A nursery in Kew, Richmond, for children aged 3 and 4, with a guaranteed Reception place to follow.
Our nursery, Red Class, lives in a bright converted coach house in the school garden. It has its own room and a dedicated outdoor area designed around a free-flow learning approach, so children can move naturally between indoor and outdoor play throughout the day, while still feeling very much part of the wider school for children aged 3 to 11.
Your child begins in a world that feels manageable and familiar, then gradually grows into the school around them.
We welcome children from their 3rd birthday, or who have turned 3 by the September of entry.
Why families choose Red Class?
A Reception place is guaranteed
Every child in our nursery has a place in our Reception class the following year. Reception is based in the same converted coach house as Nursery, so moving up feels familiar and reassuring. The setting, routines and people are already known, making the transition into school particularly smooth.
Your 15 funded hours are welcome here
Nursery fees are exempt from VAT, and every eligible child aged 3 or 4 can use their Universal 15 funded hours with us. We will help you with the process.
See our fees page for more details
Half days or full days
Mornings run from 8.20am to 12.20pm. Full days run from 8.20am to 3.15pm, Monday to Friday.
We are happy to build a schedule around your family, and children can increase their hours gradually as they settle.
A longer day, if you need one
Breakfast Club opens at 7.30am and wraparound care runs until 6.00pm. Both are available to nursery children, so their day can extend from 7.30am to 6.00pm when needed.
Both are term-time services and charged separately.
Specialist teaching from the start
Nursery children begin to experience the wider life of Unicorn through specialist teaching.
Music is taught by our Head of Music in a purpose-designed music room, giving children space to sing, move, listen, explore instruments and make music together.
They also have specialist gym, games, swimming and foreign language sessions. Swimming begins from the Spring Term.
These sessions are woven into the nursery week without turning it into a formal school timetable. Children are still learning through movement, play, curiosity and discovery.
Food, cooked here
Unicorn has its own kitchen. Sergio, our chef, and his team cook from scratch every day in partnership with Thomas Franks. The school is nut-free.
Nursery children have a morning snack, freshly cooked lunch and afternoon snack.
Snacks vary throughout the week — crudités with hummus, sushi, fruit and seed flapjacks, savoury scones, cheese and crackers.
Lunch includes a main dish with a vegetarian option, sides, salad or pasta, followed by fruit or pudding.
Children staying for wraparound care are given a substantial additional snack too.
Learning through play
At three and four, children learn by doing. A Red Class day is built around play, conversation, movement, stories, music, making things and time outdoors.
Our free-flow approach means learning does not stop at the classroom door. Children move between the indoor space and the garden, following an idea or extending a game. The adults around them are observing, talking and questioning throughout – but to the child, it still feels like play.
Read more about our Nursery curriculum
Come and see Red Class
The best way to understand the nursery is to stand in the room while an ordinary day is happening.
Come and see the children at play, watch how they move between the classroom and garden, meet the staff and get a feel for how Red Class fits into the wider school.
You can book a private tour on a normal school day, or join one of our Open Mornings.
Mrs Lucinda Rodgers, our Registrar, can arrange your visit.
020 8948 3926
registrar@unicornschool.org.uk
Book a tour or an Open Morning
Where we are
Unicorn is on Kew Road, directly opposite the Royal Botanic Gardens, so families often think of us as a Kew nursery as much as a Richmond one.
Unicorn School
238 Kew Road
Richmond
TW9 3JX
Kew Gardens station is around a seven-minute walk away.
Our nursery families come from Kew, Richmond, Twickenham, Barnes, East Sheen, Mortlake, Brentford, Chiswick and the surrounding area.
Bringing a younger child?
Little Unicorns, our Friday morning playgroup, is open to children under 4 and their grown-ups.
It is an easy way to get to know Unicorn long before you need to choose a nursery or school.
