Little Garden The Kentish Town Day Nursery & Pre-School

37 Ryland Road, London NW5 3EH
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9.9 95 Reviews
  • Little Garden The Kentish Town Day Nursery & Pre-School, London
The Kentish Town Day Nursery & Preschool, rated Good by Ofsted (January 2024), offers care for children aged 3 months to 5 years in a safe and welcoming setting.

With a unique, large and a secure garden outside, the nursery offers children fun and engaging learning experiences, both indoors and out. Children also benefit from a cooking club as well as a lending library, where families can take books home.

The nursery is set on the ground floor of a former school in Ryland Road, conveniently located for local families.

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Care Provided by Little Garden The Kentish Town Day Nursery & Pre-School

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

Good to Know

  • Person in charge
  • Lisa Mayamine (Nursery Manager)
  • Number of Childcare Staff
  • 29
  • Total Places for Children
  • 78
  • Age Range
    • from 0 years 3 months
    • to 5 years 0 months
  • Opening Times
  • Monday 07:30-18:30
    Tuesday 07:30-18:30
    Wednesday 07:30-18:30
    Thursday 07:30-18:30
    Friday 07:30-18:30
  • When Closed
  • Bank Holidays & Christmas

Funding & Fees Guide for Little Garden The Kentish Town Day Nursery & Pre-School

  • Nursery fees are dependent on the age of your child and your specific childcare requirements. Funding options are available, including the government’s 30 hours funded childcare, for working families with 3-4-year-old children and we also accept the Government Tax Free Childcare Scheme and childcare vouchers.
    Please call us to request pricing and availability.

Little Garden The Kentish Town Day Nursery & Pre-School Reviews (95)

Total of 95, showing 81-95
9.9

Little Garden The Kentish Town Day Nursery & Pre-School has a Review Score of 9.9 (9.850) out of 10, based on 23 reviews in the last 2 years. Over all time Little Garden The Kentish Town Day Nursery & Pre-School has 95 reviews.

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Review from Marta D (Mother of Child) published on 24 October 2017
Submitted via Website • Report

Overall Experience  Overall Experience 5.0 out of 5

My daughter joined the nursery when she was only 8 months old. When considering care options for children that small, as a parent you're not only looking for reassurances when it comes to the overall care & safety standards, food, facilities or learning - you also want to ensure that the atmosphere
is warm & positive and that the carers genuinely care about the children. And this is exactly where this nursery excels - the staff are both lovely and loving towards the children; you can just tell they truly enjoy their work - the nursery manager seems to have an extraordinary talent for picking the right people for her team! My daughter is now in Preschool and we're as happy with her key worker and the level of care as we were when she was in the Baby room. The cherry on the cake is the food: it's healthy, nutritious and diverse - the nursery chef is amazing!
All in all, it's a lovely nursery with a great team of people and I feel confident my daughter is happy there.

Reply from David H, CEO at Little Garden The Kentish Town Day Nursery & Pre-School

Dear Marta, thank you so much for such a very kind and positive review. We really understand the anxiety and stress that new parents go through when considering a nursery place and I am so glad to hear that you got all the reassurance and support needed to help you get comfortable with us as nursery care providers.
Thank you for making such kind remarks about the team, they will be delighted by this lovely feedback.


Again, thank you for taking the time to do this.


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Review from Julia S (Mother of Child) published on 25 July 2017
Submitted via Website • Report

Overall Experience  Overall Experience 5.0 out of 5

Our daughter has been attending the nursery full time for two and a half years. The nursery has recently undergone a complete rebranding and refurbishment. The previous under 2’s and over 2’s rooms have been split out into 3 more age appropriate rooms of baby, toddler and pre-school, which had allowed
the staff to tailor the activities, learning aims and routines more specifically for each age group. The new look Little Garden building is clean, fresh and clutter free. The staff are all very warm and engaging, and always open to improvement suggestions from the parents. The staff are also very supportive and patient throughout transitional phases like toilet training, napping and behaviour changes. All of which is done in conjunction with the parent to ensure consistency between the home and nursery environment. The Ofsted 'outstanding' rating is truly deserved, as the staff are all outstanding and personally care about the development and happiness of each child.

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Review from Marie H (Mother of Child) published on 25 May 2017
Submitted via Website • Report

Overall Experience  Overall Experience 5.0 out of 5

My daughter loves going to nursery. The staff are caring and affectionate and know her even when she's not in their room. There's a variety of activities throughout the week, both at the nursery and outside with visits to the supermarket, local overground station, park etc. I can see how the activities
contribute to her learning and she's also having lots of fun. In the last few weeks, she started to count, she sings different nursery rhymes, her dexterity has improved greatly (she's 19 months). The environment itself is lovely and conducive to learning. I also like that that she spends time outside and interacts with kids of different ages. The food is tasty and varied. The manager is great, always looking for opportunities to improve what the nursery offers, balancing the needs of the children, parents and staff and any other considerations.

