6 months to 2 yearsBabies
- Ratio
- 1:3
- Outdoor access
Sensory exploration through natural and varied textures, and secure key-person attachments that let babies feel safe enough to explore.
- Ages2 to 3 years
- Ratio1:4
- Outdoor accessDaily outdoor sessions
Overview
Two to three is the age of physical mastery and the language explosion, and we support the real shift happening at this age, from playing alongside other children to playing with them.
A Typical Day
Children move freely between the construction area, book corner and garden, so a child who wants to be outside never has to wait to be asked. Outside is a genuine extension of the classroom, not a break from it, children mark-make with large chalks and paintbrushes outdoors, dig and build in the mud kitchen, and explore loose parts and real gardening tools. At Stockwell, children also get hands-on time in our own allotment, planting, watering and watching things grow. A visual timetable helps children understand the sequence of their own day.
Care & Development
We use "echoing," repeating a child's word and adding one more, to expand vocabulary naturally, and pause in familiar stories for children to fill in the words themselves. Potty training is treated as a learning milestone woven into the day, not just a routine.
Come and see it for yourself
Book a tourWhy Families Choose Us
Children leave this room confident, communicative and physically capable, able to ask "why" and "how," navigate the move from parallel play to real cooperation, and reach milestones like potty training with dignity, not just readiness for the next room.
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Book a tour to walk through the rooms and outdoor spaces, meet the team, and see the prepared environment for yourself.
Book Your VisitThings parents ask us
Common questions
Staff narrate what children are doing as they do it, name objects, actions and feelings, and give children words to use instead of pointing or grabbing. With a 1:4 ratio, there's real time for one-to-one exchanges alongside group activities, which matters at an age when vocabulary is expanding fast. Two-to-three word phrases are actively encouraged through conversation, songs and simple back-and-forth exchanges throughout the day.
Testing boundaries and having strong reactions to frustration is completely normal at this age, and staff treat it as part of a child learning to manage feelings they don't yet have full control over. An adult stays close, names what the child seems to be feeling, and helps them find a calmer place before talking it through. It's never treated as naughtiness, and parents are told what happened and how it was handled so the approach can stay consistent at home.
The Montessori materials in the room are set out at child height so children can choose, use and return them without needing an adult to fetch things for them. Everyday tasks like pouring a drink, putting on a coat or washing hands are treated as real learning opportunities, with staff offering a hand only when it's asked for or clearly needed. This steady chance to do things themselves builds the confidence that carries them into the next room.
The ratio is 1:4, meaning each staff member is responsible for a small group of children. At this age that means an adult is genuinely available to notice the small things: a new word tried out, a wobble on the climbing frame, a friendship forming. It also means a child having a difficult moment gets an adult's attention quickly.
We see parents as a child's first teacher, so conversations at drop-off and pickup go in both directions. Staff share what they've noticed that day and ask what's been happening at home, so a child's progress is tracked with input from both settings. This partnership matters most at an age when development is moving quickly and can look different in different environments.
The outdoor area is shared across the nursery's rooms, so Toddlers don't have a fixed daily outdoor slot and timings vary from week to week. When it's their turn, the space is used for running, climbing, role play and imaginative games, giving children the big physical movement this age needs. Staff build outdoor time into the week's rhythm, with timings varying week to week.
Ofsted registered, inspected, and rated Good
Independently inspected so you do not have to take our word for it.
"Children are happily engaged in activities in this caring nursery. They have warm, secure relationships with staff, who greet them warmly when they arrive and take time to help them settle well."