The Grove

Located within Westbourne Grove Church, in the heart of Notting Hill. The nursery can be accessed through the main reception of this community building and is located in the west wing of the first floor. The Grove has been fully renovated internally into a modern space with period features.

From September 2021 children can join us from 2 years old until 5 years old. Our 2-5 year old classroom is divided into two areas. The larger area offers all areas of the curriculum including activities for both gross and fine motor skills. A windowed partition creates a smaller classroom that is designed for our older children to work with more advanced materials.

From September 2022 we will open our second classroom and offer a limited number of places to children from 12 months old. Our 1-2 year old classroom is a home from home. A calm room of sensorial experiences to interest your child’s natural curiosity as they grow and develop. Natural materials, aromatherapy and gentle music set the tone for this space. With changing facilities, sleeping coracles and supported seating this younger classroom contains everything your child needs.

Our environment is carefully designed so that all activities are displayed at the children’s level, encouraging freedom of movement and choice. The space allows the children to share a wide range of Montessori materials and enables them to discover, explore, learn and enhance their skills at their own pace. Every area of the EYFS (Early Years Foundation Stage) is seamlessly blended with our Montessori curriculum and materials.

The teachers observe the children at work which enables them to have a strong understanding of each individual child so that they can plan to follow their interests and extend their learning. Presentations and materials are prepared to challenge children to increase their knowledge and abilities.

We continually assess and refresh our activities to ensure the environment is always fresh, enticing and relevant for our children. The children work and play independently, with their friends or with a teacher. Alongside the free choice of activities that the children have access to, we offer structured group activities such as rest your mind time, cooking, music and show & tell.

We believe in serving food that is fresh, varied and healthy. Our meals are freshly prepared by trained chefs who are passionate about the ingredients they work with. Our varied seasonal menus include a range of options to make healthy eating easier for everyone. Our menus are nutritionally well balanced to ensure we meet all children’s dietary and cultural needs, as well as exploring different tastes at mealtimes.

Good nutrition is essential during childhood, as it is a time of rapid growth, development and activity. This is also a vital time for healthy tooth development and prevention of decay. General eating habits and patterns are formed in the first few years of life. A nutritious diet, together with good hydration, provides your child with good eating habits for life, healthy skin, a healthy weight, secure emotional well-being, and improved behaviour. The nursery staff have a key role in introducing young children to a wide variety of foods and establishing a pattern of regular meals and healthy snacks.
Eating is about more than food, it is a social event too, and nursery staff join your child’s mealtimes. Mealtimes are a relaxed and social part of the day where we all sit down and eat together. Staff encourage interaction between the children, good table manners and the development of social skills.

From 2 years old, children participate in setting tables and clearing away at the end of a meal. This enhances the development of social skills by helping to increase children’s confidence, self-esteem, independence, and decision-making skills, and is the next step for school readiness.

A seasonal and fresh variety of snacks will be available throughout the morning and afternoon sessions. A snack table is available for the older children throughout the day with water, fruit, vegetables and some healthy snacks created by our chef. The older children can choose and prepare their own healthy snack and our teachers are on hand to assist if needed. We frequently discuss what foods are healthy and how they help our body.