Little Acorns Montessori School
Good★ 5.0 on GoogleBirth to 8+Open for decades
A pre-school in Bushey for children from birth to 8+, open 08:00 to 18:00, 5 days a week. They do not publish prices, so that is the first thing to ask. Rated Good by Ofsted in January 2023. Open since 2005, with 55 places.
What you might pay
This setting does not publish its fees, and no national dataset holds them. This is what childcare costs across the council, as a starting point for the call.
What childcare usually costs in Hertfordshire
This is not this setting's price. It is the median hourly fee across all providers in Hertfordshire from the Department for Education's 2025 provider survey. No national data holds what an individual nursery charges, so ring and ask.
Places, hours and the day
Who they take, when they are open, and what a day there includes.
Where it is
WD23 2ESWhat the inspector found
One grade is one visit. A run of them tells you whether it has been good for years or has only just got there.
Ofsted inspector, 13 January 2023 · read the full report
What it is like to attend
Children make good progress in this calm and nurturing environment. They are confident learners and eagerly explore the well-organised environment. Children are very well behaved. They have clear expectations from staff. From an early age, children learn to be respectful of their environment and know to tidy toys away after they have finished with them. Children build meaningful friendships with each other and develop positive social skills. They wait patiently for their turns on equipment and chat as they play, pretending to make meals of pizza and cupcakes for each other.
Children become deeply engaged in their play. Babies delight as they explore shakers with glitter. Older children develop strength in their hand as they mould coloured dough into different shapes. They use tools for a purpose as they use rolling pins to roll the dough and cutters to make shapes. Children are independent. They quickly master self-care skills, such as handwashing and dressing themselves. Children learn how to set the table for lunch and scrape and wash their plates up after eating. Children develop a clear understanding of size and number as they explore the Montessori resources. They learn to match counters to written numbers and play with blocks, sorting them into size order.
What Ofsted told them to improve
To further improve the quality of the early years provision, the provider should:
- develop opportunities for children to learn how to keep themselves safe when using digital technology.
- 13 January 2023Good
- 25 May 2017Good
- 14 May 2015Good
Rated Good or Outstanding at 3 of the last 3 graded inspections.
Still missing for Little Acorns Montessori School
- What it costs
- Funded hours
- Youngest age taken
- Meals
- Nappies
- Waiting list
No dataset holds any of this. Two parents telling us the same thing puts it on the page for whoever looks next.
What to ask them
None of this is in any national dataset and this setting has not published it, which is exactly why it is worth asking.
- What does it cost, all in? What is on top: meals, nappies, late pick-up, and what happens if you are late.
- Can I use my funded hours here? Whether they stretch them over the year, and the minimum days you have to book.
- Is there a place for my child's age? Baby rooms fill first and waiting lists are common.
- Who would my child's key person be? And how long have the staff been there. No dataset holds this and it matters more than anything above.
- Can I visit at a busy time? Mid-morning on a weekday tells you far more than an empty room after hours.
Pre-schools within a couple of miles
This one is first. Tick it and one or two others to see them side by side.