If you are either a working parent needing to leave your young child or simply someone who wants to leave their child’s early development in the hands of educated and well-trained professionals, a nursery school is the best option.
The staff are normally excellent in what they do, having extensive experience and academic background in successfully ensuring the proper development of infants leading up to prep school.
The UK uses the EYFS curriculum, which provides a thorough education plan in all aspects needed for toddler development.
In addition, the UK also has the National Educational Grant (NEG), which offers 15 hours of free childcare a week, available at selected nurseries.
Thus, when looking for a nursery school, take the time to ask whether they provide both of these services.
Currently, there are 459 nurseries in London and 3,039 in the UK. With that many nursery schools, choosing the best nursery school can take time and effort.
Luckily, this detailed article will help you decide which nursery best suits you and your child.
In summary and in no particular order, the 10 Best Nursery Schools in London are:
- Little Angels Nursery
- Beehive Nursery
- Parson’s Green Nursery
- Melrose Nursery School
- Maytree Nursery School and Children’s Centre
- Montessori on the Park
- St Paul’s Nursery School
- Holland Park Pre-Prep & Nursery
- Little Linguists Nursery
- Monkey Puzzle Stoke Newington Day Nursery and Preschool
Contents
- 1 1. Little Angels Nursery
- 2 2. Beehive Nursery
- 3 3. Parson’s Green Nursery
- 4 4. Melrose Nursery School
- 5 5. Maytree Nursery School and Children’s Centre
- 6 6. Montessori on the Park
- 7 7. St Paul’s Nursery School
- 8 8. Holland Park Pre-Prep & Nursery
- 9 9. Little Linguists Nursery
- 10 10. Monkey Puzzle Stoke Newington Day Nursery and Preschool
- 11 Which Nursery School Did You Like?
1. Little Angels Nursery
- Address: 3 Perkins Square, London SE1 9HU, United Kingdom
- School Hours: Monday to Friday: 8 AM – 6 PM/ Saturday and Sunday: Closed
- Phone: +44 20 3576 0144
- Visit Website
Little Angels Nursery has been around since 1990 and is thus well experienced in taking care of your children.
They currently have two locations, one in Perkins Square and the other in Southwark Bridge Road. It won the Nursery of the Year 2019 by the Prestige Awards 2019.
Moreover, Little Angels has numerous extra-curricular activities available to ensure that your child gets the most out of their early childhood education.
These activities include stretch-n-grow (health and fitness programme), yoga, french language class, sign language class, music class, cooking class and numerous trips planned like visiting museums and farms.
This nursery school has an integrated app where you can constantly communicate with the team, monitor your child’s daily activity, and access learning journals.
You can request a brochure here if you’d like to know more about what Little Angels Nursery offers.
Key Facilities
- Baby Rooms
- Toddler Spaces
- Pre-school Spaces
- Kitchen and Mealtimes
2. Beehive Nursery
- Address: St Margaret’s Church, Putney Park Lane, London SW15 5HU, United Kingdom
- School Hours: Monday to Friday: 9 AM – 5 PM/ Saturday and Sunday: Closed
- Phone: +44 20 8780 5333
- Visit Website
With over 30 years of nursery school experience, the Beehive Nursery is one of the most well-respected nurseries in London.
The school is part of the Bee Nursery Schools, which runs four nursery schools across London: Beehive Nursery, Busy Bee Nursery School, The Bees Knees Nursery School, and Busy Bee by the Bridge.
Each of these nurseries follows the standard set out by the original Bee Nursery School – Beehive Nursery.
They also follow the EYFS curriculum and offer activities to help express your child’s creativity and unlock their full potential.
Children can engage in fun activities like ballet, drama, karate, music, sport, and yoga. Moreover, their framework provides development in the following areas:
- Personal, Social & Emotional
- Communication
- Literacy
- Mathematics
- Expressive Art & Design
- Understanding of the World
- Physical Education
Based on a report by the Office for Standards in Education, Children’s Services and Skills (Ofsted), the school has obtained an Outstanding quality status in Overall Effectiveness inspection.
Thus, it is safe to say your child can have quality learning with them. Feel free to fill out this contact form to enquire about prices and availability.
Key Facilities
- Toddler Spaces
- Pre-school Spaces
- Outdoor Play Area
- Garden Spaces
- Sports and Music Area
3. Parson’s Green Nursery
- Address: 22 Cortayne Rd, London SW6 3QA, United Kingdom
- School Hours: Monday to Friday: 8 AM – 6 PM/ Saturday and Sunday: Closed
- Phone: +44 20 7731 8013
- Visit Website
Parson’s Green Nursery was founded in 2014. Since then, they have opened two locations: Cortayne Road and Fulham Road.
The founder, Camilia, has a BSc (Hons) in Child Psychology and believes in individual treatment and development of children. They have seven well-trained staff members who ensure your child’s early life development.
On average, their school in Cortayne Road can teach 53 children as young as 3 months and up to 5 years old.
Parson’s Green Nursery at Fulham Road can take up to 50 children aged 1 to 5 years old.
