Marsham Street Nursery & Pre-School

Flowers, paint and plants give Marsham Street’s learning a practical character. In August 2022, older children investigated water mixed with flowers, younger children explored texture through painting, and growing, recycling and composting brought environmental care into everyday activity. These are useful examples of children learning by trying things themselves.

At its 17 August 2022 inspection, Ofsted rated the nursery Outstanding overall, with the same judgement across education, behaviour, personal development and leadership. Marsham Street Nursery & Pre-School cares for children from birth to five at 121 Marsham Street, London SW1P 4LX. Full-day attendance runs across the year, with a Christmas closure.

Learning and Activities

The early years foundation stage sets the requirements for children’s learning, development and care: in everyday terms, play and conversation sit alongside physical activity and learning to manage relationships. It is the common framework for early years provision, rather than an extra programme.

In August 2022, learning included experiments with flowers and water and painting with different textures. The contrast matters: younger children could investigate through touch, while older children could explore what happened when materials were combined. Both examples gave children something concrete to investigate and discuss.

Books and storytelling also shaped the day in August 2022. Children listened to favourite stories and developed stories of their own over time, while staff extended conversations around what children already knew. For parents, this gives a clearer picture of language learning than a list of activities alone: talking accompanied the play rather than being confined to a separate exercise.

Outdoor and Community Life

In August 2022, staff trained as sustainability champions supported growing from seeds and cuttings, alongside composting and recycling. Environmental learning involved caring for living things and handling materials, giving children practical ways to participate.

Local outings were another part of the August 2022 experience. Children visited parks and green spaces and joined events at a local art gallery. Outdoor physical activity happened daily at that time. Together, these experiences extended the nursery day beyond indoor play and brought the surrounding community into children’s learning.

At the August 2022 inspection, Ofsted found safeguarding effective, strong emotional relationships between children and staff, highly effective individual support for children with special educational needs and/or disabilities, and strong preparation for changes of room and starting school. Those findings describe the care at that visit, including work with families and other professionals around individual needs.

In August 2022, children used sand timers themselves to take turns with popular resources. This small physical tool made sharing more concrete: children could see when another person’s turn would end. Staff also helped children recognise feelings and respond kindly to one another.

Health learning had similarly tangible examples in August 2022. Children practised tooth cleaning on oversized dinosaur teeth and used real vegetables during play, creating opportunities to talk about looking after their bodies. Shared meals were social occasions as well as a part of the daily routine.

Sessions and Attendance

The address is 121 Marsham Street, London SW1P 4LX. Opening hours are 8am to 6pm, Monday to Friday, across the year apart from Christmas.

Full Days run from 8am to 6pm. All Year Round Booking Plan options cover two, three, four or five days, and full-day plans require at least two consecutive days, including a Monday or Friday. This matters for families organising part-week care: choosing separate midweek days would not meet that standard booking rule.

Funding and Paid Extras

Private childcare and funded hours are offered. The funding options include Working Parent, Two Year Old Offer, Universal and Extended Entitlement, subject to the relevant eligibility requirements. Working-parent funding requires a valid eligibility code, while children receiving government or local-authority funding need a signed parental declaration.

For all-year attendance, funded entitlement is stretched over 51 weeks: the 15-hour schemes provide 11 hours each week and the 30-hour scheme provides 22. Families should distinguish those funded hours from the full attendance pattern when planning their childcare budget.

Breakfast, tea, lunch and snacks are included in the standard monthly fees, including the plans combining funding with paid childcare. Current prices come in the nursery’s written quotation.

Accepting a private place involves a non-refundable registration charge and a deposit. The deposit is returned when a private place is cancelled at least six weeks before its agreed start, but retained for a later cancellation; when a child leaves, it is credited to the fees account for the final calculation. An optional Green LEYF contribution supports the group’s sustainability programmes.

• Part-week planning. Full-day plans require consecutive days and a Monday or Friday. At a visit, discuss how that pattern fits the days your family needs.
• Funding across the year. Stretched funding provides fewer funded hours each week than the term-time headline entitlement. Consider the paid hours alongside it when assessing the whole booking.
• Care for your child. The August 2022 findings included strong relationships and individual support. Ask how settling, sleep and communication would work for your child now.

Marsham Street suits families considering either a two-day consecutive pattern or attendance across five days, with funded entitlement combined with paid care where appropriate. The August 2022 examples give its learning character: experiments, stories, growing and community outings all had a place. The practical decision is whether its consecutive-day rule and stretched funding fit the family’s week.