How to Compare Nurseries in Northolt: Ofsted Report Cards, Setting Types and Costs Explained

When parents in Northolt start looking seriously at nurseries, the same questions tend to come up on our tours at Unique Child Montessori: 'That setting says Good on its report, but is that still the right word to use?' 'What is the difference between a preschool and a day nursery?' 'Am I comparing like with like on cost?' This post works through each of those in turn.

The different types of setting around UB5

If you live near our Northolt nursery on Wood End Way, you have a genuine mix of options within a reasonable distance, and they work quite differently from each other.

Private full-day nurseries are open all year (or close to it), typically from around 8am to 6pm, and cover children from babies through to school age. Because they run outside of term time and offer flexible sessions, they tend to suit working parents most naturally. We fall into this category: we are open 51 weeks a year for children from six months to five years.

School nursery classes are attached to primary schools and usually run on school hours and school terms. A place in a nursery class does not guarantee a reception place at the same school. In Ealing, the same admissions criteria apply to nursery classes as to the main school, and you need to make a separate application for reception regardless. Gifford Primary School, for example, runs its own nursery application process, and Ealing's school admissions team can be reached on 020 8825 5511 if you need guidance.

Preschools and sessional settings often run for two or three hours a morning, term time only. KiddieCare Nursery at Petts Hill Children's Centre, for example, is open 12pm to 3pm during school term time and offers funded places for two, three and four-year-olds.

Childminders work from their own home, typically with smaller numbers of children across a wider age range. Ofsted registers and inspects them, usually giving no more than five days' notice, though inspections can also happen without any notice at all.

How to read an Ofsted report now — the transition matters

This is where parents comparing nurseries in Northolt need to be careful. Ofsted changed its inspection framework on 10 November 2025, and the difference is significant.

Before November 2025, early years settings received a single overall grade: Outstanding, Good, Requires Improvement or Inadequate. Most settings you will find listed locally still show one of those single-word grades, because they have not yet been reinspected under the new framework.

Since November 2025, Ofsted no longer gives a single overall grade. Instead, early years providers are assessed across six separate evaluation areas, each graded on a five-point scale: Exceptional, Strong standard, Expected standard, Needs attention, or Urgent improvement. Inclusion is, for the first time, its own separate evaluation area. Safeguarding is judged separately as either met or not met.

Oftsted expects most settings to reach at least Expected standard in each area. If any area is graded Needs attention, the setting will usually be reinspected within 12 months. Urgent improvement triggers a reinspection within six months, as does a safeguarding judgement of not met.

So when you open a report on reports.ofsted.gov.uk, the first thing to check is the inspection date. A report from 2022 showing 'Good' and a report from early 2026 showing 'Strong standard' across five areas are not directly comparable, even though both sound positive. The older grade reflects a different framework entirely.

It is also worth knowing that some registered providers have no published report at all. Settings on the Childcare Register only (rather than the Early Years Register) are inspected roughly once every ten years on a sample basis, so an absence of a report does not automatically mean something is wrong. It is worth asking the setting directly when they were last inspected and what the outcome was.

Comparing costs: what the headline price does and does not include

Full-day nursery fees in London are higher than the national average, and Outer London settings like those in Ealing sit roughly 8% below Inner London averages, though still around 29% above the England average as a whole, according to Coram's 2026 childcare survey.

When you compare fees across your shortlist, check carefully whether meals are included. At Unique Child Montessori Northolt, meals are included for children attending all year round, which makes the daily fee easier to budget. Session times also vary: we offer full days (8am to 6pm), school days, mornings and afternoons, so the fee depends on which combination works for your family.

On funding, the universal 15 hours a week applies to all three and four-year-olds regardless of family income or working status. Eligible working families can claim up to 30 hours a week, and since September 2025 that extends to children from nine months old, not just three and four-year-olds. Use Best Start in Life to check your exact eligibility. At our Northolt nursery, funded hours can be taken stretched across our 51-week year or term time only, whichever works better for you. You can find the detail on our fees and funding page.

One thing to watch: funded hours never cover consumables such as nappies, wipes or sun cream at any registered setting, so factor that into your comparison.

Questions that reveal how a setting actually runs

Beyond Ofsted, a visit tells you far more than a report ever can. We have written a fuller guide on questions to ask on a nursery visit if you want a proper checklist, but a few that consistently reveal a lot:

• What does a typical morning look like from the child's point of view, not the timetable?
• How does the key person system work day to day, and what happens if that person is off?
• How do you communicate with parents about what their child has done and learned?
• What is your approach if a child takes longer to settle than expected?

At Northolt, children in our Tulips Baby Room and Acorns Toddler Room have a named Key Person from day one, and we offer a home visit before a child starts so the first face they see at nursery is already familiar.

Coming to see us

If Unique Child Montessori Northolt is on your shortlist, the most useful next step is a visit rather than a longer read. You will see the Oakleys Preschool Room downstairs, the outdoor space within the former school building, and the prepared Montessori environment for yourself. Book a show-around and we will find a time that suits you.