The Dolphin Montessori School

Our daughter has been at Dolphin for nearly a year starting from just before her 3rd birthday. It is the most caring and loving of places to leave her each morning. The variety of activities and opportunity to take part in things seasonally and culturally inspired make for happy evenings discussing new things and expanded horizons. There is cooking, yoga, music, as well as reading, crafts, drawing, painting and more. The half-termly coffee-mornings/parent and sibling extravaganzas give an insight to the familial atmosphere of the entire place. Above all, the care, love and personal attention given by the two teachers is second to none. It is a wonderful and nurturing place. Thank you!

My children absolutely loved going - They felt safe, happy and stimulated, always coming home telling us about all the things they had done, including cooking, music, yoga, fun activities and playing in the lovely garden there. They grew in confidence and it prepared them so well for their next steps in education afterwards. The communication between the staff and parents is excellent and as a parent, I felt very supported also. We could not have wished for a better foundation education experience for our children and will be forever grateful for this. It is a truly wonderful place. Thank you!

Dolphin Nursery offers the most nurtured, safe and secure environment for any child lucky enough to go there! My daughter is coming up to her first year there now and I cannot express more how much we all love it. My daughter bounces in every morning and she is welcomed by the warm and loving glow of the manager and another specific staff member who are quite frankly angels! The quality of learning and structure is also very impressive. The manager sends a thorough newsletter to the parents every week which outlines the children's weekly activities from baking, and books of interest, to literacy and mathematical topics they may be working on. Every week feels so rich in learning and development, both cognitive and personal. Dolphin is a magical nursery and offers the most fantastic foundation for early learning. Hand on heart, I can not recommend it more highly!

Our child spent two years at The Dolphin Montessori Nursery and I cannot stress enough how much he enjoyed his time there. The manager and another specific staff member, the key staff, are incredibly attentive and knowledgeable. They read children's (and parents' needs) with great discernment. They have created for the children they look after and nurture a heaven of calm, curiosity, focus and joy that enable little ones to develop an incredibly wide array of skills - from self-confidence to managing and expressing emotions, all the way to handling a kitchen knife and mastering the art of bread of pizza-making! They get exposed to a fantastic diversity of activities, both within the nursery and its lovely garden, and beyond (they regularly go on outings!). We were very sad when the time came for us to go to the big school, but my son was very well prepared for it.

The most incredible nursery with the most caring and loving staff. My son adored his time there and we could not have been happier or felt more supported. The individual needs of the child are evaluated and tended to carefully. My son thrived in such a nurturing and safe environment. Both the indoor and outdoor spaces are well maintained and provide ample opportunity for learning, growing, and exploring. Our time at The Dolphin was so special and we cannot recommend them highly enough. We will be back to say hello and visit!

My twin daughters loved being at Dolphin, and absolutely thrived there. The staff are the most wonderful early years practitioners and have created an extraordinary environment, filled with varied, exciting and carefully curated activities. My girls received unparalleled personalised teaching and care, and they were nurtured at every step. They always felt safe and loved, and they developed amazing confidence and independence as a result. Yoga, music, art, storytelling, cookery, gardening, creative play, outings - the list is endless, but the true magic was in their very special relationships with the staff. They are so lucky to have experienced such wonderful early-years foundations.

My two daughters absolutely adored going to Dolphin Nursery. Both staff and manager are incredibly loving and really attended so carefully to their individual needs. My daughters both thrived in such a well-considered learning environment. They felt safe and happy. My youngest has just started Primary school and she is missing the cosy, loving space that Dolphin provided for her. As a parent, I have also been incredibly well supported, listened to and communicated with often and effectively. I cannot recommend this special nursery highly enough it has been a truly wonderful start for my girls. The outdoor and indoor spaces are always carefully set up to help support the learning experiences. Cooking every week, and multiple outings (including taking all children to see their new primary schools!) is such a stimulating way to learn.

The experience for my two children at The Dolphin Montessori has been exceptional. My child thrived during her time there, and now my other child is enjoying the same nurturing environment. The staff's dedication and genuine care for each child's development are unparalleled. The staff create a warm, welcoming atmosphere that feels like an extension of home. We couldn't have asked for a better start to our children's early education. Highly recommend!

Our son walked in with joy in the morning. He learnt, developed, and made friends and we are all going to miss Dolphin Nursery.

Brilliant nursery, the manager and staff give outstanding care and attention to every child and get them prepared for school and life in general, lovely building with nice outdoor space and equipment 10/10.

