Leo's Den Nursery

37 Law Street, off Great Dover Street, London SE1 4DZ
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9.9 59 Reviews
  • Leo's Den Nursery, London
Leo’s Den Nursery is in the heart of Southwark, and opened in 2009 in a converted public house very close to all major transport routes, with London Bridge and Borough high street stations close by.

Leo's Den Nursery prides itself on being a safe, caring and valued early education setting where children learn and thrive. They see parents returning to the nursery again and again, so that each of their children has the wonderful start in life that Leo’s Den nursery enables every child to have. The nursery also offers both two and three-year-old funded places and the 30 hours funded option for those parents that qualify.

With the areas of Bermondsey Borough, Peckham and Camberwell close by, Southwark is a very diverse area with children coming from many different backgrounds and cultures and many children having English as their second language. Leo's Den is a fully inclusive nursery and they celebrate and nurture each and every individual child, and have great relationships with the whole family. The staff team also reflect the diverse cultures of the area and bring many different cultures and languages to enhance the setting.

Key carers have professional rich bonds with their key children and their families, and they are very proud of all that their 'very strong' Parent Partnership brings to the setting.

Leo's Den offers a wonderful EYFS curriculum with many enhancement classes for the children to enjoy. These include weekly Ballet, Mindfulness and Yoga sessions, as well as Fun Phonics and Wild Fangs (the wonderful world of living things). With two lovely outdoor spaces/gardens, the children have many learning opportunities to try out their physical skills and enjoy lots of outdoor learning experiences whilst having fun.

From the start of the Covid pandemic, the nursery has remained open throughout and continued to serve the key workers of the local community, with many new families joining the nursery

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Care Provided by Leo's Den Nursery

  • Type of Service
  • Day Nursery – Privately Owned
  • Open all year
  • Full Day Care

Good to Know

  • Owner
  • Tony Hailwood
  • Person in charge
  • Rachel Hine (Nursery Director)
  • Number of Childcare Staff
  • 32
  • Total Places for Children
  • 65
  • Age Range
    • from 0 years 4 months
    • to 5 years 0 months
  • Opening Times
  • Monday 07:45-18:30
    Tuesday 07:45-18:30
    Wednesday 07:45-18:30
    Thursday 07:45-18:30
    Friday 07:45-18:30
  • When Closed
  • Bank Holidays , Three staff training days per year. [ Inset Days]

Funding & Fees Guide for Leo's Den Nursery

  • Fees from 1st April 2024;


    Monthly Rate:
    4 Months to 2 Years,
    2 days - £723.61,
    3 days - £1080.15,
    4 days - £1433.19,
    5 days - £1622.30.


    2 years - 3 years:
    2 days - £647.39,
    3 days - £966.43,
    4 days -£1282.30,
    5 days- £1401.94.


    3 years - 5 years:
    2 days- £622.05,
    3 days - £928.60,
    4 days - £1232.00,
    5 days - £1332.92.
    Please note that your child may qualify for the Free 'Early years funding' from the age of 2 years in April 2024, you need to apply on the government website.

  • Our fees are very competitive with the local area.
    We are a private nursery, but look after our local and extended community by keeping our fees at a rate that is affordable for parents.

Leo's Den Nursery Reviews (59)

Total of 59, showing 41-59
9.9

Leo's Den Nursery has a Review Score of 9.9 (9.862) out of 10, based on 34 reviews in the last 2 years. Over all time Leo's Den Nursery has 59 reviews.

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Review from Louise G (Mother of Child) published on 24 March 2022
Submitted via Website • Report

Overall Experience  Overall Experience 5.0 out of 5

My one year old son has been attending the nursery for five months and is really enjoying it. He is in the Cubs year and is very social, he loves seeing and interacting with the other children and greatly enjoys the activities organised throughout the day. He is learning so many skills from his days
at nursery, is becoming fiercely independent, eating and drinking by himself, learning words, being very mobile and quickly learning to walk. Leo's Den also has the added benefit of having its own outdoor space. All daily activities are recorded so you can read what your child has done during the day and the staff send photographs of the children and reports of their development. The staff are all very friendly and helpful and commit a lot of time and energy to the children. I would recommend the nursery to anyone looking for high-quality daycare.

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Review from Fizza S (Mother of Child) published on 10 March 2022
Submitted via Website • Report

Overall Experience  Overall Experience 5.0 out of 5

Being able to log into the camera and see my daughter is amazing for me it helps massively with the anxiety and with missing her, just being able to see how her day is going means more to me than I can ever put in words, since starting at Leo den she's come along way I couldn’t have done it without
your all support and that’s a statement of fact I don’t think I could have brought her to this point alone. She “grown” so much under Leo den’s nurturing and caring hand. The bond she has with the nursery staff and the others, I’m so grateful for. She does not just know she’s safe but feels safe. We are both extremely blessed and lucky that Aaliyah attended Leo's Den so I wanted to take a min to from the bottom of my heart and soul to express my thanks, it’s more like a debt I could never payback. So thank you all! From us both.

