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Consultancy with Lionheart

Early Years Consultants across London and the UK

Our early years consultants advise families on a variety of matters related to nursery and pre-prep schools, including shortlisting the schools which align with your family values, your child’s academic potential, and their personality. We handle everything from registration timelines and school assessments in the early years, to planning future routes into prep school.

Speak with our specialists

Lionheart Education offers complete early years and nursery admissions support

For young children, the first steps into education are a big adventure, and it’s important to set the right foundations for your child’s academic journey. Lionheart Education has been helping parents choose the right private nursery in London for their child since 1989, but we can also give advice over the phone or email for families outside of London.

Children need a stable and structured environment, and with so many nurseries to choose from, it can be hard to make the right decision. We have early years consultants on our team who will seek to learn more about your child and your family life to ensure a nursery school placement that lets children explore their curiosity and develop academically.

Child sits alone in a beautiful and rustic nursery with low wooden tables and arts and crafts

Close up of a 5 year old boy sitting in his cosy classroom

Montessori and specialist learning styles

The Lionheart team can assist with any type of early years consultancy, including families that value the Montessori style of learning.

Multilingual nursery placement

Our nursery consultants can even assist with finding a nursery that immerses children in multiple languages, which can be particularly helpful for international families raising children in multilingual home environments.

When we create a shortlist of suitable nurseries in your area, we look at multiple factors, including:

The leadership team
Routines for children of different ages
How well they communicate with parents
The facilities
Outdoor space

If you’re already comparing private nurseries in London, we can give you the information and resources you need to make an informed decision to set your child up for the best start in education.

Young child in front of a shelf of wooden toys at minimalist nursery

London nursery registration and pre-prep placements

We offer a range of in-person and online early years consultancy to families in Central and Greater London, including nursery registration and early years assessments such as the 3+ and 4+ for independent pre-prep schools. Demand is high in the capital for nursery places, and we can help you to navigate the requirements to give you an advantage when securing a placement for your child.

1. Register early

We advise parents with infants to act as soon as possible when living in London, and nursery registration before the child’s first birthday is a sensible starting point.

2. Check sibling priority

If you have other children in existing schools you are content with, we can take a look at the nursery provisions there first and foremost, as children are usually given priority in these situations.

3. The 3+ and 4+ assessments

Many private nurseries require an informal 3+ assessment which is taken in the autumn before entry, and 4+ assessments for Reception can take place the same year. We can walk parents through these assessments and relieve any worries, as they are usually observational with fun, play-based tasks.

4. Understand the school calendar

Our team can help you to understand the school calendar well in advance so you can make the best decisions for your child.

5. Attend open days and visits

We’ll keep you notified of any London pre-prep open days as well as arranging visits at a time that suits you.

6. Late-availability places

In the past, we have even helped families secure late-availability places due to exceptional circumstances.

Our Approach

The Lionheart approach to early years consultancy

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Getting to know your child

We begin each consultancy by learning more about your child so we can secure the placement that is the best fit for them. We create a basic profile of your child’s personality and temperament, language skills, sensory needs, likes and dislikes. In addition, we can also establish family values and future school pathways if applicable.

Illustration of teacher marking papers at desk

Expert research from early years consultants

Every nursery and pre-prep school has a different culture, and our team are familiar with all of the most popular nurseries in London to offer the best advice to parents. We will let you know about the leadership team and facilities, as well as giving insights into how the pre-school will be a good fit for your child.

Illustration of nursery teacher with young infants around her

Insider knowledge

Many of the early years consultants with Lionheart Education have a working knowledge of nurseries in the area, and many have taught in these establishments or had children attend. We aim to place your child in the best setting for them instead of relying on lists such as the Tatler nursery address book or Good Schools Guide nursery reviews.

Illustration of Lionheart team member vetting a tutor

Long-term education planning

Decisions made in the early years of a child’s life should serve them well in both the short- and long-term, and a nursery choice can affect schooling in the years to come. Our team of nursery consultants looks at multiple factors, including progression into Reception, and further ahead to 7+, 8+ and prep school planning with our school placement consultancy.

Our Approach

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Our early years admissions services

Early educational choices have lasting influence. We guide families through this landscape with thoughtful, evidence-led advice, helping them secure nurturing, well-matched nursery and pre-prep placements that allow each child to flourish.

