Rachel McMillan Nursery School and Children's Centre Review 2026: England's Pioneer Open-Air Nursery

In 1914, two sisters with a mission opened a nursery on this Deptford site that would reshape early childhood education worldwide. Margaret and Rachel McMillan believed profoundly that the youngest children in the poorest communities deserved fresh air, good food, and thoughtful education. Their Open-Air Nursery School became England's first of its kind, and over a century later, Rachel McMillan Nursery remains that original pioneer institution on the same patch of ground. The school ranks in the elite in England (FindMySchool data), with an Outstanding Ofsted rating across all categories from March 2025. Today, around 160 children aged 2-5 experience learning in four atmospheric classrooms called "Shelters" (named for their original open-sided design) in a landscape that continues to embody the founders' vision of outdoor exploration and physical development.

The atmosphere at Rachel McMillan is immediate and unmistakable. Children move freely between the Shelters and the large, semi-wild garden that dominates the site. It feels less like a conventional nursery and more like a village built for small children. The four Shelters are designed to create distinct communities while remaining connected; children "free flow" between indoor and outdoor spaces regardless of weather. Waterproof clothing and spare wellingtons ensure that rain, wind, and snow become learning opportunities rather than obstacles.

The leadership team, led by Headteacher Rachel Hogarth Smith, describes the school's general feeling as "one of love and care." This sentiment is tangible. Staff recognise each child's individual development needs. The Deputy Headteacher, Siobhan Pennington, works alongside five qualified teachers including a specialist SENDco (Ruth Monkman), creating a team genuinely invested in every child's progress. Head teachers from partner primary schools report they can always recognise a Rachel McMillan child: confident, curious, and equipped with strong personal and social skills. The school's commitment to inclusive practice is particularly strong; provision for children with special educational needs and disabilities is described by Ofsted inspectors as "exemplary." Staff identify needs early and adapt learning immediately.

The Grade II listed memorial to Margaret McMillan stands within the garden itself, a physical reminder that this is not a museum to the past but an active continuation of pioneering work.

The Shelters and Outdoor Learning Environment

The physical design remains faithful to Margaret McMillan's original philosophy. The four Shelters, each accommodating 15-20 full-time or up to 16 part-time children, open directly onto the garden. Children aged 2, 3, and 4 are in mixed-age groups because, as the school notes, younger children learn tremendously from older peers, showing care and developing leadership. All shelter staff are fully qualified: teachers hold degrees plus early years specialisation, while Early Years Practitioners have completed two-year full-time qualifications or NVQ3 in Early Years and Childcare. Most teaching assistants hold at least NVQ2 certification.

The outdoor environment is engineered for learning at scale. Children have continuous access to the garden throughout their session, whatever the weather. The school provides sun cream, long-sleeved tops, waterproof coats, and spare wellies, normalising outdoor learning as a year-round practice. The garden changes seasonally; children experience snow, rain, different light conditions, and temperature variations. Ofsted inspectors noted that the school's curriculum is "highly ambitious and very carefully designed," covering every aspect of child development with intention.

Forest School and Nature-Based Learning

Forest School, operating in a dedicated woodland space on-site, represents a significant strength. Run by a trained Forest School Leader working with parent volunteers, the programme operates year-round in all weathers. Children engage in wildlife hunts, plant and tree identification, whittling, sawing, and campfire cooking. These activities are not gimmicks but serious skill-building: children develop risk assessment, resilience, and environmental understanding alongside motor control. Small groups visit the forest weekly, experiencing Scandinavian-influenced outdoor education where learning through hands-on experience in nature is central.

Curriculum Approach

Teaching and learning are "underpinned by warm caring relationships between staff and children," as the school's own words state. The nursery operates on the belief that young children have an "inbuilt drive to learn" and that play following their own interests is the natural path to development. Staff support emotional wellbeing and develop learning through conversation and rich, varied experiences. School hours run 8:50am to 3:20pm, with wrap-around care available from 7:45am (breakfast club) through 6pm (after-school club for working families).

