Abacus Ark
Good★ 4.7 on GoogleBirth to 5Long established
A day nursery in London for children from birth to 5, open 07:30 to 18:30, 5 days a week. They do not publish prices, so that is the first thing to ask. Rated Good by Ofsted in April 2025. Open since 2015, with 85 places.
What you might pay
This setting does not publish its fees, and no national dataset holds them. This is what childcare costs across the council, as a starting point for the call.
What childcare usually costs in Wandsworth
This is not this setting's price. It is the median hourly fee across all providers in Wandsworth from the Department for Education's 2025 provider survey. No national data holds what an individual nursery charges, so ring and ask.
Places, hours and the day
Who they take, when they are open, and what a day there includes.
Where it is
SW18 1FZWhat the inspector found
One grade is one visit. A run of them tells you whether it has been good for years or has only just got there.
Ofsted inspector, 10 April 2025 · read the full report
What it is like to attend
Children flourish in this nurturing setting. Babies settle quickly with the help of caring staff and form strong bonds with their key person. Staff make use of care routines as valuable opportunities for warm and responsive interactions. For example, during nappy changes, staff talk gently to children and sing songs. This helps children feel emotionally secure.
Leaders and staff plan the environment thoughtfully to help children learn new skills. They provide a wide range of exciting play opportunities so that children are motivated to learn. Babies explore treasure baskets with great attention, using their senses to investigate different textures and objects. Toddlers focus intently as they try to fill bowls by squeezing sponges and scooping up water with spoons. Preschoolers carefully experiment with making marks in the sand using paintbrushes.
These activities nurture children's natural curiosity and helps them fully engage in their learning. Consequently, it supports strong progress across all areas of development.
What Ofsted told them to improve
To further improve the quality of the early years provision, the provider should:
- support staff to consistently address conflicts and implement behaviour management strategies so that children learn how their actions affect others n review the delivery of group times, including activities and routines, to ensure they meet the needs of all children.
- 10 April 2025Good Safeguarding: Yes
- 10 May 2019Good
- 29 July 2016Good
Rated Good or Outstanding at 3 of the last 3 graded inspections.
Still missing for Abacus Ark
- What it costs
- Funded hours
- Youngest age taken
- Meals
- Nappies
- Waiting list
No dataset holds any of this. Two parents telling us the same thing puts it on the page for whoever looks next.
What to ask them
None of this is in any national dataset and this setting has not published it, which is exactly why it is worth asking.
- What does it cost, all in? What is on top: meals, nappies, late pick-up, and what happens if you are late.
- Can I use my funded hours here? Whether they stretch them over the year, and the minimum days you have to book.
- Is there a place for my child's age? Baby rooms fill first and waiting lists are common.
- Who would my child's key person be? And how long have the staff been there. No dataset holds this and it matters more than anything above.
- Can I visit at a busy time? Mid-morning on a weekday tells you far more than an empty room after hours.
Day nurseries within a couple of miles
This one is first. Tick it and one or two others to see them side by side.