Wimbledon Park Montessori School

Independence gives Wimbledon Park Montessori School its character: children choose materials, decide between indoor and outdoor activity, and practise the small tasks that make everyday life their own. This Southfields nursery combines Montessori learning with music, movement and termly themes. The emphasis is on doing things for yourself.

At its 26 March 2025 inspection, Ofsted judged the nursery Good overall and found safeguarding effective. There are 50 places in total for children aged two to five. That whole-setting capacity should not be read as the number of children sharing a classroom or attending a particular session.

Morning, afternoon and full-time attendance are offered during term time, with different arrangements for all-inclusive attendance and funded afternoon sessions. Those choices matter beyond the timetable: the afternoon funding structure separates the core educational offer from optional Montessori education and other extras.

Learning and Activities

The Early Years Foundation Stage provides the framework for children's learning and care, including language, physical development, relationships and early mathematical understanding. Montessori sits alongside it, adding practical materials and opportunities for children to select activities and work at their own pace. The relationship between the two is explained on the curriculum page.

Classrooms are organised into areas for different kinds of activity. Everyday tasks develop coordination and concentration; sensory materials encourage children to compare and sort; mathematical equipment gives them objects to handle before they tackle abstract ideas. Adults observe children's work and choose when to introduce another skill. For a parent considering Montessori, these are useful specifics: the approach shapes both the room and the adult's role.

The nursery uses two classrooms. Its account of a typical session includes pairing model insects, tracing textured numerals and singing about a letter. Equipment is selected from shelves, giving children a practical part in choosing what to do. These examples make early literacy and mathematics tangible rather than reducing them to worksheets or a list of intended achievements.

In March 2025, children practised pouring drinks, fastening clothing and putting on footwear. Counting also appeared during snack routines, while dice games brought together recognising numerals, counting and simple calculations. Investigating which objects responded to magnets gave children another way to test an idea. These were practical learning experiences, with everyday actions carrying educational value.

The Music Programme includes drama, dance and singing, leading to a Christmas performance for parents. The Physical Development programme leads towards Summer Sports Day. Weekly Music and Sport sessions sit within the all-inclusive structure, alongside Spanish lessons, Yoga and Forest School; for the funded afternoon structure, these activities and Montessori education are separately listed optional extras. The attendance package therefore affects which additions a child receives.

Outdoor and Community Life

Children can choose outdoor activity as part of their Montessori day. The typical-session account includes playground games with a parachute and bikes, alongside an outing to investigate insects in a nearby park. Outdoor time gives another setting for movement and exploration rather than simply interrupting indoor learning.

Summer 2026 themes connected classroom activity with Southfields. Recycling plans included making robots from household materials and taking groups on a neighbourhood clean-up. Green The Grid, scheduled that May, involved planting around the nursery's street-tree base and caring for nearby tree bases. These were dated activities with a local purpose, rather than a promise of a fixed outings schedule.

Little Feet, used in May 2026, introduced walking habits through early-years activities linked to learning goals. Other summer themes included space exploration using a Dark Den and learning about butterflies' development. Parents were invited to contribute books, objects or a story to the themes, giving families a concrete way to participate in classroom life.

Relationships and Communication

At the March 2025 inspection, Ofsted found that the key-person arrangement helped staff tailor learning to children's interests and that SEND support included individual speech work and targeted interventions. This is a useful account of how support worked at that point: staff adjusted activities around the child rather than relying solely on a shared group programme.

During March 2025, children sought comfort from adults and talked about their feelings. Staff applied boundaries consistently, and children took responsibility for tasks such as clearing spilled sand and tidying materials. Independence here included looking after shared spaces, as well as dressing or managing a drink.

All-inclusive attendance includes termly parent meetings and an online parent portal for following development. There are also occasional educational sessions for parents, and written reports or references for future schools can be supplied on request. Together, these arrangements give families both scheduled conversations and a way to follow learning between meetings; teacher access, reports and the portal are optional paid additions under the funded afternoon structure.

In March 2025, weekly emails explained forthcoming learning and ways families could continue it at home. A parent workshop had also addressed emotional regulation. That dated example adds substance to the communication offer: it covered children's feelings and behaviour as well as classroom activities.

