The Ark Day Care Nursery
GoodBirth to 8+Long established
A day nursery in Dagenham for children from birth to 8+, open 8am to 6pm. They do not publish prices, so that is the first thing to ask. Rated Good by Ofsted in February 2024. Open since 2012, with 59 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 Barking and Dagenham
This is not this setting's price. It is the median hourly fee across all providers in Barking and Dagenham 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
RM8 1NLWhat 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, 15 February 2024 · read the full report
What it is like to attend
Staff warmly greet children and parents as they arrive, which helps children to feel welcome and settle quickly. Children are very self-assured and separate from their parents with ease. Staff encourage children to be independent at various times throughout the day. For example, they take off their coats and know where to hang them. They confidently serve themselves at mealtimes and have plenty of opportunities to choose what they want to play with. Children demonstrate that they feel emotionally safe and secure.
The manager and staff have an ambitious curriculum in place to support all children's learning. The special educational needs coordinator (SENCo) works effectively in partnership with parents and other professionals to ensure that all children with special educational needs and/or disabilities receive good support.
This positively impacts children's learning and the quality of education provided.
What Ofsted told them to improve
To further improve the quality of the early years provision, the provider should:
- support staff to consistently implement systems to help children who are not yet fluent in English, or have communication difficulties, to fully understand what is going to happen next, to promote a smooth change in activities n help staff to consistently differentiate their teaching during group activities, such as story time, with children of varied needs and abilities to support their learning further.
- 15 February 2024Good
- 22 March 2023Needs improvement
- 7 September 2017Good
Rated Good or Outstanding at 2 of the last 3 graded inspections.
Still missing for The Ark Day Care 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.