What age does my child need to be?
- Your child needs to be between 2 and 5 years old.
- However, we have a small annual intake of 1.5 to 2-year-old children.
- Please note that we currently have a 3-6 month waiting list, and it is best to get in touch as soon as possible if you wish to register your child with us in the next year.
What are your operating hours?
- Our School is open between 8.30 a.m. and 4.30 p.m.
- This is Monday to Friday, during Term time only.
- We also operate on extended opening hours, with early drop-off from 8.15 a.m. and late pick-up until 5.30 p.m.
How long is your School Term?
- The length of each Term can vary, but on average, a Term has 13 weeks as our School operates over 39 weeks per academic year. There are 3 terms:
- Autumn Term (September to December)
- Spring Term (January to Easter break)
- Summer Term (from Easter break to July).
- We follow the school terms for Enfield Borough of London.
What is the rating of your latest inspection by Ofsted?
- The latest inspection took place in the Summer Term of 2024, and Alphablocks Nursery School was again found to be Outstanding in all areas.
- Ofsted had previously inspected our nursery school in 2018 and had judged us then to be Outstanding in all areas as well.
- Here is a representative comment about our services: “Children make exceptional progress. They have extremely good opportunities to challenge their physical skills, outdoors and indoors. Their emotional well-being is superbly promoted. All children thrive, with remarkably high levels of self-esteem and confidence.” You can read the previous Ofsted report here. A summary of some of the wonderful things that Ofsted has said about us can also be found in our School brochure.
Are there drop-off and pick-up times?
- Yes – it helps to establish clear routines that will continue to Primary School.
- Drop-off is between 8.30 a.m. and 8.55 a.m.
- Pick-ups are between 4.15 p.m. and 4.30 p.m.
- Pick-ups after a morning session are 12.15 p.m. – 12.30 p.m.
- Prompt drop-offs and pick-ups are important for every child.
- Prompt pick-up is also essential for the smooth running of the setting and the welfare of our children and teachers, so we do charge a minimum of £10 for a late collection, charged for every 10 minutes of delay beyond the usual pick-up time.
Will you keep me informed about my child’s progress?
- Absolutely. We are committed to high standards of communication practices. The Head of School will always arrange face-to-face meetings with you twice per Term.
- The Key Teacher for your child will also give you brief, regular updates whenever possible. Additionally, you will receive electronic updates with professional observations on your child’s progress. To manage this, we use a dedicated software tool.
- Teachers’ observations are a cornerstone of early years education, and we use best-in-class software that logs such observations and shares them with you on your desktop, tablet, or smartphone device. A great benefit of this tool is that you can add your observations, helping your child’s Key Teacher provide continuity of learning between Home and School.
What is your educational approach?
- We follow a hybrid approach, combining the best elements of different educational approaches to maximise every child’s learning potential.
- Our classroom is specifically designed so that it caters to the learning needs of the children and adapts to those needs, taking into account the skills we want them to develop. Children use the indoor or outdoor spaces to explore, learn, relax and have fun through play and by extending themselves in a safe way.
- We place specific emphasis on early language development, e.g., through projects such as Bringing Stories to Life, as well as early mathematics and focused weeks.
- Our teachers are experienced educators who are qualified in early education. They are inducted into our educational approach and develop deep relationships with our children and their families.
What are your fees?
- Without any entitlement funding, each session (4 hours) costs £46, while a full day is £81 (8 hours).
- There are certain minimum attendance requirements, depending on your child’s age.
- See our dedicated fees page for further details. (Note that a session is a 4-hour block in the morning/afternoon).
- There is also an option for hot lunches served in the setting, as well as extended hours of attendance from 8:15 am to 5:30 pm.
Is there a Registration fee? When is a deposit needed?
- Yes, there is a one-off admin fee upon registering your child & securing a place.
- This is currently set at £250, and it is non-refundable.
- If your child is due to start at a later date than the date of registration, then in most cases, a retainer fee (as a deposit) of £400 is also payable. Please consult our Terms & Conditions for any clarifications, or go ahead and ask us about it.
I have a few questions, how can I get in touch with you?
- We want to answer all your questions, especially those about our unique educational approach.
- You can submit your details in a simple form and we will call you back within a day or two.
- If your query is more urgent, you can call us on 0208 935 5636, or send us an email at info@alpha-blocks.com.
- It would be great to meet you and your child, so please arrange a visit as soon as you are ready.
I’d like to visit the School, how and when can I do this?
- You can visit the School only through prior arrangements and in specific time slots, e.g. by arranging a visit via this form.
How do you compare against other nurseries and nursery schools?
- We are focused on early education and aim to empower your child to become a confident learner. Please read some more on this in the About Us page.
- In practice, this means that we prepare your child for the challenges of Primary School and his or her future education.
- We strongly encourage you to visit as many settings as possible and to compare them against each other.
- To help you do this, we have written a blog post explaining what to look out for when choosing a nursery for your child.
- Our pricing is highly competitive for what we offer, serving the wider areas of Cockfosters, Potters Bar, Enfield and Barnet.
What is the difference between a ‘nursery’ or ‘day nursery’ and ‘nursery school’?
- Nursery is a broad term that includes many types of settings that look after children.
- The most common types of nurseries are Day Nurseries and Nursery Schools. Day Nurseries care for children from three months old to five years old; they are open for around fifty weeks a year and are typically open from 8 a.m. to 6 p.m.
- Nursery Schools are more focused on early education and, as a result, care for children between the ages of 1-2 to 5 years old; they operate during School Terms only and are typically open until 3.30-4.30 p.m.
I’d like to secure a place for my child, how can I do this?
- If you have visited the School and want to secure a place, please start by completing this initial registration form.
- The form will ask whether you have read and understood the Terms and Conditions.
- Finally, you may want to consult our latest Brochure.
Can I read through your Policies & Procedures, T&Cs, etc.?
- We thought you’d never ask! The most important of these are available online, and for the rest, you will get copies when you go through the initial registration meeting. We can also email them to you in advance if you prefer.
- Policies and Procedures
- Terms and Conditions
- Privacy & Data Protection Policy