Nursery where toddlers speak multiple languages praised by Ofsted

By Hannah Neary, Local Democracy Reporter

A nursery where toddlers can speak multiple languages has been praised by Ofsted and ranked among the best in the country.

Angel Pre-School in Churchill Gardens, Pimlico was rated “outstanding” after an inspector visited in February.

Manager Irina Dmitrieva said the nursery stands out because every child is welcome and the staff are always working hard to come up with exciting new activities for the children to enjoy, from growing herbs to feeding pet snails.

Irina said: “We provide a stimulating environment.

“We have a really spacious garden, especially for Central London. We decided to bring a bit of the outside inside.

“Our children love playing in the garden and digging for worms. They take care of our giant African snails and stick insects, too.”

A report by an Ofsted inspector said the children at Angel are “consistently smiling and laughing together” while the quality of education and management meets the highest possible standard.

The report added: “Children are highly enthusiastic learners, who love coming to nursery. They are extremely happy and demonstrate high levels of emotional security, confidence and self-esteem. Children’s interests and love for learning are at the heart of every decision staff make.”

Irina is also proud of the children’s language skills, with many of them able to count, read and sing in different languages such as French, Arabic and Spanish. S

he added: “We are very multicultural. The majority of our children and teachers speak more than two to three languages.”

The nursery first opened in 1992 and is run by  the London Early Years Foundation – a social enterprise that helps children access affordable education and care.

Pictured top: Irina Dmitrieva, manager at Angel Pre-School, Pimlico with children (Picture: Isabelle Johnson/London Early Years Foundation)