Purple Lion Day Nursery (Buckhurst Hill)
Good★ 5.0 on GoogleBirth to 5Long established
A day nursery in London for children from birth to 5, open 08:00 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 They do not publish prices, so that is the first thing to ask.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 February 2022. Open since 2020, with 44 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 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
IG9 5EEWhat 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.
- 1 October 2021 — Concern: actions taken what Ofsted published
Ofsted inspector, 23 February 2022 · read the full report
What it is like to attend
Children are happy and enjoy their time at nursery. They play in a safe and welcoming environment. Children's behaviour is good. They show a clear understanding of expectations and staff offer continuous praise. Children are learning to share and take turns. Older children form friendships with their peers.
Younger children play happily alongside others. They have a positive attitude towards the benefits of a healthy lifestyle. Children confidently help themselves to drinks when they are thirsty and they are provided with cooked meals that are healthy and nutritious. They learn to independently manage tasks for themselves.
For example, older children learn to dress themselves and attend to their self-care needs.
What Ofsted told them to improve
To further improve the quality of the early years provision, the provider should:
- review the planning and teaching of group activities to ensure that they consistently support the learning needs of all children as well as possible n support children to learn the sounds of letters when opportunities arise to extend their pre-reading and writing skills even further.
- 23 February 2022Good
- 25 August 2021Inadequate
Rated Good or Outstanding at 1 of the last 2 graded inspections.
Still missing for Purple Lion Day Nursery (Buckhurst Hill)
- 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.