Valentines Nursery
OutstandingTakes funded hours★ 4.7 on GoogleBirth to 8+Open for decades
A day nursery in Ilford for babies from 9 months up to school age, open 08:00 to 18:00, 5 days a week. £7.40 an hour for under 3's, and they take the funded hours. Rated Outstanding by Ofsted in December 2022. Open since 2003, with 40 places.
What it costs
Prices change without notice. Treat these as what to ask about, not a quote.
| Age | Hourly | |
|---|---|---|
| Under 3'sbirth to 3y | £7.40Additional hours | |
| Over 3's3y to 5y | £7.00Additional hours |
Extras
Charged on top of the session rate.
- £3.00 a session Food - tea (PM session)includes tea
- £6.00 a session Food - breakfast and lunch (AM session)includes breakfast and lunch
- £9.00 a day Food - breakfast, lunch and teaincludes breakfast, lunch and tea
Where this came from
The outlined line is the one the price was taken from.
Funded hours
Funding for children from 9 months onwards; working parents of children from 9 months to 3 years are entitled to 30-hours funding for 38 weeks in the academic year, which we offer over 51 weeks a year on 22.3 hours per week for 51 weeks in a year; Two year old entitlement for families receiving additional support; Universal entitlement for children aged 3 to 4 years; Working parent entitlement for.
Worth knowing. We offer term time places for up to 38 weeks a year; We offer stretched offer places for up to 51 weeks a year; The entitlement is available from Monday to Friday, between the hours of 8am–6pm; You can access between/either 15 and 30 entitlement hours per week at no charge; Our stretched offer is available from Monday to Friday, between the hours of 8am–6pm.
What childcare usually costs in Redbridge
This is not this setting's price. It is the median hourly fee across all providers in Redbridge 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
IG1 4RYWhat 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 December 2022 · read the full report
What it is like to attend
Children flourish as they explore excitedly with their friends. They are extremely independent. Children select from enriching resources and set up interesting activities with their friends. All children are busy. In the baby room, the babies gasp with delight as staff play peekaboo with their favourite toys. Staff say, 'Where has she gone? There she is.' Babies smile delightedly at familiar staff.
Children are resilient. They experience setbacks and try again when they find things tricky. For example, in the toddler room, young children match coloured beads into cups. When they find it hard to match the beads with the cups, experienced staff support and praise them. Children say, 'I have two beads.' Staff respond with extremely positive language, such as 'Well done, that's great.'
Children have high levels of self-esteem. Their behaviour is excellent.
- 15 December 2022Outstanding
- 15 March 2017Outstanding
- 4 February 2015Good
Rated Good or Outstanding at 3 of the last 3 graded inspections.
Still missing for Valentines Nursery
- 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.
- Is £7.40 an hour still the rate? 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.
Day nurseries within a couple of miles
This one is first. Tick it and one or two others to see them side by side.