Progress at Rachel McMillan is measured against individual targets within the Early Years Foundation Stage framework, not published results. However, Ofsted inspectors found that "children at this school get an exceptional start to their education." Head teachers from receiving primary schools consistently report that Rachel McMillan children arrive with advanced personal, social, and emotional skills. The school explicitly mentions that leavers "have competent personal and social skills and a sense of curiosity we hope they carry for life."

The school promotes 53 things it wants each child to experience before leaving: climbing a tree, planting a seed and watching it grow, making dens, cooking outdoors, and understanding the natural world. These are not tokenistic but central to the curriculum philosophy.

Ofsted found behaviour to be Outstanding. "Children are highly focused in their learning. They concentrate for long periods, whether working alone or with their friends, in their play and in staff-led sessions." This focus develops through the physical freedom the garden provides; children who have run freely, climbed, jumped, and balanced throughout the day come to carpet time calm and able to concentrate. Leadership and management are also rated Outstanding, reflecting strong governance by Rachel Hogarth Smith and her team.

One of the school's genuine distinguishing features is its approach to SEND provision. Ofsted praised "exemplary" provision for children with special educational needs and/or disabilities. Staff are highly skilled at early identification and put necessary adaptations in place so children "thrive." The school has a strong tradition of fully inclusive practice and continues to develop expertise in this area. For families with children requiring additional support, this nursery represents a genuinely inclusive environment where difference is expected and accommodated as standard practice.

The breadth of experience offered daily at Rachel McMillan extends far beyond formal curriculum. The outdoor curriculum includes structured learning in the four main subject areas (literacy, numeracy, understanding the world, and expressive arts) but also encompasses what we might call character development.

Physical Development & Outdoor Play Provision

The garden is engineered for physicality. Provision encourages running, jumping, climbing, balancing, and swinging. According to school documentation, "These activities are vital for physical and mental health but they also help develop fine and gross motor skills which in turn help children write and use tools effectively." Research increasingly supports this: physical freedom in early childhood correlates with brain development and later academic success. The garden offers unique challenges for problem-solving and risk management; children work together to overcome obstacles and learn to assess safety independently.

Forest School & Woodland Experiences

The dedicated Forest School area has become particularly significant. Working with trained practitioners and parent volunteers, small groups experience planned woodland learning weekly throughout the year. The ethos allows children time and space to develop skills through hands-on experience. Campfire cooking, whittling with real tools under supervision, plant identification, and wildlife hunts create learning that is simply unavailable in conventional indoor settings. Forest School has documented impact on children's language development, relationship-building ability, and understanding of the natural world.

Art & Creative Expression

The school maintains a strong commitment to creative arts. Projects documented on the school's photo gallery include The Bee Project (in partnership with the Albany), an Art Project, and ongoing creative exploration. Ofsted noted that children develop creativity through play, and the outdoor spaces afford particular opportunities for large-scale exploration, painting, building, sculpting with natural materials, and imaginative play.

Music & Sound Exploration

While not a specialist music school, regular early years practice includes music and sound exploration as part of the curriculum. The large outdoor spaces naturally lend themselves to acoustic exploration and movement to music.

Parent Involvement & Family Engagement

The children's centre, run in partnership with Quaggy Development Trust, extends learning into family support. Parents can attend Stay and Play sessions, access parenting courses, and benefit from family support services. The school philosophy emphasises partnership: "You are your child's first teacher, and we value the knowledge and expertise you have about your own child." This isn't rhetoric; staff build genuine relationships with families, understanding that children thrive when school-home partnerships are strong.

Meals & Nutrition

The school provides meals as part of the daily experience, continuing Margaret McMillan's original belief that children cannot learn when hungry. Nutrition and food experience are integrated into learning. The school cook (Ruth) prepares food on-site.

