Eagles Flight Montessori Nursery School

Child-sized furniture and practical tasks give Eagles Flight Montessori Nursery School its character. Chairs, tables and accessible shelves put materials within children's reach, while pouring, threading and caring for plants turn everyday actions into opportunities to practise independence. The Montessori approach here gives children choices within a carefully organised classroom. Small actions matter.

At its 15 June 2026 inspection, Ofsted judged achievement, behaviour and routines, welfare, curriculum and teaching, inclusion, and leadership to be at the expected standard, with safeguarding standards met. These are separate judgements rather than an overall grade. The next priorities were more deliberate support for younger children's listening and broader creative materials for older children.

Based at The Redeemed Assemblies on Old Kent Road in London, the nursery has capacity for 29 children aged 12 to 36 months. Its scale and practical learning approach make it a setting to consider for families who want young children to build everyday skills alongside early language and mathematics.

Learning and Activities

The Early Years Foundation Stage (EYFS) covers children's communication, physical and social development alongside literacy, mathematics, understanding the world and creative expression. For parents, that means learning extends beyond letters and numbers to movement, relationships, conversation and play. Montessori Curriculum sits alongside this framework, adding organised materials and practical activities that children can use independently.

Everyday Living (Practical Life) gives that approach substance. Children practise pouring and threading, help care for their surroundings and tackle tasks such as handwashing and preparing snacks. These are useful skills in their own right; they also give children reasons to coordinate their movements and finish a task. Furniture scaled for children and materials with designated places make independence part of the physical arrangement.

Sensorial Materials introduce learning through the senses, with opportunities to notice differences and build vocabulary. Mathematics uses objects for sorting, matching and counting before moving towards number work. Language materials support speaking and listening, while literacy activities connect letters with sounds. The curriculum information explains how these elements fit together.

Specialists lead music and PE activities. In June 2026, music and movement also took place weekly, giving children practice in coordination. Story sessions involved discussing cover pictures, and songs introduced vocabulary. A measuring rod made comparisons of height concrete rather than abstract.

The creative offer needs a closer look. In June 2026, older children drew and played with water, but their opportunities to explore different textures and materials needed expanding. Younger children repeatedly shook bowls of coloured rice; staff did not consistently turn that interest in sound into further listening and learning. These are specific curriculum weaknesses, relevant to families choosing care at different developmental stages.

Outdoor and Community Life

In June 2026, children grew beans in the garden and explored butterflies' development, connecting living things with changes they could observe. Younger children practised climbing ladders and using slides; older children worked on balance using stepping equipment. The garden gave children opportunities to explore how plants grow.

Regular museum outings were also part of life in June 2026. On trips, children practised crossing roads with staff and learned caution around unfamiliar dogs. These experiences brought the wider world into learning while giving children practical examples of how to behave safely beyond the nursery.

Relationships and Communication

In June 2026, settling for babies incorporated familiar sleep patterns and comforters from home. Staff took time over the adjustment, giving everyday care routines a role in helping children become accustomed to nursery life. The current terms also allow a comforter and require spare clothes to stay at the nursery, with clothing labelled.

Daily conversations and regular parent meetings formed the communication routine in June 2026. Parents could borrow nursery books for reading at home, creating a concrete connection between story time at nursery and family life. Updates covered children's achievements and developing skills.

Inclusion and Wellbeing

At the June 2026 inspection, Ofsted found that children, including those with special educational needs and/or disabilities, achieved well, and that staff used observations, progress checks and adapted activities to identify and support individual needs. Examples included organised ball games and additional individual attention during social learning. This gives parents useful detail about the support children experienced at that time.

In June 2026, babies slept in clear cots, with staff remaining nearby and checking them. Children used pictures and stories to explore feelings, and staff asked about their emotions in the morning. Care included rest and emotional understanding as well as activities.

The current medical policy requires prescribed, in-date medication and parental permission detailing its administration. Children needing long-term medication have a medical plan developed with parental input. Families must disclose relevant health conditions and allergies, so these arrangements need to be part of the initial care discussion.

SEND terms deserve careful attention. Where additional classroom support is required and long-term specialist staffing is deemed appropriate, the terms assign its financial support to parents. They also allow withdrawal after consultation with parents and outside agencies if the nursery considers it cannot adequately meet a child's needs, with fees and the deposit reimbursed and no charge in lieu of notice.

Sessions and Attendance

Opening hours are 7.30am to 6pm, Monday to Friday. The nursery operates for 50 weeks each year, closing for bank holidays and two weeks at Christmas; there is also one staff training day per term, with dates communicated ahead of time. This calendar matters for families arranging care across the working year.

Additional sessions or hours can be booked subject to availability. Once booked, unused extra sessions are neither refundable nor transferable unless the manager agrees an exception due to exceptional circumstances. A separate wraparound service provides school drop-off and collection for children aged up to five who attend schools locally.

Getting There

The address is The Redeemed Assemblies, 821 Old Kent Road, London SE15 1NX. Enquiries can be made by telephone on 020 7635 0994 or by email to info@eaglesflightmontessori.com.

Funding and Paid Extras

Funded childcare is offered through the Free Early Education Entitlement, and eligible families using two-year-old funding must supply their eligibility letter. Sessions or services outside the grant's coverage are paid for separately. Families should obtain current prices in the nursery's written quotation, with the fees page explaining the payment terms.

Ordinary fees are paid weekly or monthly in advance. Fees continue during sickness and family holidays, and the Christmas and bank-holiday closures also remain payable. The acceptance deposit is retained if a family cancels an accepted place or the child does not start, making the commitment consequential before attendance begins.

In June 2026, children brought packed lunches and snacks, which staff stored appropriately and supervised at mealtimes. That dated arrangement is relevant to planning a child's food routine.

• Listening and creative exploration. The June 2026 priorities concerned listening opportunities for under-twos and the variety of creative textures and materials for older children. At a visit, ask to see how both now feature in everyday activities.
• Additional SEND support. The terms place financial responsibility on parents where long-term specialist staffing is deemed appropriate. Discuss the proposed support arrangement and its costs before accepting a place.
• Withdrawal notice. The fees terms describe both notice received by the start of the final term and notice given a month before that term. Obtain a single written withdrawal deadline before signing, because the deposit and further fees can be affected.
• Planning the child's day. Opening hours run from 7.30am to 6pm, and extra hours are conditional on availability. During the joining discussion, ask which session pattern can be agreed.

Eagles Flight suits families drawn to Montessori learning through practical tasks, accessible materials and increasing independence. Its attendance offer also reaches families needing local school drop-off and collection, alongside nursery care within the weekday opening window. The June 2026 judgements provide a measured basis for considering it, rather than an overall grade.

The strongest decision value lies in the detail: pouring and threading, familiar settling routines, and books borrowed for home reading. Balance those features against the specific curriculum priorities and the contractual position on specialist support, closures and withdrawal. Those terms can matter as much as the classroom approach.