Mace Montessori Nursery
Good★ 4.4 on GoogleBirth to 8+Open for decades
A day nursery in London 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 They do not publish prices, so that is the first thing to ask.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 October 2024. Open since 2011, with 90 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 Barnet
This is not this setting's price. It is the median hourly fee across all providers in Barnet 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
N12 8TPWhat 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.
- 17 June 2025 — Concern: actions taken what Ofsted published
Ofsted inspector, 14 October 2024 · read the full report
What it is like to attend
Staff build warm and reassuring relationships with children. For example, babies gurgle happily as staff make different facial expressions and toddlers giggle with delight as staff build and knock over towers with them. Children clearly feel safe and secure. This enables them to explore the environment and make choices about their play.
Leaders develop a curriculum that prioritises individual children's needs and interests. Staff know children very well and use this information to set up highly engaging activities. For instance, children work together on a 'beach clean-up', using jumbo tweezers to remove rubbish from a seaside-themed activity tray. Staff encourage discussion around sea creatures, and children respond enthusiastically, demonstrating their keen interest in this topic. Through this child-centred activity, staff actively teach about recycling and explain why straws are now made of paper.
Staff work together to model respectful relationships. They encourage and support younger children to take turns with resources and to be kind to each other. Older children demonstrate the impact of this as they play together successfully, demonstrating patience and excellent turn-taking skills. For example, they patiently wait their turn to participate in an activity and remind each other to take turns when helping themselves to lunch. This contributes to a calm and purposeful atmosphere throughout the day.
What Ofsted told them to improve
To further improve the quality of the early years provision, the provider should:
- support staff to model spoken English correctly and give children enough time to respond to questions or to share their own thoughts and ideas n ensure that routine tasks do not have an impact on engagement with children n encourage staff to be more specific in their praise so children understand what they have done well.
- 14 October 2024Good
- 12 November 2019Good
- 30 November 2018Needs improvement
Rated Good or Outstanding at 2 of the last 3 graded inspections.
Still missing for Mace Montessori Nursery
- 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.
Day nurseries within a couple of miles
This one is first. Tick it and one or two others to see them side by side.