MMI Preschool
Good★ 4.3 on GoogleBirth to 5Open for decades
A day nursery in East Croydon for children from birth to 5, 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 They do not publish prices, so that is the first thing to ask.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 May 2024. Open since 2010, with 73 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 Croydon
This is not this setting's price. It is the median hourly fee across all providers in Croydon 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
CR0 6TJWhat 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, 21 May 2024 · read the full report
What it is like to attend
Children are happy in this inclusive and nurturing environment. They form secure emotional attachments with staff, who are very attentive to their needs. Staff implement a stimulating curriculum that encompasses the seven areas of learning and Montessori principles. This supports children to be highly motivated and engaged in their play and learning. Babies and older children enjoy messy and sensory play tremendously. Staff encourage babies to use their hands to explore cooked pasta and lentils and create marks with jumbo paint markers. Older children concentrate as they use their fine motor skills with tools to manipulate and make prints in dough. All of these activities help to strengthen skills in preparation for early writing.
Staff are skilled in promoting children's language and communication development.
They use a range of strategies, including providing a running commentary as babies play. Staff plan interesting activities, such as a game to find out what is in a bag, to help toddlers to identify objects and describe what they are used for. Staff extend older children's vocabulary during a colour-mixing activity. As children learn how to create a range of colours, staff introduce them to new words and their meaning, such as 'transparent' and 'pipettes'. As a result, all children become confident and skilful communicators. Staff have high expectations for all children.
What Ofsted told them to improve
To further improve the quality of the early years provision, the provider should:
- encourage staff to extend children's understanding of healthy eating and why it is important for their bodies n implement the curriculum even more precisely to ensure that staff are extending pre-school children's learning in all areas.
- 21 May 2024Good
- 6 July 2018Good
- 20 July 2017Needs improvement
Rated Good or Outstanding at 2 of the last 3 graded inspections.
Still missing for MMI Preschool
- 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.