Union Grove Community Nursery
Good★ 4.8 on GoogleBirth to 5Open for decades
A day nursery in London for children from birth to 5, open 07:30 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 They do not publish prices, so that is the first thing to ask.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 August 2025. Open since 2007, with 48 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 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
SW8 2SHWhat 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, 21 August 2025 · read the full report
What it is like to attend
Children are happy and content at this welcoming and inclusive nursery. They arrive excitedly and settle in confidently and quickly, helped by staff who know them well. Children develop warm relationships with kind staff. This helps children to feel safe and secure. Staff respond sensitively to children, which supports children's emotional well-being. Staff have high expectations for children's behaviour. They consistently remind children to use kind words, listen to others and follow routines. As a result, children understand the importance of positive behaviour in their play and learning.
Leaders have a clear understanding of what they want children to be able to know and do. They focus on skills children will need, such as putting on their own coats, to help children to prepare for the next stage of learning. Staff gather information about children's likes, dislikes and routines at home to find out how to meet children's needs effectively. They use this information to provide opportunities that spark children's curiosity and support them to develop resilience. For example, older babies use spoons to scoop balls from one container to another. Toddlers piece together puzzles of their own faces. Staff encourage children throughout these activities to persevere and keep on trying. This supports children to become motivated, engaged and develop a positive attitude to their learning.
What Ofsted told them to improve
To further improve the quality of the early years provision, the provider should:
- support staff to focus their teaching during planned activities on what children need to learn next to extend their learning further.
- 21 August 2025Good Safeguarding: Yes
- 14 January 2025Needs improvement Safeguarding: Yes
- 29 May 2019Good
Rated Good or Outstanding at 2 of the last 3 graded inspections.
Still missing for Union Grove Community 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.