Extra curricular activities you can expect from Parson’s Green Nursery are ballet, football, French language classes, and music classes with multiple instruments available.
They also boast about giving their students the opportunity to engage with members of the community, including the fire brigade, children’s authors, dentists, doctors, conservationists and their animals, and storytellers, to name a few.
Moreover, students can participate in a chick hatching program. If you wish to contact them, you can do so here.
Key Facilities
- Transition Two Classrooms
- Outdoor Play Area
- Reading Spaces
- Indoor Play Area
- Parent Login (Website Feature)
4. Melrose Nursery School
- Address: St Gabriels Church Hall, Noel Rd, London W3 0JE, United Kingdom
- School Hours: Monday to Friday: 8 AM – 6 PM/ Saturday and Sunday: Closed
- Phone: +44 20 8992 0885
- Visit Website
Melrose Nursery School was established in 2008, with its first location in Acton, followed by a second location in 2012 in Sudbury, and then a third in 2013 in Tokyngton.
Melrose’s ethos is to provide an appropriate, stimulating environment to enhance your child’s development.
Your child can sign up for a vast selection of extra curricular activities such as art, cooking, dance, music, mathematics, football, yoga, letters and sounds, literacy, discovery and ICT.
Childminding is also available for those looking for a low child/adult ratio. The school is partnered with qualified Melrose childminders who provide the same activities as you normally have in a nursery school.
Some childminding activities you can expect children to engage in are the following:
- Domestic activities
- Group activities
- Outdoor play
- Imaginative play
- Sand play
- Water play
- Drawing
- Painting
- Story time
- Music time
- Sports days
- Modelling
- Sorting and matching
Melrose Nursery School offers the National Education Grant (NEG) for 2 to 4 years old.
With the help of NEG, there are no fees for the first 15 hours of schooling. Once the 15 hours are used, certain fees will apply.
The school accepts Nursery vouchers, working Tax credits, and Student finance as a form of payment.
To read more about the free nursery hours provided, follow the link. If you’d like to book a visit, you can do so here.
Key Facilities
- Art Room
- Music Room
- Reading Room
- Large Hall
- Free Flow Garden
- Private Nurseries
- Outdoor Play Areas
5. Maytree Nursery School and Children’s Centre
- Address: 4 Allingham Rd, London SW4 8EG, United Kingdom
- School Hours: Monday to Friday: 8 AM – 5:45 PM/ Saturday and Sunday: Closed
- Phone: +44 20 8671 3298
- Visit Website
Maytree Nursery School has an impressive track record. They were founded in 1978 and became a Children’s Centre in 2007.
The extension to Children’s Centre enables them to provide additional services such as supporting healthy families and developing skills and interests.
Maytree forms part of the Lambeth Nursery Schools’ Federation comprising five Nursery schools and provides services to children between the ages of 2 to 4 years old.
While incorporating the EYFS curriculum, the school enriches a child’s development in communication and language, physical, personal, social, and emotional aspects.
They also offer literacy, mathematics, understanding the world, and expressive arts and design.
Moreover, the school provides weekly music therapy sessions, which they believe increases creativity development.
A typical day at Maytree Nursery School and Children’s Centre consists of:
- Bringing and collecting children
- Settling in
- Contacting you in an emergency
- Snacks and drinks
- Attendance
- Lunch
- Voluntary contributions for school funds
- Coffee mornings
- Stay and play sessions
Here is the link to the enquiry form. You can start applying when your child reaches 1.5 years old.
Key Facilities
- Yellow Room (for younger 2-year-olds)
- Green, Purple and Blue rooms (for older 2-year-olds)
- Garden
- The Cottage (for music therapy and interactive music)
- Read and Write Areas
6. Montessori on the Park
- Address: Victoria Park, St Marks Gate, London E9 5HT, United Kingdom
- School Hours: Monday to Friday: 8 AM – 6 PM/ Saturday and Sunday: Closed
- Phone: +44 20 8986 3344
- Visit Website
Montessori on the Park is situated in East London. They have already won the “Top 20 Nursery Group” award given by Daynurseries.co.uk for 2019.
In addition to the EYFS curriculum, they also take a different approach on implementing it which they call the Montessori method developed by Dr. Maria Montessori.
The method involves learning primarily through playing and a Key Person system, recognising each child’s individuality.
As part of educational experiences, Montessori on the Park provides a wide variety of fun and unique activities, including yoga, photography, Spanish, drama, wake up and shake up, cooking, community visits, and mud kitchen.
On top of that, children can engage in one of their bespoke activities like Emotions Boxes, Family Boxes, and Chatterboxes.
Their three prime areas involve communication and language, physical development, and personal, social, and emotional development.
In addition, they also focus on four specific areas: mathematics, understanding the world, expressive arts and designs, and literacy development.
If you’d like to contact them, you can do so via this link or by contacting the manager, Natalia, at manager@montessorionthepark.com.
