Gilwell Hill Children's Day Nursery And Pre-School
GoodTakes funded hours★ 5.0 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 take the funded hours. They do not publish prices, so ask. Rated Good by Ofsted in May 2025. Open since 2023, with 37 places.
What it costs
Prices change without notice. Treat these as what to ask about, not a quote.
Funded hours
Universal Free Early education Entitlement (often referred to as 15 hours free childcare) as well as the Extended Free Early Education Entitlement (often referred to as 30 hours free childcare).
What childcare usually costs in Essex
This is not this setting's price. It is the median hourly fee across all providers in Essex 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
E4 7FFWhat 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 May 2025 · read the full report
What it is like to attend
Children are happy, confident learners, who thrive in this nurturing nursery. They form secure relationships with staff and build positive friendships with their peers, which helps develop their emotional well-being and helps them to feel safe and valued. Staff deliver an ambitious and sequenced curriculum that fully supports children's learning and development. Children demonstrate high levels of confidence and engagement as they explore the environment and make independent choices in their play. Staff provide engaging activities, such as colour mixing and investigating light and shadow using a projector, which captures children's natural curiosity and deepens their understanding of scientific concepts.
Children are active learners, who are confident to experiment and make predictions.
Independence is woven into everyday routines. Children self-serve meals, pour drinks, and carry out self-care skills, such as handwashing, with confidence. Staff encourage them to prepare their own healthy snacks, peeling bananas and using knives to cut vegetables. Life skills are taught progressively and adapted to suit children's ages and development. Children have a strong sense of belonging in the nursery. They explore family books and use a globe to find the countries their families are from. Children feel proud of who they are and show respect for one another as they learn about their peers' family heritage.
What Ofsted told them to improve
To further improve the quality of the early years provision, the provider should:
- review the organisation of mealtimes for toddlers to better support their learning and evaluate the impact of any changes on the quality of children's experiences.
- 28 May 2025Good Safeguarding: Yes
Still missing for Gilwell Hill Children's Day Nursery And Pre-School
- What it costs
- Youngest age taken
- 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.
- 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.