We absolutely loved Dolphin and are heartbroken to be leaving. The two ladies who run it have been there for many, many years (decades?) and are excellent at knowing every child and how to develop them. They have such great insights and are so supportive and caring of their children. They have weekly yoga, cooking and music classes. My children are so proud of their cooking, which they bring home with them. When my son got interested by a hammer, they organised an (age appropriate) woodwork class for him. They have good outdoor space (bigger than most London nurseries). They work hard to build a community of parents, with regular events. They often give little, well thought-out presents to the children (at Christmas etc.) and are so tactful that they even include siblings not at the nursery. The only two small downsides are that you need to bring your own food, and that they mirror school hours and holidays, which is not necessarily convenient for everyone. Wonderful place.

Our children loved attending Dolphin. The staff take real care to meet each of the children's individual needs, which enables them to really flourish! Our children loved the garden, climbing trees and yoga but cooking was definitely the firm favourite! Dolphin really helps encourage independent learning and our daughter's transition to school was seamless, due to their careful support and planning. Dolphin is a wonderful nursery and you will really feel part of the family!

I cannot recommend Dolphin strongly enough - it is an incredibly special place which is entirely focused on the well-being and growth of the children and is run by two wonderful teachers. Our son started at the nursery during the pandemic. From the very first day, he ran in and loved every minute of it, learning all sorts of songs, yoga poses, animal facts and cooking. He was constantly coming back with a wonderful array of pictures, crafts, and Father's and Mother's Day presents that he'd made. We had to deal with family illness over a period of several months in his first year, taking him out of school for several weeks. The warmth, support and total flexibility shown towards our whole family was incredible and they were very accommodating about unpredictable attendance. Throughout his two years there, we had the full confidence that our son was being taught and looked after in an incredibly nurturing, calm and creative environment. I feel so sad that his time there is over!

Dolphin has provided the most fantastic start in life for my kids. I cannot praise it highly enough, the two lovely teachers who run it have a very special place in my heart and my children's. All 3 of my children attended Dolphin for 2 years before leaving to start school. It was such a wrench to leave the 2 lovely teachers behind who have been so wonderful, kind, loving, creative and supported me and my husband over the 5 years. It is 100% child focused - all introductions were done at the pace of the child. My first child had health issues and only went one morning a week initially and this was fine. There was no mandate for her to attend a minimum amount of days or 'we'd lose her place' like other nurseries. The teachers are only focused on what is best for the child. It was a joy to know they were getting such a loving care in a creative calm environment but also learning key skills for school and were well prepared for Reception socially and academically. We miss you!

My son was due to start attending nursery just as the pandemic struck in March 2020. He didn’t really start until months later, in June, but what I found when he did eventually start was the best possible environment for him at what was a very stressful and worrying time. Other reviewers here have praised the two teachers and it’s difficult to overestimate just how perfectly they’re suited to what they do. They’re calm, kind, thoughtful, diligent and engaged as well as endlessly interested in and genuinely delighted by their charges - and even though my son has moved on to a pre-school nursery, he still visits from time to time to say hello. And now my younger daughter is about to start at Dolphin, which means that she’ll have the opportunity to experience the same safe, creative, and nurturing environment that the teachers have created. It’s a very special place, and the children who attend really are very lucky.

Although our daughter was there only one term until her local nursery place came free, this was her first nursery setting and she took to it straight away. The care and attention she was given was greatly appreciated and she had lots of fun cooking, painting and playing in the garden. A great first experience for her.

Dolphin is such a wonderful, caring nursery. Both the teachers are so experienced and clearly passionate about what they do and the children they care for. Our daughter really struggles with change and they were brilliantly patient and flexible with her, until she settled in. She now adores her time at Dolphin and is always so excited to tell us what she has done at the end of the day. They make sure the children are encouraged to be independent and always learning as well as having fun. Endless painting, books, cooking and garden fun! They have really nurtured our daughter into a confident, fun-loving little girl and we would recommend it to anyone.

The Dolphin is an extremely sweet place, and our daughter had a great time there. The staff are incredibly kind and gentle with the children, and the children are very fond of them. Our daughter was very sad to leave! They have nice outside space and various interesting visitors (baby, yoga etc).

We have been so happy with our time at Dolphins. The environment is wonderfully loving and tender. The staff take a genuine interest in each individual child and their personal development. Our little girl felt completely comfortable and at home and genuinely loves being at Dolphins. Loved every minute. Thank you to the manager and her team for everything!

My eldest 8-year-old child went to The Dolphin and because the two ladies who run it, are so wonderful with children and are clearly born for this job, we also sent our son who will start a second year there this September, 2020. They are always so calm and loving and all child needs or problems - no matter how big or small- are catered to and tended to in the best possible manner. They have a way of calming all children with their experience of over 39 years in childcare and their enthusiasms and infectious love of their nursery children is boundless. This is a wonderful special and magical place for children. We feel lucky to have come across it.