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Review from Natasha R (Mother of Child) published on 4 February 2022
Submitted via Website • Report

Overall Experience  Overall Experience 5.0 out of 5

Our daughter attended Leo's Den between July 2017 and August 2020 and we had no hesitation in sending our son there too. He has been at Leo's Den since September 2021 (joined at one year old) and he has settled in so well and loves going to nursery.


Leo's Den provides a high quality of care and

a variety of activities for children to partake in. The staff are warm, welcoming, and more than happy to talk about my child and his development. The app is incredibly useful in setting out what my son has been up to; I really appreciate the photos sent out from the day's activities.


Based on our experience with my daughter we are confident that Leo's Den will continue to provide a great nurturing environment that will ensure that my son continues to thrive and develop.


I highly recommend Leo's Den!


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Review from P T (Mother of Child) published on 20 January 2022
Submitted via Website • Report

Overall Experience  Overall Experience 5.0 out of 5

Truly outstanding! I believe I made one of the best decisions of my life since becoming a parent by sending my daughter to Leo's. She started in October 2020. The journey has been great from my very first call to the nursery. It was extremely easy to talk to staff. They were responsive explained all
the ins and out of nursery life. I had an introductory video call and was shown inside the nursery rooms. I was an emotional wreck but they really helped me focus. You get daily photo updates from day one. The CCTV live feed of seeing your child interacting with others and eating all their lunch (only at nursery) is such a pleasure to watch. CCTV was a lifeline for a first-time mum like me who was finding it difficult to leave their child with strangers. The interactive Famly app is easy to use and the nursery definitely makes use of the notification function to parents. The garden space is huge, bright, and filled with playthings. The girls (Practitioners) in the rooms are top class!

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Review from Kat M (Mother of Child) published on 8 December 2021
Submitted via Website • Report

Overall Experience  Overall Experience 5.0 out of 5

Leo's Den is really fantastic, my daughter loves it here and waves us happily goodbye when ever we drop her off for the day. The team are very professional and friendly and constantly doing engaging, fun and educational activities with the children. Regular update is given and there is also a great
web cam where you can watch your children having fun through out the day. I highly recommend Leos Den Nursery.

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Review from Alex C (Father of Child) published on 30 November 2021
Submitted via Website • Report

Overall Experience  Overall Experience 5.0 out of 5

Simply brilliant. Cubs, Cheetahs and Lions - all have great facilities and activities in and out of the nursery including the visiting animals and trips to the park. Fabulous caring staff; excellent communication and updates through the app which shows all their exciting escapades through the day with
photos, food summaries etc. Great support and progress monitoring on all aspects of development. Value is unparalleled in the area, love it.

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Review from Shadia G (Mother of Child) published on 12 November 2021
Submitted via Website • Report

Overall Experience  Overall Experience 5.0 out of 5

My baby started at Leo’s Den at just 4 months old. She has been there for over four months. I love the nursery and I like the staff in the baby room and management are great.


More importantly, my baby loves it there, she always wants to jump out my arms to go to her keyworker or any of the staff

that opens the door in the mornings. She is always giggling and laughing. Crawling and trying to follow them around. Their sensory play is amazing and every day they have different activities. I’m always curious what they do in the day but we get detailed info on a daily basis and photos posted of their day. Staff are very at hand with her. I feel she has grown so quickly and made huge progress. I believe it’s the team at the nursery that are encouraging her to explore and learn, she loves books from story time. The environment is fantastic.
The food and everything that they have is healthy and tasty. They are clean and have lots of indoor and outdoor space.
I love it, baby loves it. She is happy and safe.

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Review from Cristina C (Mother of Child) published on 12 November 2021
Submitted via Website • Report

Overall Experience  Overall Experience 5.0 out of 5

We could not be more lucky to be part of Leo's Den family.
Every day we see our child thrive under the loving and professional care of the practitioners and the staff.
In a time of uncertainty such as the last year with the pandemic, Leo's Den offered children a safe and loving place where to play
and learn.
I highly recommend Leo's Den

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Review from Sheila F (Mother of Child) published on 12 November 2021
Submitted via Website • Report

Overall Experience  Overall Experience 5.0 out of 5

All staff are lovely and very helpful and understanding. They have great communication with me and keep me up to date with my child's progress. Also being able to see my child throughout the day with the nursery cam they provide really help to put my mind at rest and know I can check on my child.