Reply from David H, CEO at Little Garden The Kentish Town Day Nursery & Pre-School

Dear Marie, thank you for taking the time to write a review for us. Hearing how your daughter has lots of fun at the nursery is delightful and I am grateful you took the time to share your experience with us.
Again, many thanks.


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Review from Alex F (Mother of Child) published on 12 May 2017
Submitted via Website • Report

Overall Experience  Overall Experience 5.0 out of 5

Staff at this nursery are warm and caring. My son seems very happy here. A friend recommended this nursery to me. I have always been happy to leave my son in such a happy and supportive environment.

Reply from David Hancock, CEO at Little Garden The Kentish Town Day Nursery & Pre-School

Dear Alex, thanks for your review. It's good to know you're happy with what we do and that your son is happy at the nursery.


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Review from Audrey W (Mother of Child) published on 12 May 2017
Submitted via Website • Report

Overall Experience  Overall Experience 5.0 out of 5

We've had a great experience with this nursery. It's quite small which is nice for kids. The nursery has been recently fully refurbished and looks fresh and clean. The rooms are big and light, with lots of windows in each of them. The kids love the new equipment, especially the new digital table in
the preschool room. The outdoor space at the back is really great with an old tree in the middle and it's quite secluded, nice and quiet. The staff is great, they're all very friendly and dedicated. They always take the time to debrief parents on how the day went. The activity schedule is very impressive with yoga classes, French lessons, dance classes. The kids are involved in many artistic/crafty activities every day. Menus are balanced and healthy, lots of fruit and veg, with dishes from all over the world. The extended opening hours are very convenient. Overall, our child has been loving her time there, she has developed into a very happy and confident little girl with great social skills.

Reply from David Hancock, CEO at Little Garden The Kentish Town Day Nursery & Pre-School

Dear Audrey, thank you so much for taking the time out to write this review. I am delighted to know your daughter is loving the nursery and that we have helped her to develop some very important skills.
Thanks again.


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Review from Marie-Pierre F (Mother of Child) published on 8 May 2017
Submitted via Website • Report

Overall Experience  Overall Experience 5.0 out of 5

My daughter has been going to this nursery for almost one year and she is really happy. The staff (practitioners and management) are really wonderful and the outdoor space is a big plus. I would definitely recommend this nursery to friends.

Reply from David H, CEO at Little Garden The Kentish Town Day Nursery & Pre-School

Thank you for your review. I'm really pleased to hear your daughter is happy at the nursery.


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Review from Liona M (Mother of Child) published on 7 March 2017
Submitted via Website • Report

Overall Experience  Overall Experience 4.0 out of 5

Very good attentive stuff, buddy method (child close to one carer in particular) seems to have worked magic for us. Our toddler comes home filled with joy and excitement from her day (sometimes she doesn't even want to leave, which was considered SCI-FY like at the beginning). She's eating well and
learning table manners - which is great. Overall we're happy with our choice of nursery for our lil' one.

Reply from David H, CEO at Little Garden The Kentish Town Day Nursery & Pre-School

Thank you very much for your review, we really do appreciate you taking the time to give us your feedback.


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Review from Eva D (Mother of Child) published on 3 March 2017
Submitted via Website • Report

Overall Experience  Overall Experience 5.0 out of 5

My daughter spent almost 3 years in total at Bringing up (Kentish Town Day Nursery) and she loved it from start to finish. The only reason we left was because we moved houses.
The management team is efficient, competent, very friendly and super flexible. The team have been super patient and understanding
when we had to change our mind several times regarding schedule and timing to settle in our second child.
The outdoor space is one of the best I have seen in nurseries in central London and the children get to go outside almost every day!
All the staff in the baby room, toddler and preschool are loving, caring and competent. The feedback given at the end of the day is always very detailed.
I am still impressed with the folder the staff fill out for every child. It contains lots of pictures, reports and 'art work' from the children. These are great memories. My daughter and I often flick through it and she loves it.

Reply from David H, CEO at Little Garden The Kentish Town Day Nursery & Pre-School

What a wonderful endorsement of the hard work our practitioners put in, thank you. It really is lovely to get such positive feedback on what we do and how valuable it is to you - I am truly thrilled to know that we made such a positive impact on your daughters time at the nursery. Thanks again for the kind remarks.


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Review from A L (Mother of Child) published on 28 February 2017
Submitted via Website • Report

Overall Experience  Overall Experience 5.0 out of 5

Our child started at 11 months after a terrible experience with a childminder. We thought she would never manage to settle in any type of childcare provision after that, but she settled very quickly in this nursery. This is because the staff in the baby room are amazing and her key person a very sweet
and patient woman. I like the fact that when you enter the baby room, there is always something going on, children are very stimulated and the extracurricular activities are great. The food is amazing and I have to admit that my daughter eats better at the nursery than at home! The management of the nursery is very good, the manager is very dedicated and has a lot of ambition for the nursery. There is a huge refurbishment taking place at the moment that will improve the quality of the facility. Of course, all these things comes with a cost and hence is not affordable by all households. However, in this area, I am not sure it is possible to find a nursery with a better value for money.

