Essex Road Pre-School
GoodBirth to 5Open for decades
A day nursery in Islington for children from birth to 5, open 09:00 to 15:00, 5 days a week. They do not publish prices, so that is the first thing to ask. Rated Good by Ofsted in May 2024. Open since 2011, with 24 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 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
N1 2FEWhat 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, 22 May 2024 · read the full report
What it is like to attend
Children are happy and settled. They separate from their parents and carers with ease. Staff get to know children and their families well when they start to attend the setting. As a result, they form strong bonds with the children and are able to respond to children's needs promptly.
Children have ample opportunities for being active and enjoy fresh air daily. They show good gross motor skills during outdoor play. They run, balance and confidently climb on large apparatus. Staff provide a curriculum that follows children's interests. They interact with the children at key moments and scaffold their learning well. Children learn about the world around them. They are excited to look for snails and 'wriggly' worms after the rain. They use magnifying glasses to observe the trails they left and describe them as 'slimy'. Staff extend learning opportunities by talking about the size of the bugs and which animals might eat them.
Children behave well. They play cooperatively and help each other. For example, they show their friends how to use the see-saw safely, saying, 'You need to hold the handles like this!' Staff acknowledge and value children's differences and similarities. They make sure all children feel valued and represented, providing fairy-tale books showcasing characters with diverse features. In addition, children take part in cultural celebrations and traditions in the local community. For example, they attended an 'Eid lunch'. This helps them understand diversity and celebrate their uniqueness.
What Ofsted told them to improve
To further improve the quality of the early years provision, the provider should:
- review the organisation of the setting environment to ensure that play areas are welcoming and free of clutter to enable children to make the most of the available resources n review the organisation of some group activities, such as story time, to ensure that children remain fully engaged and disruptions to their learning are minimised.
- 22 May 2024Good
- 6 July 2018Good
- 14 July 2015Good
Rated Good or Outstanding at 3 of the last 3 graded inspections.
Still missing for Essex Road Pre-School
- 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.