Highbury Day Nursery
Good★ 4.1 on GoogleBirth to 8+Long established
A day nursery in London for children from birth to 8+, open 07:30 to 18:00, 5 days a week. They do not publish prices, so that is the first thing to ask. Rated Good by Ofsted in August 2023. Open since 2015, with 70 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
N5 1FPWhat 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.
- 14 September 2026 — Concern: actions taken what Ofsted published
- 6 July 2026 — Concern: actions taken what Ofsted published
- 10 March 2025 — Concern: actions taken what Ofsted published
Ofsted inspector, 23 August 2023 · read the full report
What it is like to attend
Children are happy and thrive in this stimulating and welcoming environment. Staff are friendly. Positive relationships between staff and children help them feel valued. Staff are attentive to the needs of all the children they care for. Children behave well. Staff have high expectations of children's behaviour. They show respect and listen to what children say. They provide gentle reminders and explanations to help children learn about rules and boundaries. Children show respect for others, encouraging their friends to join in, and take turns.
Children are enthusiastic and active learners. They are eager to explore resources around them and to find out how things work. For example, older children keenly mix different coloured paints and observe how the colours change. Younger children explore with water and ice and babies enjoy looking at sensory books and playing with puppets. Children have built strong friendships and look forward to playing with one another. Staff are caring and praise children as they learn new knowledge and skills.
Children have plenty of opportunities to develop their language and learn new words. They listen to stories and sing familiar songs. This means all children are making good progress in their language development.
What Ofsted told them to improve
To further improve the quality of the early years provision, the provider should:
- support staff to build on and provide further challenge to extend children's learning n improve how transitions for younger children are arranged to ensure their learning needs are met at all times.
- 23 August 2023Good
- 2 April 2019Outstanding
- 26 May 2016Good
Rated Good or Outstanding at 3 of the last 3 graded inspections.
Still missing for Highbury Day Nursery
- 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.