Rachel McMillan is a maintained nursery school operated by Royal Greenwich Local Authority, one of only four maintained nursery schools in Greenwich and among fewer than 500 in England. Admissions are for children aged 2, 3, and 4 years old. Places are allocated through the local authority's admissions process. The school is currently admitting, though exact availability varies by term. Families should contact the school directly on 020 8692 4041 to enquire about current vacancies and visit options. The headteacher and team recommend visiting the school in advance of application to gain a sense of the environment, and this is genuinely worth doing; the garden and the atmosphere are distinctive and worth experiencing first-hand. The school offers both full-time and part-time places, and many families combine nursery attendance with other childcare arrangements.

Admissions follow Greenwich's standard early years allocation procedures. Being a maintained nursery with strong demand, places can be competitive, but unlike selective schools, there is no entrance test. The school's only criterion is availability and local authority allocation processes.

School hours

8:50am to 3:20pm

Wrap-around care

Breakfast club from 7:45am; after-school club until 6pm during term time. Holiday club operates during main school holidays.

Access to the site

Located on McMillan Street in Deptford, South-East London. The site is accessible via public transport; the nearest train stations are Surrey Quays (Jubilee Line) and Canada Water (both about 15-20 minutes' walk). Buses serving the area include routes 1, 47, 188, and 381. For families driving, parking in Deptford can be challenging; street parking is available but limited.

Transport arrangements

For families beyond immediate walking distance, transport planning may be necessary, particularly for early start times. Some families combine nursery attendance with childminder or family support for wrap-around care.

Uniform

The school asks for practical clothing suitable for outdoor play. A uniform is not required, though the school can provide details of expectations. Waterproof jackets and wellies are essential.

Pastoral care at Rachel McMillan is woven throughout daily practice rather than separated as a distinct function. Every child has key people, practitioners who know them deeply, observe their development closely, and communicate regularly with families. The school's commitment to emotional wellbeing is explicit and practiced. Staff training in safeguarding and child protection is thorough; the designated safeguarding lead ensures all statutory requirements are met.

The school operates with genuine inclusivity. Diversity across the community is celebrated: many children speak English as an additional language (EAL), and the school actively supports multilingual development. Equality of opportunity is not a policy document but a daily commitment. Staff ensure children in vulnerable or under-resourced circumstances receive particular attention to ensure they thrive.

Not a day nursery model: This is a maintained nursery school, not a commercial day nursery. This distinction matters. The school runs term-time hours aligned to the school year, not year-round childcare. For families needing full-year provision, supplementary childcare is necessary.

Garden-dependent learning: Outdoor learning is central to the philosophy, which means children spend substantial time outside regardless of weather. Some families prefer more climate-controlled environments. If your family is uncomfortable with extended outdoor play in rain or cold, this approach may not suit you.

Term-time only: Holiday care is provided, but the school closes for school holidays. Families with working arrangements requiring year-round provision need alternative solutions during these periods.

Demand: Places are sought-after, reflecting the school's reputation. While this is not a selective school, availability can be limited, and allocations follow local authority procedures.

Rachel McMillan Nursery School is a genuinely distinctive place. It is England's first open-air nursery, now over a century old, and it continues to operate from its original conviction: that young children, particularly those in communities with greatest need, deserve fresh air, expert care, high-quality teaching, and space to develop physically, emotionally, and intellectually. The fact that it maintains Outstanding status across all Ofsted categories while operating without competitive selection speaks to the quality of leadership and practice.

The school is best suited to families who value outdoor learning, strong teacher relationships, play-based development, and inclusive practice. If your child has additional needs, this school offers particularly strong support. If you seek an alternative to conventional nursery models, this is compelling. The distinctive learning environment and genuine community atmosphere are notable strengths. The main consideration is practical: term-time-only operation and outdoor-focused learning require families to be genuinely comfortable with both.