Portman Early Childhood Centre Nursery Review

A rooftop garden, journeys to Queens Wood and a family worker for each child give Portman’s nursery day a distinctive shape. Education and family support share a centre off Church Street, between the Lisson Green and Paddington Green estates. The building spans three floors, bringing the nursery together with drop-in activities, adult learning and health visitors.

Children attend from ages 2 to 5. The provision for older nursery children has 60 places. The Early Years Resource base supports children with complex needs, with 20 spaces for children learning within the main nursery. Ofsted’s inspection on 18 and 19 June 2024 found that children’s language developed very well and that support met their differing needs exceptionally well.

Play gives staff the starting point for teaching. They observe children’s interests, then extend their learning through conversation and activities. Early years learning here includes counting, listening, cooperation and managing feelings: foundations children can use throughout the day. Books have a substantial role. Children revisit familiar stories, meet new vocabulary and, when appropriate, explore letter sounds and simple writing.

Learning spaces extend across two floors. Outdoors, the rooftop garden adds another place to explore, while the sensory room combines music with lighting that responds to touch. Children use the sensory play area regularly, giving them different ways to investigate sound, light and sensation. London outings extend learning beyond the centre, and International Day and Sports Day bring families into shared activities.

Forest School takes a group to Queens Wood in Highgate on Fridays over six weeks. Travel is by Tube, making transport and the signs encountered en route part of the learning. Visits continue in different weather, with suitable clothing. Portman aims to involve all children, rather than treating outdoor learning as an occasional extra.

For autistic learners, SCERTS is incorporated into the curriculum. Its focus is on communication with others, managing emotions and the support needed during everyday activities. That connects individual support to ordinary nursery experiences.

Each child has a family worker who makes a home visit before nursery starts. Settling is planned with parents and adjusted to the child, with daily decisions about moving from parental support to staff support. During the first term, changes to the learning environment are kept small so that familiarity helps children settle.

Parents contribute to learning reviews each term. Where additional support is needed, an Individual Learning Plan brings together the family, family worker and SENCO, with goals and strategies that can also be used at home. Speech and language therapy or other specialist advice can be sought with parental agreement. Monthly coffee mornings provide another opportunity for families to share experiences, especially around SEND.

Breakfast club serves toast or cereal, and families may bring their own breakfast instead. Parents are asked to send an additional snack for after-school care. In June 2024, staff supported children’s emotional development patiently, multilingual staff helped families learning English, and safeguarding arrangements were effective.

Nursery attendance does not guarantee a Reception place. Families must make a separate application to their chosen primary school through its normal admissions process and meet the applicable deadline. Choosing Portman therefore needs to be a decision about the nursery years themselves.

Transition support is practical. Family workers accompany children on visits to their next school, usually building towards full days in the Reception classroom before nursery finishes. Nursery and primary SENCOs exchange information and plan support, while an end-of-nursery report passes on each child’s progress and needs. These arrangements help prepare children for the move; they do not secure admission.

Morning and afternoon sessions are offered, with an additional full day once a child is settled. Funded provision includes a 15-hour part-time entitlement and funded 30-hour places for children aged 2, 3 and 4. Provision outside the school year is charged; nursery consumables are not.

Breakfast club runs from 8.15am to 9.15am in the kitchen. After-school care uses the first-floor drop-in, starting at 3.30pm and ending at 6pm Monday to Thursday or 5.30pm on Friday. Club sessions should be booked at the front desk during the preceding week. Contact the centre on 02033071940 or office@portmancentre.co.uk for enquiries and current charges.