Toddlers Inn Nursery and Pre-School, St Johns Wood

Stories, sign language and learning to manage a coat give Toddlers Inn a recognisable emphasis: helping young children communicate and become more independent. At its March 2024 inspection, Ofsted rated the nursery Good and found safeguarding effective, with strengths in language development and support for children’s social confidence. The everyday skills matter here.

Based at Cicely Davis Hall on Cochrane Street, this St Johns Wood setting has 40 places in total and accepts children aged 20 to 60 months. Its class names run from Butterfly Class to Dragonflies Class, giving families a sequence of age-based groups rather than a single broad preschool label.

Morning, morning-with-lunch and full-day bookings sit alongside extended care, with a choice between the core term-time calendar and attendance across more of the year. That practical range is useful, but it deserves careful attention: the youngest class has a different session menu from the older groups.

Rooms and Ages

Butterfly Class has an age band of 18 to 24 months, while Bumblebee Class begins at two years; Ladybirds Class follows before children reach three. Grasshoppers Class starts at three years and Dragonflies Class takes the next older stage. The whole-setting acceptance range begins at 20 months, so the youngest class label should not be read as the nursery’s entry age.

These are age-based classes. The nursery day combines activities organised for each class with time spent working individually with children. For a parent, that distinction matters more than the insect names: shared experiences and individual attention both have a place in the timetable.

Learning and Activities

The Early Years Foundation Stage provides the framework for learning and care, covering language, physical development, relationships, early mathematics and creative expression alongside other areas of learning. In everyday terms, children build these skills through play, conversation, stories, movement and practical routines. It is the common foundation for early-years provision.

Toddlers Inn adds its own emphasis on attachment, engagement, boundaries, partnerships, teamwork and leadership. These ideas are worked into ordinary play and routines: children practise communicating what they need, cooperating with others and taking responsibility for manageable tasks. The value lies in what children practise, rather than a separate branded curriculum.

Creative projects and messy play are balanced with physical activity and individual learning time. Early phonics and number work also feature, while practitioners use observations of children’s interests and development to adjust activities. This gives the day several routes into learning, including shared tasks and work matched to an individual child.

In March 2024, staff used songs, stories and simple signs to extend vocabulary, alongside counting activities and mathematical language. They also modelled social behaviour and table manners. Those examples make the approach concrete: communication and cooperation were practised during ordinary interactions, rather than reserved for a separate lesson.

Outdoor and Community Life

Forest School and Mud Hub sessions involve exploring the natural world, including trees. Drama Session activities use a story as the starting point for children to create a play. These additions give families useful examples of learning beyond early number and literacy work: outdoor exploration on one side, imaginative storytelling on the other.

In March 2024, the outdoor space was used for gardening. In March 2024, children visited a local playground, ran outdoors and practised balancing with beanbags. Gardening brought another kind of activity into the outdoor environment, while the playground provided space for movement.

Community learning was less developed. The March 2024 improvement priorities included giving children more opportunities to learn about their communities, despite the nursery’s work around cultural celebrations. Families who value local outings should distinguish the playground activity from a broader programme of community experiences.

Relationships and Communication

Understanding the child starts with information from home. Practitioners share observations with families and listen to parents about children’s interests and needs, helping care and learning connect across the two settings. The programme also places attachment and trust alongside learning activities, rather than treating relationships as a separate part of the day.

In March 2024, staff gathered information about children’s language skills and learning needs from parents, including for children learning English as an additional language. They supported children in making choices, playing together and understanding when it was time to clear away toys. These are practical ways to help a child participate in a group.

At the March 2024 inspection, Ofsted found that assessment helped staff identify learning gaps and that children made progress, including those whose development raised concerns. That is useful evidence of how needs were recognised and addressed at the time, rather than a blanket promise about support for every child.

End of Term Parent Meetings provide scheduled opportunities for discussion. Their calendar also affects attendance: the nursery finishes at 2pm on those meeting days. For working parents, communication arrangements and the shortened day need to be considered together.

Inclusion and Wellbeing

Independence is built through small, repeated tasks. Children are encouraged to serve themselves at meals and put on their coats, with time to attempt and persevere. In March 2024, staff also supported handwashing routines. These details connect preparation for future education with the practical business of managing the day.

The March 2024 staffing snapshot recorded six staff, five of whom held early-years qualifications at levels 3 to 5. The development priority was more precise monitoring of staff practice so that training could target teaching needs.

Food comes from Nana Kay’s, with dietary choices covering vegetarian and vegan preferences as well as allergens; sample dishes include vegetable lasagne and chicken curry. Families managing an allergy should discuss current arrangements before attendance.

Sessions and Attendance

The address is Cicely Davis Hall, Cochrane Street, London NW8 7NX. The core calendar covers 39 weeks, while extended care brings the annual opening pattern to 49 weeks, including additional provision during half terms, Easter and summer. Closures include two weeks over Christmas and one around Easter, with bank holidays and staff training days also appearing in the calendar.

Morning sessions run from 9am to noon. For the older fee bands, Mornings + Lunch runs from 9am to 1pm and Full day sessions from 9am to 3.30pm. The Pre-Toddlers fee band lists morning attendance, so families should distinguish that offer from the longer patterns shown for toddlers and preschool children.

Extended care can lengthen the day to 8.30am to 5.30pm. The additional morning period runs from 8.30am to 9am, and afternoon sessions from 3.30pm to 5.30pm. Families can retain the core term-time arrangement, add care during holiday periods, or add the daily extensions.

The fee tables cover attendance on two, three, four or five days. This gives families several booking combinations rather than one fixed weekly pattern. The contact form accepts enquiries and requests for a nursery visit.

Funding and Paid Extras

Funding for two-year-olds and for three- and four-year-olds can be applied to fees. Additional private attendance is also offered. Current prices come in the nursery’s written quotation, with core fees charged by term rather than by month.

Snacks are charged separately for morning attendance; lunch and snacks are charged separately for the longer sessions. The first term’s fees are payable in advance, with subsequent payments due by the beginning of each term. A non-refundable registration charge also applies.

Once the childcare agreement has been signed, withdrawal requires ten weeks’ written notice or the term’s fees remain payable. Fees are not adjusted for illness or holidays during the term, nor for starting late or leaving before the term ends. These conditions matter when comparing the nursery’s calendar with a family’s own plans.

• The youngest children’s day. Butterfly Class overlaps the nursery’s 20-month entry point, and the Pre-Toddlers fee band lists mornings. At a visit, discuss how the class routine and attendance pattern would fit your child.
• Community experiences and teaching development. March 2024 priorities covered broader community learning and more targeted staff development. Ask what changes have followed in those two areas.
• Funded attendance and everyday costs. Funding applies against fees, while food has separate charges. Ask for a written breakdown of the funded-hours arrangement, including meals and non-food consumables.
• Calendar and commitment. Extended care increases the weeks of attendance, but parent-meeting days finish early and withdrawal has a ten-week notice condition. Match the calendar and agreement to your working arrangements before committing.

Toddlers Inn suits families seeking morning attendance as well as those wanting a morning with lunch, a core full day or extended care. Its strongest educational thread is practical: language, cooperation and independence are linked to stories, play and everyday tasks. Forest School, Mud Hub and drama add concrete experiences to that foundation.

The Good judgement from March 2024 provides a positive inspection position, with two clear development priorities around community learning and staff training. For parents, the decision turns on the right age-group booking pattern, the annual calendar and the term-based financial commitment.