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Review from Amy W (Mother of Child) published on 26 August 2021
Submitted via Website • Report

Overall Experience  Overall Experience 5.0 out of 5

Leo's Den is a warm, welcoming nursery with excellent staff and facilities. Both of my boys love their time at nursery and I think that is a reflection of the support of the practitioners and the wide variety of activities on offer. We couldn't recommend it more highly.

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Review from Ursula H (Mother of Child) published on 16 August 2021
Submitted via Website • Report

Overall Experience  Overall Experience 5.0 out of 5

The past 18 months have been hugely difficult for everybody but, in the face of a global pandemic, Leo’s Den has provided our son with a safe and caring environment where he has absolutely thrived. He is excited to leave the house in the mornings and joyfully agrees to say hello to all of the practitioners
and his friends on our behalf. He is visibly happy when we drop him off, as well as when we pick him up. When he gets home we talk to him about his day and we can honestly say he has never shown signs of being anything other than an incredibly happy and stimulated little boy. When we take him to the playground at weekends he is a confident social butterfly. When we introduce him to new healthy foods he is welcoming of them. When we play games with him he picks up new skills without thinking. When we read to him he is fully engaged and enjoys learning new words. We don’t underestimate how much Leo’s Den, and our son's happiness there, has contributed to all of this! Thank you!

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Review from Rebecca R (Mother of Child) published on 13 August 2021
Submitted via Website • Report

Overall Experience  Overall Experience 5.0 out of 5

I can’t thank the staff of Leo’s Den enough for everything they have done for my daughter. She has been happy and excited to attend every morning, ever since her first day when she was 14 months old and we have been over the moon to send her to such a safe, secure and creative environment, full and
love and happiness. The nursery has all its priorities in the right order and nothing is for show. I have complete trust in the team, not least because she eats and naps so much better for them than she does for me. Thank you Leo’s.

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Review from Liz L (Mother of Child) published on 8 July 2021
Submitted via Website • Report

Overall Experience  Overall Experience 5.0 out of 5

Both my children attend and key highlights about Leo’s Den are:
- supportive staff and who really help work with you on the child’s development and offer helpful tips;
- excellent communication - the app and the updates are great and there is always the opportunity to discuss in person on pick up;
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variety of activities. This has been curtailed slightly because of covid, but they have trusted partners who come in and expand the children’s horizons. Staff will take them to the local park, despite having a good-sized outdoor space for London. Pre-covid they used to take the children to the local library regularly.
- it may look shabby to some parents but it is very clean. I’ve been impressed at how few closures (touch wood) there have been because of covid. This is also partly down to the parents.
- children do like it, and staff clearly care deeply about the children and give a cheery wave and hello if you bump into them at the weekend - it’s a real family!

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Review from Lizzie C (Mother of Child) published on 2 July 2021
Submitted via Website • Report

Overall Experience  Overall Experience 5.0 out of 5

We have been delighted with the nursery since my then 1 year old started in Jan 2021 mid pandemic. The staff are incredibly caring and kind and I released very soon understood the characteristics of our son who is a really energetic, chatty little boy. Communication with parents is excellent, my son
is always happy and willing to go to nursery and we are very impressed with the range of activities and inclusion of multi-cultural events and festivities. We could not ask for any more. It appears the staff are happy too, which is key and part of a wide, caring community that is Leo's Den Nursery!

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Review from Gabriela G (Mother of Child) published on 1 July 2021
Submitted via Postal Card • Report

Overall Experience  Overall Experience 5.0 out of 5

My son has been with Leo's Den Nursery since he was 10 months old. He is 3 years and 7 months old now. Leo's Den have become a second family to my son. He has verbal language delays and the staff has continuously supported me and is going above and beyond to support myself and my son. I choose Leo's
Den because my workplace was only 5 min away. Unfortunately I was made redundant last year and even though the nursery is 1 hour away from my home I never even considered to change nursery. Leo's Den cares for its children and parents and should I have another child in the future, he or she will attend Leo's Den 100%!

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Review from Sophie C (Mother of Child) published on 22 June 2021
Submitted via Website • Report

Overall Experience  Overall Experience 5.0 out of 5

My daughter loves Leo's Den. She has been with them for 2 years and is always happy to go there. The staff are brilliant, very understanding and available for us. Every day they propose so many different activities, they spend time in the garden or even go to the park, which is really great. We have
an app to follow their day and each day we have feedback and photos of the activities they have done. I strongly recommend Leo's Den!

