Maria Montessori Nursery School, Crowborough

A fully equipped Montessori classroom gives this Crowborough nursery a clear identity: children combine freely chosen play with adult-guided activities suited to their stage of development. The light-filled layout puts resources within children's reach, making independent choices part of the day rather than something reserved for a particular activity.

Based at All Saints Church Hall on Church Road, the nursery accepts children aged two to five and has 33 places in total. At its October 2024 inspection, Ofsted rated it Good, found that children made good progress and judged safeguarding effective. The practical strengths are a classroom designed for independent exploration, regular community outings and daily physical activity.

Morning and afternoon sessions sit within a term-time opening window of 8am to 5pm. That gives families different ways to use the setting, while the holiday calendar remains an important part of the decision.

Learning and Activities

The EYFS shapes the nursery's learning, development and care, combining play with opportunities to develop communication, physical skills and relationships. Alongside it sits the Maria Montessori Method, expressed here through a Montessori classroom and a balance between children's own choices and guided activities. Resources are accessible, so choosing what to explore is part of the environment itself.

Weekly cookery, yoga and music add different kinds of activity to that classroom provision, alongside outdoor learning. Cookery brings food preparation into the learning offer; music and yoga give children further ways to participate beyond choosing classroom resources. The Core Book Approach is also part of the curriculum. Its place in the day is a useful subject for a visit discussion.

In October 2024, singing helped develop communication, while adults introduced vocabulary and talked through activities with younger children. The emphasis was on using language during experiences children were already enjoying. Role-play included pretending to be hairdressers, with children involving one another in their games.

That month's examples of independence were concrete: children poured drinks at snack time, chose food and managed personal care with little assistance. These are useful school-preparation skills because they give children practice in doing ordinary tasks for themselves. They also show that learning extended beyond adult-led activities.

Outdoor and Community Life

The Daily Mile provides physical activity every day, and regular outings connect children with the local community. Weekly outdoor learning adds another recurring opportunity to explore beyond the classroom. Families seeking a mixture of indoor activity and time outside have several strands to consider here.

In October 2024, the garden supported collaborative construction: children used materials to build obstacle courses, negotiated ideas and waited for help with heavier pieces. Older children practised riding bicycles and balancing on planks. These examples combined movement with cooperation, rather than treating physical play as a break from learning.

Relationships mattered in the October 2024 account of daily life. Settling visits helped staff understand each child and build relationships with the wider family, and children developed secure connections with their key person. This gave the settling process a personal foundation rather than relying solely on children becoming familiar with the room.

At the October 2024 inspection, Ofsted found that children with special educational needs and/or disabilities were supported effectively through work with families and outside agencies when needed. The useful detail is the connection between home, practitioners and specialist help: support was organised around the individual child's development.

Communication with parents also had substance in October 2024. Families received information about the next stages of their child's learning, together with ideas they could use at home. That made updates useful beyond a description of what had happened during the session.

By the October 2024 inspection, additional funding had been used to buy indoor climbing equipment, giving children another place to be physically active. Children also shared family photographs and discussed differences between people, connecting learning about respect with familiar experiences from home.

Healthy snacks are provided each day. For families, that is a practical part of the nursery routine as well as a chance for children to practise choosing food and serving themselves.

Sessions and Attendance

Opening hours are 8am to 5pm, Monday to Friday, during term time only, across 38 weeks per year. The Morning Session runs from 9am to noon, and the Afternoon Session from noon to 3pm. Breakfast Club runs from 8am to 9am; After School Club runs from 3pm to 5pm. The clubs extend the hours around the daytime sessions.

Weekends and public or bank holidays are closed. Families comparing this with year-round childcare should give the term-time calendar as much weight as the daily hours. The nursery can change its terms and conditions with at least four weeks' notice, except where legislative changes require an earlier amendment; this is a notice provision for changes to terms, rather than a cancellation rule for parents.

Funding and Paid Extras

The nursery accepts 15- and 30-hour government-funded places between 9am and 3pm, delivered during term time. That funding window differs from the wider opening day, so the distinction matters when planning attendance around work. Current prices come in the nursery's written quotation.

Getting There

The address is All Saints Church Hall, Church Road, Crowborough, TN6 1ED. Enquiries can be made by email or telephone, and the Crowborough enquiry route offers a visit appointment alongside an enquiry. This provides a straightforward way to discuss the setting and see its working day.

• Continuity of play. In October 2024, changes to routines sometimes interrupted children's concentration and restricted where they could play. During a visit, ask how the daily timetable now protects sustained activity.
• Term-time attendance. The nursery operates for 38 weeks, with funded places within 9am to 3pm and clubs extending the day. Those boundaries need to fit the family's working hours and holiday arrangements.
• The learning approach. A Montessori classroom, weekly activities and the Core Book Approach sit together in the curriculum. Ask how the book approach works in practice and how children move between guided activity and their own choices.
• The written cost breakdown. Daily snacks are provided and funded hours have a defined time window. Ask for a quotation separating attendance charges, food and non-food consumables for the pattern you intend to use.

This setting suits families seeking morning or afternoon nursery sessions during term time, including those who need breakfast or after-school care around them. Its recognisable strengths are the Montessori classroom, daily movement and regular community outings, supported by a Good inspection judgement from 2024.

The strongest inspection examples concern everyday independence, language and cooperative outdoor play. The improvement point is equally relevant: a flexible day should preserve children's concentration. Families comfortable with the term-time calendar have a clear set of practical and educational reasons to consider it.