Nurseries in Harrow

Going by Ofsted, the Harrow nurseries on Toddle with an Outstanding grade are Wetherby House Montessori Harrow Ltd (HA1), TODDLE IN GROUP (HA3) and Christchurch Kindergarten @ Gange (HA3).

Harrow's latest assessment projects the largest under 3 childcare shortfalls in:

Marlborough: 111 places short

Wealdstone North: 89 places short

Harrow on the Hill: 86 places short

By comparison, Hatch End had a projected surplus of 112 places, Pinner 108 and Stanmore 99.

Parents around central Harrow and Harrow on the Hill should therefore start enquiries early if they need a baby place or a specific combination of days.

Yes, but availability varies considerably.

Harrow's latest vacancy snapshot found reported vacancies at 39% of early years providers. This included:

36% of private and voluntary nurseries

28% of childminders

86% of school nursery classes

Several school nurseries reporting vacancies had only 1 or 2 places remaining. The council also warns that providers do not all report vacancies, so the figures are a snapshot rather than a complete live count.

The latest assessment records:

108 private, voluntary and independent nurseries

99 childminders

28 school nursery classes

1 maintained nursery school

Most Harrow wards have more than one type of childcare, but choice is narrower in particular areas. For example, Kenton West had no childminders or preschools recorded, while Centenary, Marlborough and Rayners Lane also had no preschool provision.

Yes. Eligible working families can receive up to 1,140 funded hours a year from the term after their child reaches 9 months.

Since September 2025, this is normally equivalent to 30 hours a week over at least 38 weeks.

The entitlement continues until the child reaches school age, subject to the working parent eligibility rules and regular reconfirmation.

A large proportion do, but not every provider.

Harrow's assessment expected 127 providers to offer the full 30 hour entitlement for children from 9 months old, including 68 private nurseries and 59 childminders.

For 2 year olds, 159 providers were expected to offer the full 30 hours.

For 3 and 4 year olds, the earlier provider data showed 30 hour places at 88% of private nurseries, 65% of childminders and 57% of school nurseries.

Harrow has a useful local rule for working family funding.

For eligible children, the council currently allows a funded claim to begin up to half term, with the latest start being the first day after half term, as long as Harrow is notified by the Friday before half term.

After that local deadline, the working family claim is not accepted for that term.

This makes the exact Harrow deadline important if you obtain a code after the normal term start.

For children born between 1 September 2023 and 31 August 2024, the main deadline is 15 January 2027.

Harrow plans to issue main round nursery offers on 15 March 2027.

Applications after 15 January are late and are processed after the main allocation.

No. Harrow's current nursery admissions process permits only 1 nursery application for each child.

If you want to apply to another nursery, you must first cancel the original application and then submit the new one.

Where a nursery is oversubscribed, Harrow applies its admission criteria and then uses straight line home to school distance where places remain tied.

This makes the choice of school nursery particularly important compared with boroughs that allow several preferences.

No.

Harrow explicitly states that obtaining a nursery place does not guarantee Reception admission at the same school.

A separate Reception application is required and the child could therefore attend a different school when compulsory schooling begins.

The number of providers has been declining.

During the period covered by Harrow's latest assessment, the borough recorded a net loss of 4 private nursery or preschool providers and 6 childminders.

The council also found that 75% of surveyed providers considered staff recruitment very or somewhat difficult, while 20% reported severe financial difficulty. More than half had increased charges to parents.

This helps explain why a borough can have vacancies overall while still losing particular types of provision.

Harrow's Early Years SEND Team supports private nurseries, childminders and school nurseries with children who have emerging SEND before an EHCP is required.

Support includes an Assess, Plan, Do, Review approach, advice for the nursery SENCO, transition support, referrals to other professionals and help with inclusion funding applications.

New referrals are reviewed weekly. Where specialist Early Years SEND support is required, Harrow states that an adviser arranges a setting visit within 6 weeks of the panel decision.

Yes.

Harrow's SEN Inclusion Fund is available for eligible 2, 3 and 4 year olds receiving funded early education who have additional or emerging SEND.

It is available in private nurseries, childminding settings and school nurseries. Children who already have an EHCP use separate EHCP funding rather than SENIF.

The provider applies and must submit evidence of the child's progress and how the additional support is being used.