We are now accepting children from 18 months. We have three entry points: September, January or April. Children can join a little older if you prefer, subject to places being available.

We would love to show you around our preschool! Send us an e-mail to book: hello@twohandspreschool.com or call the team on 020 8132 3294

We’re proud to share that in our first Ofsted inspection in June 2025, we were graded “Outstanding” overall and in all four categories. You can read the full report here.

We’re open 46 weeks a year, closing for two weeks over Christmas, one week at Easter and three in the summer holidays.

• 8am – 9am: You can drop off at any point between 8am and 9am, and breakfast will be available for your child when they arrive. 

• 9am – 3.30pm: The core early years curriculum is delivered in small groups during school hours.

• 3.30pm – 6pm: Pick up at whatever time works for you between 3:30pm and 6pm. Dinner is served to children who stay until at least 5:30pm.

Older siblings up to the age of 7 can also be dropped off after school and take part in an after-school club, or complete a supervised homework session.

Our 2026-2027 term dates are here and our 2027-2028 term dates are here.

We are open 46 weeks a year, but we do have periods of preschool closure so that our staff all take holiday at the same time. This enables us to provide a continuity of care for the children, rather than operating a shift model.

We also have three staff training days a year and close for any bank holidays that fall during term time.

If you require childcare during any of our periods of preschool closure, please get in touch with the school office as we are able to recommend you some local options.

We only offer two packages for preschool children: 4 or 5 full days.

Full days include the core hours of 9am-3:30pm, with the wraparound from 8am-9am and 3:30pm-6pm included in the cost. You are free to use any or all of the wraparound care on any given day.

We are unable to offer other combinations, such as mornings only or 2 or 3 days a week. An important part of our educational approach at Two Hands is having a consistent small group of children learning together each day, led by a dedicated teacher. This approach is not compatible with part-time places.

We provide breakfast, a morning snack, lunch, an afternoon snack and dinner.

Our lunches and dinners are provided by Zebedees, while breakfasts and snacks are prepared freshly on site. Zebedees’ menus are created by expert nutritionists to meet all early years nutrition guidelines, expose children to a wide variety of foods and help establish healthy eating habits for life. All dietary needs and preferences can be accommodated and we’re proud to offer a large range of plant-based meals.

Our staff eat together with the children, creating a family meal experience. We use this time to talk and laugh together, modelling the table manners and attitudes to food we want to teach our children. The children learn to serve themselves and each other and tidy up after themselves too.

They can use our dedicated sleep space to nap or rest if they need it.

We know most two-year-olds and some of our older children will still need a nap after lunch. We provide a quiet, darkened room with toddler floor beds, and the children can bring in special comforters, cuddly toys or blankets from home. Even if they no longer nap, we encourage older children to have quiet time after lunch, during which they play independently or snuggle up to listen to a story. We always follow the lead of our parents and carers when making changes to the length of a child’s nap or deciding when to cut it out, and we’re also happy to give advice if you’d like it – just ask.

We have excellent adult-child ratios which far exceed OFSTED requirements and the standards maintained in most settings:

For two-year-olds, we have 1 adult for every 3 children.

For three-year-olds, we have 1 adult for every 5 children.

For four-year-olds, we have 1 adult for every 6 children.

In our after-school club, we have a maximum of 8 children with 1 qualified teacher.

We take older siblings up to the age of 7 in our after-school club. When they arrive, they can have an afternoon snack and then either have free play or join an organised activity (cooking, art, clay, gardening, etc) with the preschool children. If you like, they can also complete their homework in a supervised 1:1 with a qualified teacher. At 5pm, all the children and staff have dinner together in a family-style meal.

To keep our children and staff safe, we follow government guidance on illnesses and exclusion periods. The most common exclusion period relates to diarrhoea and vomiting. A child can return 48 hours after both diarrhoea and vomiting have stopped. If in doubt, please contact the school office before bringing your child in.

Yes we do, but we recommend you register as early as possible to avoid disappointment.

You can read our Admissions policy under Policies at the bottom of this page.

We kindly ask that you let us know in advance if you plan to take your child out for a holiday or other planned absence. Unfortunately, we’re unable to offer refunds as our costs remain the same.

For children in their final year with us who are moving on to reception, we assume your child’s final day at Two Hands will be on the last day of August, unless you tell us otherwise. The other options to withdraw your child is the start of each new term (September, January and April) and we ask for 3 months’ notice.

We pride ourselves on our thoughtful settling-in approach, which eases you and your child into preschool life gently. You can read our approach in our Settling in policy by going to the Policies section of our website at the bottom of this page.

We will support your child’s potty-training journey when you and they are ready.

We are happy to follow your lead, but we are both happy and qualified to give advice on potty-training if you would like it.

Yes, we have a dedicated, secure space where you can leave buggies, scooters or bikes.

Children from Two Hands go onto a range of excellent, nearby state or independent schools, including St Stephen’s, Ravenscourt Park Prep School, John Betts, West London Free School, l’École Française de Londres Jacques Prévert, Pembridge Hall, Wetherby, St Peter’s, Norland Place and Bassett House.