The Willow Nursery
OutstandingTakes funded hours★ 4.9 on GoogleBirth to 5Long established
A pre-school in London for from 1 year up to 5 year olds, open 08:15 to 15:00, 5 days a week. They take the funded hours. They do not publish prices, so ask. Rated Outstanding by Ofsted in September 2023. Open since 2013, with 48 places.
What it costs
Prices change without notice. Treat these as what to ask about, not a quote.
What childcare usually costs in Lambeth
This is not this setting's price. It is the median hourly fee across all providers in Lambeth 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
SW4 0DEWhat 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, 19 September 2023 · read the full report
What it is like to attend
The manager and staff provide children with an abundance of exciting, purposeful learning experiences that captivate their interests and inspire a love of learning. All children fully embrace the opportunities to play and learn in a highly organised, safe environment. Children are totally equipped with the skills they need in readiness for school. Older children demonstrate high levels of learning during their independent play. They have clear aims, negotiate and solve problems as they play harmoniously with their friends. Children form extremely close bonds with staff.
The manager and staff continuously monitor and review the curriculum on offer to ensure that it accurately reflects the current learning needs of each child. Staff understand how to motivate children to learn. They skilfully use information from parents, observations and assessment to shape the experiences they offer.
Children show real excitement as they share their views of painting a wall, saying,
- 19 September 2023Outstanding
- 24 January 2018Good
- 10 October 2014Good
Rated Good or Outstanding at 3 of the last 3 graded inspections.
Still missing for The Willow Nursery
- What it costs
- 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Some of this is above, from the setting or from parents, and it can go out of date.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.
- Do you have a place for a child of my age now? 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.