Abacus Early Learning Nursery | Ofsted Reports, Reviews (2025)

Shaaron Petgrave, a mother of five, created the family-run Abacus Early Learning School in 1989 with the assistance of her mother Marjorie Taylor and her grandmother Margot, who was at the time known just as nanny.
Marjorie, also known as Ms. Taylor, had previously worked as a teacher at the Belleville School for a number of years. She was able to use her experience in the early years to help establish Abacus as an early learning centre where children could develop into self-assured learners and frequently go above and beyond expectations.
Abacus further grew in popularity and a second site was opened in 1994 in St Andrews Church Hall on Laitwood Road in Balham followed by our recent venture Abacus West Norwood which operates out of an Victorian property in the ever popular Julians farm area of West Norwood.
We take great satisfaction in offering daycare of the highest calibre to kids between the ages of 6 months and 5 years.
Every day from 8 am to 6 pm, excluding Christmas and two additional weeks each year, we are open.
Our goal is to give your baby a cosy, loving environment where they may explore safely at home.
The schedule is a little bit more regimented to get them ready for school.
We encourage independence, listening, and sharing throughout the course of the day.
Your child will receive meals, snacks, beverages, and fresh milk over the course of the day at Abacus.
We think that nursery kids should experience as much variety throughout their day as they would at home.
As a result, we make good use of the neighborhood's parks and other amenities by scheduling weekly expeditions to places like Balham, West Norwood, and Streatham libraries, as well as Tooting Bec and Streatham Commons.