Little Gems Nursery
GoodTakes funded hours★ 5.0 on GoogleBirth to 8+Open for decades
A day nursery in London for children from birth to 8+, open 08:00 to 15:30, 5 days a week. They take the funded hours. They do not publish prices, so ask. Rated Good by Ofsted in June 2023. Open since 2011, with 80 places.
What it costs
Prices change without notice. Treat these as what to ask about, not a quote.
Funded hours
15 hours of free weekly nursery education for children aged 2 to 5 years.
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 6XLWhat 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, 13 June 2023 · read the full report
What it is like to attend
Children are happy and confident. They enjoy their time at the nursery and make good progress in their learning and development. Staff are warm and attentive and know the children very well. They plan stimulating activities based on children's individual interests. Doing this secures children's engagement and provides meaningful opportunities for them to practise and build on their previous skills and knowledge.
Most staff are adept at supporting children's independent play. They observe their play, intervening where appropriate, adding new resources and asking questions to extend children's ideas and thinking skills. Staff support children's communication well. They speak slowly and clearly, using simple sentences to secure children's understanding. New words are introduced and their meaning and use explained.
Children's behaviour and their personal and social skills are good. Children play well together, sharing and taking turns appropriately. When children forget the rules they are gently reminded by staff how to behave and why their behaviour is inappropriate. Routines are well embedded and are fully understood by the children. They know that they must wash their hands before eating and tidy away their toys after playing with them. Staff give clear instructions during adult-led activities to make sure children understand what they are being asked to do.
What Ofsted told them to improve
To further improve the quality of the early years provision, the provider should:
- strengthen staff's planning of adult-led activities by considering the precise needs of all children to further enhance their individual learning experiences - review opportunities for less-experienced staff to develop their knowledge and teaching skills, further developing the quality of education offered.
- 13 June 2023Good
- 2 November 2017Outstanding
- 6 November 2013Good
Rated Good or Outstanding at 3 of the last 3 graded inspections.
Still missing for Little Gems Nursery
- What it costs
- 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
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.