Inclusion and Wellbeing

The March 2025 improvement points deserve attention. Larger group activities sometimes lost children's attention through interruptions, and the nursery was asked to improve their organisation so children could participate more fully. Handwashing after nose wiping also needed greater consistency from both adults and children. These concerns sit alongside the positive findings; neither should disappear behind the overall grade.

Food arrangements depend on attendance. Snacks and wipes are included in the all-inclusive package, whereas the funded afternoon structure charges separately for fruit, vegetable and dried snacks and for wipes. Lunch for the additional afternoon arrangement must be brought from home. Families comparing packages therefore need to consider food and non-food consumables separately from educational extras.

Sessions and Attendance

The nursery is at 206 Heythorp Street, Southfields, SW18 5BU. Attendance runs during term time, with mornings from 9am to 12.15pm and the general afternoon pattern from 1pm to 4.15pm. Morning bookings are offered for three, four or five sessions each week.

Full-time attendance has a specific weekly shape: Monday to Thursday runs from 9am to 4.15pm, while Friday finishes at 12.15pm. This is important for families organising work around a full-time booking. Friday is a shorter day.

The funded afternoon package is a different pattern, covering four afternoons, Monday to Thursday, from 1pm to 4pm. Additional afternoon attendance can run from 12.15pm to 4.15pm, incorporating the lunch period before the afternoon learning session. An Early club runs from 8.30am to 9am.

Holiday fundays are offered during parts of the holidays at an extra charge. The 2026/2027 calendar makes their condition clear: those sessions run only when more than five children are booked. They should therefore be treated as conditional holiday provision when planning childcare around the term-time nursery place.

Enquiries can be made by telephone on 020 8944 8584 or through the contact form. Registration can be completed online, or families can request a prospectus and form. A non-refundable registration charge applies, and acceptance of a place requires a non-refundable deposit that is credited against the final term's fees.

Funding and Paid Extras

Funded childcare and privately paid attendance are both offered. For three- and four-year-olds, the funding structure describes up to 15 hours from the term after the third birthday, with working parents potentially entitled to up to 30 hours. For two-year-olds, it describes up to 30 hours where eligibility for certain government support applies. The funded attendance arrangements here are term-time patterns.

The distinction between packages is substantial. All-inclusive fees cover Montessori and EYFS education, the listed enrichment sessions, parent meetings, the portal and celebrations. Under the funded afternoon structure, Montessori education, communication extras, Music, Physical education, Yoga, Spanish, Forest School, additional arts and crafts, and celebrations, trips and events are optional paid additions. Snacks and wipes are listed separately as compulsory extras under that structure.

New starters also need the WPMS uniform, which is purchased separately. A full term's notice is required when leaving; otherwise a full term's fees are due. Families should obtain a current written quotation covering their chosen attendance package and its extras, using the fees page to understand the structure.

• Group learning and hygiene. March 2025 brought improvement points about participation in group activities and handwashing after nose wiping. During a visit, ask how group sessions have been reorganised and how those hygiene routines are reinforced.
• Two afternoon arrangements. General afternoon attendance ends at 4.15pm, while the funded four-afternoon package ends at 4pm. Match the precise package, including any lunch period, to your collection arrangements.
• What the package includes. Montessori education and the listed enrichment are included in all-inclusive attendance but optional additions under funded afternoons, with snacks and wipes separately charged there. Compare the complete written quotation rather than the funded hours alone.
• Friday and holiday cover. Full-time attendance finishes at 12.15pm on Friday, and holiday fundays depend on more than five bookings. Consider both when fitting attendance around work and other childcare.

Wimbledon Park Montessori School suits families seeking morning sessions, afternoon attendance or a term-time full-time pattern, with practical independence and hands-on materials central to the experience. Its Music Programme, outdoor choices and locally connected themes give the offer recognisable substance.

The Good judgement from March 2025 provides a positive inspection position, alongside specific questions about group participation and hygiene. The decisive practical choice is between attendance packages: families wanting the all-inclusive Montessori offer and those considering funded afternoons need to compare both the timetable and the educational additions they are choosing.