Selecting nursery and pre-prep schools

The Lionheart team has helped place hundreds of children in nursery settings that they can thrive in as they perfectly suit the personality and learning style of the child. Family priorities are also considered, including location, pedagogical approaches, and schedules.
Admissions support for nursery

Whether it’s a mainstream state nursery or a private nursery in London, we can keep track of all application timelines, coordinate interviews and assessments, book visits to the nursery, and handle all documentation on behalf of the family.
Early years philosophy and school culture

From the start of their journey in education, nursery should provide the right fit for the child and the family. We can help parents compare learning models such as the Reggio Emilia approach, or nurseries that are part of the Montessori Schools Association.
Planning school transitions

Nursery placement is rarely considered as a standalone service here at Lionheart Education, and we can advise on the whole journey from nursery to pre-prep, Reception and primary school. Where necessary, we can provide primary tuition to supplement learning.
International nursery placements

Families relocating to the UK or moving abroad benefit from our specialist advice when it comes to choosing nurseries. We provide full education relocation support, advise on overseas nursery options, source bilingual nurseries in London, and obtain placements at traditional British nurseries outside of the UK.

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Private nurseries in London and academic continuity

Many families in London come to us for our expertise in securing placements at the best nurseries in Kensington, Chelsea, Notting Hill, and Hampstead. We balance the nursery’s reputation with the practical aspects of attending a pre-prep school as a child is beginning their journey in education.

The best fit for your child may be a private nursery in Kensington that has lots of outdoor space, so your little one can explore the wider world, or a private nursery in Mayfair with a high pupil-to-teacher ratio for guaranteed individual attention.

We have helped place children in a wide range of nurseries in London, including in Holland Park and Central London, with some of the most popular private nurseries in Knightsbridge and Marylebone. For families looking ahead to schools with nurseries attached, or close by, we can assist with admissions to institutions such as Bute House, Garden House, Wetherby School, Hill House School, Glendower, Falkner House, Pembridge Hall, and Norland Place.

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Early registration and admissions management

Parents seeking a private nursery placement in London in the year that their child is due to attend may be disappointed, as placements can be booked up to 2 or 3 years in advance. This is where Lionheart Education excels, as we can take care of all the research on your behalf and present you with a shortlist of excellent London nurseries that have places available. What’s more, we look beyond availability to how well your child will settle into the new environment and accelerate their learning potential.

Our early years consultants are familiar with all of the Early Years Foundation Stage (EYFS) framework, the Independent Schools Council, and the British Association for Early Childhood Education to ensure every placement is a perfect fit for your child. As part of our service, we ensure all nurseries are Ofsted registered, and we can handle all of the admissions paperwork for you too.

For each case, we prepare a family-specific profile so that your chosen nursery placement works for the entire family’s schedule and life philosophy, ensuring the nursery is an asset that supports your child’s development. For private nurseries abroad, our team will conduct thorough research to create a suitable shortlist for parents to make the best informed decisions from.

Frequently asked questions

When should we start the nursery or pre-prep application process?

Registration timelines in London are usually much tighter than in the rest of the UK, especially for some of the most sought-after private nurseries in London. Our early years nursery admissions service will advise you on the best times to apply, which for most facilities is before your child turns one.
How do you determine which nursery or early years setting is the best fit?

The Lionheart team factors in multiple aspects when deciding on the best fit for nursery placement. After an initial consultation with the family and your child, we create a portfolio mapping everything from confidence and language skills to interests, family philosophy and daily rhythm. We then seek out nurseries that will cater to your child as an individual.
Do you help with transitions from nursery to pre-prep or primary school?

Lionheart Education is able to support the full journey through early years schooling, from the nursery selection and admissions through to 4+ preparation and junior school entry. Our school placement consultancy team collaborates with early years tutors and early years admissions consultants to deliver comprehensive service for parents in London.
Can you support international or relocating families?

Whether you are moving to the UK or leaving it, our team works to understand your needs as a family and creates a suitable shortlist which is discussed in detail with parents. We have already helped hundreds of families secure mid-year placements in some of the best London nurseries, as well as enrolling children in bilingual or international settings in and out of the UK.
Is early tutoring or academic preparation recommended?

For children under the age of four, formal tutoring is not always advisable, but instead our early years tutors aim to build skills and knowledge with play and carefully tailored sessions. We aim to develop a curiosity for learning, backed up by improved confidence in writing, reading, speaking, and listening skills.