b_together St Johns Wood Nursery

Waterplay, growing gardens and scrapbooks give b_together St Johns Wood Nursery a recognisable character: play extends into the building, the food arrangements and the way children’s experiences are remembered. Enlarged windows bring more daylight into the childcare space. Natural materials give children things to investigate through touch and smell, alongside the toys and activities.

At its June 2025 inspection, Ofsted rated the nursery Good, found that children were making good progress and judged safeguarding arrangements effective. There is a specific qualification to that positive picture: children needed more consistent encouragement to complete everyday tasks themselves.

The nursery has capacity for 60 children, with a current age range of 54 to 60 months. It operates throughout the year, and full-day bookings form part of its attendance offer. Its strongest practical appeal is the connection between uninterrupted play, everyday care and tangible records of children’s experiences.

Learning and Activities

The early years foundation stage is the framework for children’s learning, development and care: in everyday terms, play and practical experiences help children build language, physical skills and confidence. Alongside that framework, b_together organises its day around children’s curiosity, with themes and activity stations providing starting points rather than a tightly scheduled sequence of tasks.

Morning play is kept flowing where possible. Children can choose the stations that attract them, which gives their interests a meaningful role in shaping the day. This is a useful distinction for families who prefer exploration to a timetable dominated by adult-led activities. It also makes the quality of staff interaction important: resources alone are only part of the experience.

In June 2025, children investigated what happened when water was added to jelly ingredients and explained the change they observed. Building with blocks brought cooperation and counting into the same activity. These examples show how ordinary play can carry several kinds of learning, rather than separating conversation, early mathematics and investigation into isolated lessons.

Outdoor and Community Life

Bringing Outside In connects nature-based exploration with indoor activities. Fresh herbs are used for sensory play, and natural materials are brought inside when outdoor play is not possible. The growing garden and waterplay give that approach physical substance; children have materials to handle and changes to explore.

The b_planet Conscious approach also reaches beyond the choice of play resources. Children’s food waste is composted for the indoor and outdoor gardens, linking something left after a meal to something used in growing. That creates a concrete connection between daily routines and caring for the surroundings. It is more tangible than an environmental slogan on its own.

At the June 2025 inspection, Ofsted found that the key-person approach supported children’s emotional wellbeing and that staff learned about home routines to help children settle. For families, the useful detail is that settling involved getting to know the individual child, rather than treating the first days as an identical process for everyone.

In June 2025, practitioners used reassurance and praise when children needed emotional support, and care routines included warm interaction. They also observed children’s development and discussed interests at home with parents, using that information to plan subsequent activities. This links communication to the child’s actual day, rather than making it a separate administrative task.

Make Memories uses scrapbooks to preserve children’s significant experiences. For parents who value something they can keep and revisit, that is a clear part of the communication offer. Open discussion between families and the nursery team sits alongside these records, so the scrapbook is one element of the relationship rather than its entirety.

Independence deserves attention. In June 2025, children practised toileting, handwashing and getting drinking water, but some staff sometimes completed tasks for them too readily. The improvement priority was to make support for self-care more consistent throughout the day. Families should weigh that specific concern alongside the positive findings about relationships and settling.

Meals can be served in bento boxes, allowing eating to follow the location of play while retaining handwashing, shared sitting and manners. Meals and snacks are included in the fee; nappies and wipes are included too, while families supply any milk formula their child needs.

Sessions and Attendance

Opening hours are 8am to 6pm, Monday to Friday, throughout the year. Full-day bookings are offered, with drop-off between 8am and 9am and collection beginning at 4pm. Those collection arrangements matter as much as the closing time when matching childcare to a working day.

Closures cover bank holidays and the week between Christmas and New Year. Families do not need to make a fresh application each term, and a child’s place continues until they leave for school. That offers continuity for parents organising care across the year rather than around successive termly applications.

Getting There

The nursery address is 49–51 St. Johns Wood High Street, London, NW8 7NJ. Childcare enquiries use the nursery’s enquiry form or telephone number, 020 3989 7900.

Funding and Paid Extras

The nursery participates in the government 15 & 30 hours entitlement and accepts Tax Free Childcare payments and childcare vouchers. Funded entitlement and privately paid attendance are separate considerations when planning a booking.

For paid attendance, the fee includes snacks, meals, wipes and nappies, with milk formula supplied by parents. That distinction helps families separate routine provision from the items they still need to bring from home.

• Age fit. The current age range is 54 to 60 months. For a younger child, ask which age groups the nursery can accept before planning a booking.
• Everyday independence. The June 2025 improvement priority concerned staff doing tasks children could practise themselves. During a tour, ask how practitioners now support handwashing, drinking water and other self-care routines.
• Funded attendance. The nursery participates in the 15 & 30 hours entitlement. Ask how the funded hours fit the intended booking and how meals and consumables are treated within it.
• Tour planning. Tours require advance booking and are arranged around the nursery day. Book by telephone or enquiry form, and confirm the entrance to use on St Johns Wood High Street.

b_together suits families seeking full-day attendance throughout the year who value child-led play, nature materials and a physical record of their child’s experiences. The gardens, composting and scrapbooks give that preference concrete expression.

The June 2025 Good judgement is useful context, but the decision should also account for the specific independence concern and whether the current age range fits the child. For an appropriate-age child, the combination of exploratory play and continuity of attendance makes this a clear option to consider.