Key Facilities
- Play Area
- Kitchen and Dining Area
- Writing and Drawing Area
- Enclosed Outdoor Play Area
- Access to Victoria Park
- Food (prepared by the nursery chef and a paediatric dietician)
7. St Paul’s Nursery School
- Address: Dock St, London E1 8JN, United Kingdom
- School Hours: Monday to Friday: 8 AM – 6 PM/ Saturday and Sunday: Closed
- Phone: +44 20 7265 0098
- Visit Website
St Paul’s Nursery School is situated in a lovely converted old church, hence the name. Their staff are well educated in all things childcare, first aid and safeguarding.
Like Montessori on the Park, St Paul’s Nursery School also offers a Key Point System with its EYFS curriculum.
They also provide additional services, including supervised cooking stations, chatter box sessions and family boxes.
Cooking stations help develop the child’s self-help abilities, whereas chatter boxes aim to develop their attention and listening skills.
Family boxes are tailored for young babies which involves using pictures of people or things that are important to them.
You can avail of the National Education Grant, available for 2 to 4 year olds. The school offers 15-hour and 30-hour fully funded classes for limited slots. Contact them here to book a visit.
Key Facilities
- Outdoor Learning Area
- Indoor Learning Area
- Cooking Stations
- Baby Room
8. Holland Park Pre-Prep & Nursery
- Address: 5 Holland Rd, London W14 8HJ, United Kingdom
- School Hours: Monday to Friday: 8:15 AM – 6:15 PM/ Saturday and Sunday: Closed
- Phone: +44 20 7602 9066
- Visit Website
Holland Park Pre-Prep and Nursery was founded in 1990. The nursery school’s philosophy is that your children should “be the best they can be”.
This philosophy is implemented throughout their curriculum and educational services.
The team comprises 29 well-trained individuals and is open to children between 3 months and 3 years old and pre-prep for 3 to 4 year-olds.
They offer various extracurricular activities, including dance, Spanish, yoga, music, sports, karate, and piano and singing lessons.
A minibus is available for collecting and dropping your children off between 7 AM and 4 PM.
Fees are variable, but you can expect to pay anywhere from £77 to £128 for children of 0 to 2 years and £110 for 3 to 4 year-olds.
Follow this link for an in-depth breakdown of their rates.
If you’d like to enquire about Holland Park Pre-Prep and Nursery, you can do so here.
Key Facilities
- Two District Classrooms
- Main Garden
- Piccadilly Classrooms
- Trips (trips to local parks, museums, and libraries)
9. Little Linguists Nursery
- Address: 13 Thrale Rd, London SW16 1NS, United Kingdom
- School Hours: Monday to Friday: 7:30 AM – 6:30 PM/ Saturday and Sunday: Closed
- Phone: +44 20 8127 8581
- Visit Website
Little Linguists Nursery was founded by a working mom, Daniella. She wanted to introduce bilingual capabilities to the nursery to enhance the children’s learning abilities.
As a result, the school teaches French aside from English.
Aside from the EYFS curriculum they use, they also cater to special needs children by providing special educational needs (SEN). They offer free childcare as follows:
- 2 years olds (15 hours free)
- 3 and 4 years olds (15 hours free)
- 3 and 4 year olds (30 hours free)
You can enrol your child online with a one-time registration fee of £75 to secure a slot in the waiting list. Check the link to learn more.
Key Facilities
- Indoor Play Area
- Outdoor Play Area
- Sleeping Spaces
10. Monkey Puzzle Stoke Newington Day Nursery and Preschool
- Address: 106 Stoke Newington High St, London N16 7NY, United Kingdom
- School Hours: Monday to Friday: 8 AM – 6 PM/ Saturday and Sunday: Closed
- Phone: +44 20 3538 4790
- Visit Website
Monkey Puzzle Day Nursery is a relatively new day nursery in London, founded in 2019. The school caters to children below 2 years, 2 to 3 years old and older than 3 years.
Currently, there are ten people working at Monkey Puzzle Nursery, providing excellent education, healthy food, clean nursery facilities, and extracurricular activities.
There are five extracurricular activities to choose from, including yoga, dance, music, forest school and Spanish school.
The school has a single-day rate of £89.5 per day and £49.5 per half day, with a one-time registration fee of £150.
The NEG is available at Monkey Puzzle for 15 hours of free childcare on a weekly basis.
Moreover, they have numerous bundles available where you can save money. You can find information on the bundles here.
Here is also the link to the enquiry form where you can reach out to the school.
Key Facilities
- CCTV
- Two Outdoor Spaces
- Regular Trips and Visits
- Baby Room (Under 2s)
- Toddlers Floor Area (Over 2s)
- Pre-School Room (Over 3s)
Which Nursery School Did You Like?
Each nursery school has its own features that separate it from the rest, and all these schools are excellent choices.
They are highly successful in what they do, offering out-of-the-box and creative extra activities to ensure your child gets the best educational experience early in life.
Nevertheless, choosing a school situated close to you and aligning best with your values and developmental concept for your child will ultimately decide your choice.
If you are looking for schools in London, check out Winterville blogs to learn more.
Winterville has blogs for several types of schools such as Top 5 Film Schools in London, 10 Best Driving Schools London, and A Guide to 5 Best Drama Schools London.