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Review from Giulia F (Mother of Child) published on 21 June 2021
Submitted via Website • Report

Overall Experience  Overall Experience 5.0 out of 5

Our son has been at Leo's for a little over 2 and a half now years.
We have loved this nursery since the first visit and we couldn't be more right about it.
The cosy, familiar environment, the lovely staff made it a perfect place for our son to thrive and feel loved and supported.
We felt like
a part of a big family and they have been extraordinary in the past year, which was very hard for everyone. They managed the Covid-19 situation very professionally and we felt that our son was safe and well looked after.
We are amazed by the number of activities they provide to stimulate children's fantasy and develop their skills - every day there is some new, exciting activity and our son, who is bilingual and was struggling with English, is now fluent and confident.
They also keep parents up to date daily with thorough updates via web app and I feel I know in detail what my son has been up to during the day, his meals, his sleep patterns. Couldn't recommend this lovely place more!

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Review from M S (Mother of Child) published on 21 June 2021
Submitted via Website • Report

Overall Experience  Overall Experience 5.0 out of 5

It's a great nursery, we're very happy with it, both of my children had attended and my niece.


Their facilities are great, I think is the best one in the area with their opening hours and location. Very convenient for working parents like us.


They are really good with the children, we know they

are safe and well cared for during the day. All the team are amazing and are really invested in the development of the children.

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Review from Melissa D (Mother of Child) published on 21 June 2021
Submitted via Website • Report

Overall Experience  Overall Experience 5.0 out of 5

Leo’s Den is a lovely nursery, the staff are incredible! There is a huge range of activities which the children do each day to help them learn and develop their social skills. The approach and care of the practitioners has seen our daughter’s confidence and sense of self develop immensely during her
time here.
We really appreciate the regular updates on our daughter’s development as well as her day-to-day activities.
There is a real sense of community within the nursery which has held together even during Covid times due to a strong management approach with regular communication.

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Current Review Score: 9.9 (9.862)

Overview of Review Score

The Review Score of 9.9 (9.862) out of 10 for Leo's Den Nursery is based on a) the Average Rating and b) the number of positive Reviews.

  • a) The Average Rating is 4.9 out of 5 from 34 Reviews in the last 24 months.

  • b) The score for the number of positive Reviews is 5.0 out of 5 from 34 positive Reviews in the last 24 months.

Detailed Breakdown of Review Score

The maximum Review Score for a Day Nursery is 10, which is made up from the Average Rating of Reviews (maximum of 5 points) and the Number of Reviews (maximum of 5 points) in the last 24 months:

  • a) 5 Points are available for the Average Rating from all Reviews in the last 24 months.

    The Average Rating of 4.862 for Leo's Den Nursery is calculated as follows: ( (356 Excellents x 5) + (44 Goods x 4) + (6 Satisfactorys x 3) ) ÷ 406 Ratings = 4.862

  • b) 5 Points are available for the number of Positive Reviews in the last 24 months. A Positive Review is defined as any Review with an 'Overall Experience' of '4' or '5' (out of a max rating '5').

    The 5 Points relating to the number of positive Reviews for Leo's Den Nursery is based on 34 positive Reviews in the last 24 months and is calculated as per below:

    The 5 points available are broken down as follows:

    • i) 4 points are available for the first 10 Positive Reviews in the last 24 months; 3 points for the first Positive Review, and then 0.125 Points for each of the next four Positive Reviews and then 0.1 Points for the next five Positive Reviews. (1st = 3.000, 2nd = 0.125, 3rd = 0.125, 4th = 0.125, 5th = 0.125, 6th = 0.100, 7th = 0.100, 8th = 0.100, 9th = 0.100, 10th = 0.100) 3 + 0.125 + 0.125 + 0.125 + 0.125 + 0.1 + 0.1 + 0.1 + 0.1 + 0.1 = 4

    • ii) 1 point is available for the number of Positive Reviews reaching 20% of the number of registered child places in the last 24 months. If this number is partially reached, then that proportion of 1 point is given. eg a Day Nursery registered for a maximum of 50 child places has to reach 10 Positive Reviews to receive 1 point, if it has 7 reviews it will receive 0.7 points. 20% of the 65 number of registered child places is 13, which has been reached with 34 Positive reviews. Points = 1

  • When a Review is submitted by someone who has previously submitted a Review, only the latest Review will count towards the Review Score.

  • If a Day Nursery does not have a review in the last 24 months, then it will not have a Review Score.

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Meet the Team (2)

No image found

Rachel Hine

Job Title: Nursery Director

Joined: 2009

Rachel is responsible for the overall direction of the nursery, dealing with parent's applications, the management of the nursery systems and dealing with parental accounts/fees.


No image found

Kemi Akinniranye

Job Title: Nursery Manager

Joined: 2015

Kemi is responsible for the day to day running of the nursery, including parent contacts, organisation of the staff and the planning of activities.


Information on this page is displayed without responsibility for its accuracy on the part of daynurseries.co.uk. Please contact Leo's Den Nursery to verify any information. View our terms and conditions. Leo's Den Nursery has an Enhanced Service – more info.