The Acorn Nursery School
GoodTakes funded hoursBirth to 5Long established
A pre-school in London for children from birth to 5, open 09:00 to 16:00, 5 days a week. They take the funded hours. They do not publish prices, so ask. Rated Good by Ofsted in February 2023. Open since 2015, with 110 places.
What it costs
Prices change without notice. Treat these as what to ask about, not a quote.
Funded hours
15 hours funded childcare for eligible children under 3 years old. 15 hours funded childcare for all 3- and 4-year-olds. 30-hour childcare entitlement for eligible working families with 3- and 4-year-old children.
Worth knowing. The ‘Extras and Essentials’ fee remains voluntary. However, if parents choose not to pay this charge, they will be asked to speak with our Admissions Manager to discuss the available options, as non-payment has both operational and financial implications for the nursery. We offer a limited number of Fully Funded or Funded Entitlement Only (FEO) places, subject to availability and a fixed attendance pattern.
What childcare usually costs in Kensington and Chelsea
This is not this setting's price. It is the median hourly fee across all providers in Kensington and Chelsea 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
W11 2NHWhat 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, 22 February 2023 · read the full report
What it is like to attend
There is a strong parent partnership at this nurturing nursery. Staff work closely with children and their parents. They ensure that when children start at the nursery, they quickly start feeling safe and secure. Children are happy and form strong bonds with all members of staff. Staff know children well and carefully plan activities to meet the needs of all learners. Parents are given ideas of how to support their children at home, for example with potty training and starting school.
Children behave well. Staff use a small bell to attract children's attention, to support them to listen when it's time to start a new activity. Children understand the nursery's 'golden rules' of being kind, taking turns and using their 'walking feet'
inside. Children follow staff's instructions to wait for their turn when washing their hands and using the toilet.
What Ofsted told them to improve
To further improve the quality of the early years provision, the provider should:
- further support staff to encourage children's self-initiated play to enhance their imaginative and problem-solving skills.
- 22 February 2023Good
- 7 June 2017Good
Rated Good or Outstanding at 2 of the last 2 graded inspections.
Still missing for The Acorn Nursery School
- What it costs
- Youngest age taken
- 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.
Pre-schools within a couple of miles
This one is first. Tick it and one or two others to see them side by side.