Soho Nursery & Pre-School

Play dough made from recipe cards, fruit pots assembled by children and a dental station give Soho Nursery & Pre-School a practical character: everyday tasks become opportunities to learn. In October 2023, children measured ingredients, practised pouring and explored healthy eating through activities they could take part in themselves. Independence was built through small, useful actions.

At its 24 October 2023 inspection, Ofsted judged the nursery Good and found safeguarding effective. The setting has capacity for 40 children, with a current age range of 6 to 60 months, at St James Residences on Brewer Street in London.

Full-day, morning and afternoon plans provide different attendance options. Their booking conditions matter as much as their clock times.

Learning and Activities

The early years foundation stage sets the requirements for children's learning, development and care. For parents, that means learning through experiences such as conversation, play, movement and practising everyday skills, rather than treating education as a separate part of the day.

In October 2023, activities were adapted to children's interests and stages of development. Older children used recipe instructions to make play dough independently, bringing measurement into a task with a tangible result; younger children received help with the instructions, while babies handled and explored the dough. The same material served different purposes according to what each child was ready to do.

Mixing coloured liquids offered another practical route into early mathematics. Children took turns with containers, and older children used words about how much they held. Younger children practised handling a jug with support. That connected learning about quantity with the useful skill of pouring a drink.

Songs and stories introduced vocabulary, while questions encouraged children to think. There was a clear limitation, however: adults sometimes moved on before children had enough thinking time to answer. Allowing a child to finish working out a response was one of the improvements requested in October 2023.

Movement and Wellbeing

In October 2023, breathing buddies, breathing exercises, meditation and yoga gave children ways to practise calming themselves. An interactive emotions display also helped them recognise feelings and work through them with adults. These were concrete resources and activities, rather than wellbeing being left as an abstract idea.

Climbing, jumping and balance activities supported movement. The next step was greater challenge: the October 2023 improvement actions called for more opportunities to attempt appropriate risks and build physical resilience. Families choosing Soho should give both the calming activities and the physical challenge offered to their child attention.

In October 2023, key persons used their knowledge of individual children to plan learning and return to things children had already encountered. Staff also shared ideas with parents for continuing learning at home. This connected the nursery day with family life through practical suggestions, rather than leaving parents with only a general progress update.

At the October 2023 inspection, Ofsted found that cooperation between the special educational needs coordinator (SENCO), parents and the local authority inclusion team helped staff identify needs and put support strategies into practice, enabling children with SEND to make good progress. The important mechanism was joint working around the individual child.

During that month, managers provided monthly staff development, room leaders coached colleagues, and staff could seek help from the SENCO. Support for practitioners therefore included both scheduled training and help with specific concerns.

Health learning was hands-on. In October 2023, the dental station helped children understand caring for their teeth, while making fruit pots involved choosing fruit and yogurt for a snack. In the home corner, foods from different cultures prompted conversations about what children ate with their families.

School transition also involved relationships beyond the nursery. In October 2023, the manager's links with local primary-school leaders supported children as they prepared to move on. This was transition support, rather than an admissions advantage.

Sessions and Attendance

The address is St James Residences, 23 Brewer Street, London W1F 0RN. Opening hours are 8am to 6pm, Monday to Friday, with attendance across the year and a Christmas closure.

Full Days run from 8am to 6pm, Mornings from 8am to 1pm and Afternoons from 1pm to 6pm. All-year-round plans include five mornings, five afternoons and full-day patterns of two, three, four or five days. Full-day plans require at least two consecutive days, including a Monday or Friday. A family considering occasional individual days should distinguish that from the standard recurring booking pattern.

Funding and Paid Extras

Funded childcare and private hours are offered. The funded schemes include Working Parent, Two Year Old Offer, Universal and Extended Entitlement arrangements, subject to the relevant eligibility conditions. For an all-year-round booking, term-time funding is spread across the year, so the weekly funded allocation follows the stretched arrangement rather than the term-time headline.

Breakfast, snacks, lunch and tea are included in the quoted plan fees, including the plans with funded hours. Private-place offers carry a non-refundable registration charge and a deposit payable when the offer is accepted; the deposit is credited towards the final account when the child leaves. Current prices come in the nursery's written quotation.

• Consecutive full days. Full-day plans require two consecutive days or more and must include Monday or Friday. Bring your intended weekly pattern to a visit so its fit can be discussed against that rule.
• Thinking time and physical challenge. The October 2023 improvement actions concerned time to answer questions and opportunities for appropriate physical risks. On a visit, ask how staff now give children space to respond and extend climbing or balancing activities.

Soho suits families seeking either recurring full days or a consistent five-morning or five-afternoon pattern. Its October 2023 practice offers useful examples of learning through doing: measuring dough ingredients, pouring liquids and preparing snacks. The Good judgement supports that account, while the improvement actions give parents specific points to explore. The consecutive-day rule is the practical detail most likely to decide whether the full-day option fits family life.