Fernbank Childrens Centre
Good★ 5.0 on GoogleBirth to 5Long established
A day nursery in London for children from birth to 5, open 07:45 to 17:45, 5 days a week. They do not publish prices, so that is the first thing to ask. Rated Good by Ofsted in September 2024. Open since 2012, with 68 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 Hackney
This is not this setting's price. It is the median hourly fee across all providers in Hackney 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
N16 7EAWhat 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, 11 September 2024 · read the full report
What it is like to attend
Children arrive happily and feel safe and secure in a stimulating learning environment. They settle readily and choose from a range of planned activities and available resources. New babies receive lots of cuddles and attention from their key person to help them settle. Children make friends to play with, and they develop secure attachments with staff through the year. Their behaviour is good as staff show awareness of children's emotional well-being.
Children are motivated to learn from new experiences. For example, older children eagerly try out mathematical comparative activities and vocabulary when measuring sand in different-sized containers. Younger children learn to roll and fold play dough into different shapes. They practise new skills. For example, babies imitate movements as they listen to the enthusiastic singing with sign language by staff. Children listen intently and follow instructions. They learn to draw, and older children write their names. This helps to promote their small-muscle development and early literacy skills. Children learn to move in different ways outdoors and have good opportunities to develop their core strength, for instance when using a climbing wall. Babies enjoy regular outdoor sessions where they learn to explore natural resources. All children, including children with special educational needs and/or disabilities (SEND), make good progress in their learning from their starting points.
Children are becoming increasingly independent in their self-care skills. For instance, staff encourage babies to use spoons to feed themselves from an early age. Toddlers learn to manage their personal care needs and wash their hands before mealtimes. This helps children to learn lifelong skills ready for their future.
What Ofsted told them to improve
To further improve the quality of the early years provision, the provider should:
- strengthen the sharing of children's information as they move on to different rooms, so that their learning outcomes are consistently high n provide more targeted supervision for all staff, to support their well-being at work.
- 11 September 2024Good
- 5 September 2018Good
- 27 October 2015Good
Rated Good or Outstanding at 3 of the last 3 graded inspections.
Still missing for Fernbank Childrens Centre
- 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.