Merry Gold Montessori School
GoodTakes funded hoursBirth to 8+Open for decades
A pre-school in Twickenham for from 2 years up to school age, open 08:00 to 12:30, 7 days a week. They take the funded hours. They do not publish prices, so ask. Rated Good by Ofsted in September 2021, though that is 5 years ago now. Open since 1999, with 35 places.
What it costs
Prices change without notice. Treat these as what to ask about, not a quote.
Funded hours
30 hours for working parents.
What childcare usually costs in Richmond upon Thames
This is not this setting's price. It is the median hourly fee across all providers in Richmond upon Thames 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
TW2 7DXWhat 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, 30 September 2021 · read the full report
What it is like to attend
Children settle well and are happy in this setting. Staff tailor the settling-in process to each individual child. They make sure that arrangements are flexible to meet the needs of each child and their parents and carers. Staff select each child's key person based on the relationship that they build with the adults in the setting. This helps children to quickly develop strong relationships and a sense of safety and security.
The manager and staff have high expectations for children's behaviour. They teach children to be respectful of each other and the resources in the setting. Children respond to this well. For instance, they tidy away after they have finished with an activity before moving on to another. Children demonstrate consistently good behaviour and politely ask each other if they may join them in an activity or play next to them.
Due to the COVID-19 (coronavirus) pandemic, parents do not currently enter the main room of the setting to drop off or pick up their children. Staff greet the parents at the door to complete a verbal handover with them. However, the manager recognises that new parents to the setting may find it difficult to leave their children at the door. As such, staff take appropriate safety precautions to allow these parents to come into the setting to support the settling-in process for their child.
What Ofsted told them to improve
To further improve the quality of the early years provision, the provider should:
- enhance staff's involvement in children's play to add even further levels of challenge to extend children's skills.
- 30 September 2021Good
- 12 December 2016Good
- 17 December 2012Good
Rated Good or Outstanding at 3 of the last 3 graded inspections.
Still missing for Merry Gold Montessori School
- What it costs
- 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
Some of this is above, from the setting or from parents, and it can go out of date. The rest is in no dataset anywhere. Either way it is worth ten minutes on the phone.
- What does it cost, all in? What is on top: meals, nappies, late pick-up, and what happens if you are late.
- How do you apply my funded hours? Whether they stretch them over the year, and the minimum days you have to book.
- Do you have a place for a child of my age now? 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.