Bowlers Community Nursery
GoodTakes funded hoursBirth to 8+Open for decades
A day nursery in London for babies from 3 months up to school age, open 08:15 to 18:00, 5 days a week. They take the funded hours. They do not publish prices, so ask. Rated Good by Ofsted in October 2024. Open since 1994, with 36 places.
What it costs
Prices change without notice. Treat these as what to ask about, not a quote.
Funded hours
15 and 30 hours for 9 months to school age children (working parents), 15 hours for 2-year-olds under the extra support scheme, and universal 15 hours for all 3 and 4 year olds.
Worth knowing. Funding covers early education and care only; consumables such as meals and snacks are not included. A voluntary daily food charge applies: £4 per day for children aged 0-2 years and £5 per day for children aged 2 years and above. Funded hours are stretched across 49 weeks; 30 term-time hours become approximately 23 hours per week. Funded hours cannot be split into minutes. Charges are payable for 5 INSET days and Bank Holidays.
What childcare usually costs in Islington
This is not this setting's price. It is the median hourly fee across all providers in Islington 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
N8 9EGWhat 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, 28 October 2024 · read the full report
What it is like to attend
Children are happy at the nursery. Staff have established secure and nurturing relationships with children. Babies reach out for cuddles with their key person when they arrive at nursery in the morning. Older children enjoy spending time with their key person. They confidently make requests for them to sit beside them at lunchtime and are delighted when their requests are honoured. Staff promote positive role models as they teach children to play cooperatively. The impact is that children behave well. They are observed to be kind and caring towards one another. Staff support children to understand their different emotions. They teach children through fun, practical learning experiences that it is okay to be angry or sad. Children are encouraged to recognise when their friends may be sad or upset.
Older children are confident to express how they would talk to a friend who looks upset. Overall, these positive relationships contribute to children feeling safe.
Staff plan an exciting curriculum which is duly focused on children's interests. They take account of children's individual needs and the next steps that are needed to help them progress. Managers have established secure relationships with parents and outside professionals. These help to support children with special educational needs and/or disabilities to receive appropriate interventions to support their progress. All children are motivated in their learning. They are developing valuable listening and concentration skills. They enjoy interactive story time sessions. Staff are skilled in developing children's language. They ask open questions and encourage children to think and explain why certain events are happening in the story. Children engage with enthusiasm. They spend long periods of time in the book area listening to stories being read. Older children also enjoy exploring books independently with their friends.
What Ofsted told them to improve
To further improve the quality of the early years provision, the provider should:
- enhance learning opportunities to consistently promote all children's independence in managing their personal care needs.
- 28 October 2024Good
- 29 November 2018Good
- 26 June 2012Good
Rated Good or Outstanding at 3 of the last 3 graded inspections.
Still missing for Bowlers Community Nursery
- What it costs
- 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
Some of this is above, from the setting or from parents, and it can go out of date. The rest is in no dataset anywhere. Either way it is worth ten minutes on the phone.
- What does it cost, all in? What is on top: meals, nappies, late pick-up, and what happens if you are late.
- How do you apply my funded hours? Whether they stretch them over the year, and the minimum days you have to book.
- Do you have a place for a child of my age now? 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.