Young England Kindergarten, Pimlico

A stage, a bright open-plan hall and daily garden time give Young England Kindergarten, Pimlico a character that reaches beyond its teaching rooms. St. George’s Square supplies the green setting; music, football and nature workshops add substance to the week. This is a nursery where the physical surroundings and the activity programme both deserve attention.

At its March 2024 inspection, Ofsted rated the nursery Outstanding and found that children made excellent progress through carefully planned learning shaped around their interests and abilities. The practical examples were persuasive: growing seeds from vegetables, constructing boats and bringing stories into imaginative play. Learning connected one experience to another.

The nursery has capacity for 50 children aged two to five. Its main provision follows term time, with morning attendance for younger children and a combination of mornings and full days for the older group.

Rooms and Ages

Caterpillar Session serves children aged two to three, while Butterfly Session is for those aged three to five. Children begin in the term following their second birthday. These are age-based attendance groups within a setting that combines an open-plan space, teaching rooms and a stage, rather than a collection of separately described baby and toddler rooms.

For Caterpillar children, the day includes sensory and creative play alongside garden time and group learning; the Butterfly timetable adds cooking, gymnastics and nature activities to learning through play. Both timetables make room for stories and snacks. Caterpillar afternoons also include drama, gymnastics, planting and group learning.

Learning and Activities

The Early Years Foundation Stage (EYFS) provides the framework for learning through play, conversation, movement and creative exploration, including early reading, number work and managing feelings. It is the shared foundation for early years provision. Here, specialist activities sit alongside that foundation, giving children different ways to practise communication, coordination and curiosity.

Pippa’s Poppets brings music into the week through original songs. Little Kickers uses football for sports and fitness, with a visiting coach each week. Studio Cultivate introduces children to natural processes and how the living world works. These are concrete additions to the day: singing, moving and investigating each have their own place, rather than sitting under a vague promise of enrichment.

In March 2024, children planted seeds from tomatoes and cucumbers and discussed healthy eating. Making boats combined tools, nautical vocabulary and colour mixing: practical work brought language, science and creativity together.

Staff also covered tables and parts of the floor with paper and offered different tools to increase boys’ participation in drawing and writing. Goldilocks and the Three Bears inspired pretend play with porridge oats; a weekly storyteller dressed as a character extended the connection between books and play.

Outdoor and Community Life

Lawned gardens, a private courtyard and daily access to St. George’s Square make outdoor play part of the routine. For families choosing a central London nursery, regular green space is a practical attraction.

Relationships and Communication

A home visit introduces the group practitioner before a child starts, and settling responds to individual needs. Familiarity can begin at home.

Arc Pathway records progress through photographs and videos linked to EYFS learning areas. Parents receive updates and contribute to learning journals, bringing home experiences into the account of development.

In March 2024, parents’ evenings and behaviour-management workshops complemented communication. Visual resources and daily discussion helped children recognise feelings; serving food, clearing tableware and dressing practice built independence.

Inclusion and Wellbeing

SEND support has a defined process. The SENCO works with the key person and parents to understand a child’s needs, agree support, put it into practice and review its effect. Support plans are reviewed twice termly, and outside professionals can be involved with parental agreement. Parents therefore have a role in setting the plan and assessing whether it is helping.

The nursery’s admissions form also invites information about medical conditions, allergies, disabilities and learning needs so that suitable arrangements can be considered for visits and attendance. Children can start while still wearing nappies, with staff supporting toilet training. This makes personal care part of the joining arrangements rather than a prerequisite for entry.

At the March 2024 inspection, Ofsted judged safeguarding effective and described diligent safety checks and recruitment checks. That is a dated judgement on practice, separate from the current arrangements for individual support.

Hot lunches are prepared by V&Me, and the nursery has a nut- and tahini-free policy.

Sessions and Attendance

The address is St. Saviour’s Hall, St. George’s Square, London, SW1V 2HP. Enquiries can be made through the nursery’s contact form or by telephone on 020 7834 3171.

Caterpillar Session means five mornings each week, from 8.45am to noon. Afternoon attendance can be added on Monday, Wednesday and Thursday, from noon to 3.30pm. Lunch Club offers a shorter extension on Monday to Thursday, with collection at 1pm, so a child can stay for lunch without taking the full afternoon.

Butterfly Session combines Tuesday and Friday mornings, from 8.45am to noon, with full days on Monday, Wednesday and Thursday, from 8.45am to 3.30pm. A Tuesday afternoon can be added from noon to 3.30pm. These are structured weekly patterns; they should be considered as a whole when matching nursery attendance to family routines.

New children join in January or September. Holiday Camps are a separate offer for children aged two to five, running from 9am to 3pm and including activities such as cooking, planting and science experiments. The main nursery pattern remains term time.

Funding and Paid Extras

Universal 15-hour and extended 30-hour funding for three- and four-year-olds start from the term after the third birthday. Working Family Entitlement Funding and Busy 2s funding start from the term after the second birthday. Extended, Working Family and Busy 2s funding are subject to eligibility criteria. Delivery is across 33 academic-year weeks, within the child’s attendance pattern between 8.45am and 3.30pm. Funding therefore needs to be considered alongside the actual hours booked.

Families using funded hours are asked to contribute to the Nursery Services & Consumables Package, itemised on invoices as Extras and Essentials. It covers snacks, additional hours, nappies, wipes, sun cream, learning resources, enrichment, outings and wider services. Hot lunches are charged separately with an opt-out; a hot meal is included in the Lunch Club fee. Families who cannot or do not wish to pay the package contribution can discuss options with the business manager.

Private attendance is also offered, and outings carry a charge. Current prices come in the nursery’s written quotation; the registration and fees page explains the charging structure. Registration involves a non-refundable charge, and accepting an offer requires a non-refundable deposit credited against the final term’s fees, subject to applicable distance-contract cancellation rights. Withdrawal requires a full term’s written notice, otherwise a term’s fees are payable.

For moving on, the nursery describes longstanding relationships with prep and primary schools, including Newton Prep and Hill House, and helps families consider the next stage. Attendance does not guarantee a school place. Families still use the local authority admissions process for state schools or the individual school’s process for independent schools.

• The weekly commitment. Caterpillar attendance starts with five mornings; Butterfly attendance combines mornings and full days. At a visit, discuss how the relevant pattern fits your child’s stamina and your collection arrangements.
• Funding and extras. The funded-hours package covers several categories, while hot lunches have a separate opt-out. Request an itemised written quotation for the attendance pattern you intend to use, including the options if you decline the package contribution.
• Allergy arrangements. V&Me supplies lunches and the nursery operates a nut- and tahini-free policy. Families affected by allergies should confirm current food handling and the arrangements for their child.
• Joining and withdrawal. Waiting-list registration is accepted from birth, with offers made a year before the intended start and registrations handled in order of receipt. Discuss the settling plan during a visit, and read the deposit and term’s-notice conditions before accepting.

Young England Kindergarten, Pimlico suits families seeking term-time care through five-morning Caterpillar attendance or Butterfly mornings and full days. Lunch Club offers a shorter extension.

The March 2024 Outstanding judgement strengthens the case made by daily garden access, specialist activities and home visits. The structured weekly commitment and funding package deserve equal weight in the decision.