests outdoors was the improvement priority: children needed more consistent follow-through, including books and visual materials that could deepen their play. A busy outdoor area and sustained learning are separate considerations.

Forest School, an approach centred on outdoor exploration, is also an initiative at St Margarets. Community work includes intergenerational partnerships, adding contact beyond the children's own age group. These give the nursery's educational character a broader setting than indoor activities alone.

The August 2024 summer session brought together children who already knew one another from their previous setting. Staff helped them adjust with close attention and physical reassurance. That context matters: successful settling among familiar peers is a useful observation, but parents should distinguish it from a new child's first experience of nursery.

When children struggled to manage their behaviour, adults intervened and helped them talk through feelings and expectations. Cooperation also had ordinary, practical outlets: sharing materials, taking turns and putting resources away. Care and independence worked together in those routines.

At mealtimes that August, children helped themselves to lunch, poured drinks and cleared their plates; younger children attempted to feed themselves. Conversation with adults made eating a social part of the day, while the tasks gave children opportunities to practise doing things for themselves.

Communication with parents was part of the summer team's work, including attention to dietary needs. The present enquiry and registration process also allows families to identify additional learning requirements and medical conditions, giving them a concrete opportunity to explain what their child needs before attendance begins.

Sessions and Attendance

Opening hours are 8am to 4pm, Monday to Friday. St Margarets operates during term time for 34 weeks annually, with school holidays outside its ordinary calendar. Families needing childcare throughout the year should weigh that pattern carefully when planning their arrangements.

The extended summer opening observed in August 2024 belonged to that particular summer provision. It should not be read as the nursery's ordinary attendance calendar. The practical starting point is the term-time model and its earlier afternoon finish.

Getting There

The address is 8 Victoria Road, Twickenham, TW1 3HW. Enquiries and visits can be arranged through the admissions form, by telephone on 020 3475 0455 or by emailing admissions@riversidenurseryschools.com.

Funding and Paid Extras

In August 2024, funded early education was provided for children aged two, three and four attending during term time. That is a dated participation fact, rather than a promise about a family's entitlement or booking today. Current prices should come in the nursery's written quotation.

• The term-time calendar. Attendance spans 34 weeks a year, with an afternoon closing time of 4pm. Consider how both features fit your working day and holiday arrangements.
• Outdoor learning. Extending children's interests outside was the August 2024 improvement priority. During a visit, ask how books and visual resources now support activities begun indoors.
• Settling and support. The summer-session children already knew one another. Ask how a first-time starter is introduced to staff and how any additional learning or medical needs shape that process.
• The written booking offer. Ask which attendance patterns are offered for your child and how funded hours, meals and non-food consumables are treated within the quotation.

St Margarets suits families seeking a term-time Montessori setting for children aged 24 to 60 months, with an emphasis on practical independence and outdoor learning. Its 34-week calendar and 4pm finish are decisive considerations. The August 2024 summer observations provide concrete examples of children's daily experiences, balanced by a clear outdoor-learning improvement priority. Parents choosing it should give equal weight to that educational character and the attendance calendar.