Reply from David H, CEO at Little Garden The Kentish Town Day Nursery & Pre-School

Thank you for taking the time to write this very kind review. I am delighted to hear your positive feedback, it reassures us that we are doing it right. Thank you also for mentioning the baby room team, we are very proud of them - its great to know that your daughter has settled into nursery life so well.


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Review from Carolyn P (Mother of Child) published on 28 February 2017
Submitted via Website • Report

Overall Experience  Overall Experience 5.0 out of 5

We got tipped by a local person that this was a small but very good nursery. We went and had a good feeling, contrary to other nurseries with wider reputation and better marketing where we had a bad feeling. We then put our child there when she was only a few months old. My God, we never regretted it
and we don't stop bragging about how great our nursery is. The staff is amazing, from the youngest to the oldest lady, from the chef to the Manager. They are not here to earn their crust, they really enjoy looking after the children and their care, love and enthusiasm are contagious. They got rated outstanding lately, for us they are beyond that.

Reply from David H, CEO at Little Garden The Kentish Town Day Nursery & Pre-School

Thank you for your review. I'm really chuffed to hear such positive comments about our team, you're absolutely right, they really do love caring for children. Thanks again for taking the time to give us this feedback.


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Review from Louise S (Mother of Child) published on 26 October 2016
Submitted via Postal Card • Report

Overall Experience  Overall Experience 4.0 out of 5

Overall very pleased with our decision to send our daughter to this nursery and have enrolled our newborn too. On the whole, the staff are excellent although very occasionally a few of them could be more attentive. Our daughter really enjoys the French lessons which are an excellent idea.

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Review from Daphne L (Mother of Child) published on 25 August 2016
Submitted via Website • Report

Overall Experience  Overall Experience 5.0 out of 5

We've had such a great experience at The Kentish Town Day Nursery & Pre-school for the past 2 years. The environment is safe and the staff is fully dedicated to providing the best possible learning experience to each child. In addition, an international background of both staff and children makes the
experience very enriching. We loved the special projects that the resourceful staff conducts for pre-schoolers (lifecycle - from caterpillar to butterfly, eggs hatching, Goldilocks, etc !).
We are sad to leave due to a move away from the Kentish Town area and are extremely grateful for the development of our daughter...
Having both parents working full time is challenging and can only be achieved after finding a trusted childcare option. The Kentish Town Day Nursery fulfilled perfectly our childcare requirements.

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Review from Richard G (Father of Child) published on 22 August 2016
Submitted via Website • Report

Overall Experience  Overall Experience 5.0 out of 5

Bringing up Baby has been a wonderful nursery for our son. From the first moment we walked in, they gave a good impression and we feel lucky to have chosen it as his nursery. The staff are all very kind, dedicated and genuinely treat our son as if he is a child of their own. They've been flexible and
helpful throughout, and the food is outstanding - he eats better there than he does at home! He walks in each morning without hesitation, which is a testament to the quality care they provide.

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Review from Kayty J (Mother of Child) published on 8 August 2016
Submitted via Website • Report

Overall Experience  Overall Experience 4.0 out of 5

Really like this nursery my son has been hear since 11 months and now he is 2 and a half, he has made so many friends and is so confident, smart with all the stuff he knows down to counting singing and I give so much credit to this nursery for how proud I am! The staff made me feel confident in them
that they was looking after my son I've seen so many children there and watched them grow into beautiful children and it gives you peace when you drop your child off in the morning knowing they are safe and happy. Credit to all the staff and helpers.

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Review from Isabelle d (Mother of Child) published on 7 August 2015
Submitted via Website • Report

Overall Experience  Overall Experience 5.0 out of 5

Our oldest daughter has been going to Bringing Up Baby on Ryland Road for the last 2 years, and our youngest daughter started 9 months ago.
We are very happy with the nursery - it is not too big and has a real family feel.
The staff are very caring and communicate well with parents in the morning
to find out how the children are feeling today, and in the evenings to provide a short, honest debrief on how the day went. They know the children very well and are very dedicated to making the place a nice place to be and to coming up with creative activities for the children to take part in.
My two girls love going in, they have their friends who they meet everyday, and always have a lot of fun taking part in activities, playing in the garden or having a quiet time reading. They also sleep very well during nap time.
There have been quite a few management and staff changes in the last few months but the team now in place is fabulous, very keen to listen to the parents' comments and ideas and working hard to support each child's development, especially to get them ready for school.
This is a great nursery and I strongly recommend it!!

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Current Review Score: 9.9 (9.850)

Overview of Review Score

The Review Score of 9.9 (9.850) out of 10 for Little Garden The Kentish Town Day Nursery & Pre-School 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 23 Reviews in the last 24 months.

  • b) The score for the number of positive Reviews is 5.0 out of 5 from 23 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 4.850 for Little Garden The Kentish Town Day Nursery & Pre-School is calculated as follows: ( (238 Excellents x 5) + (31 Goods x 4) + (5 Satisfactorys x 3) ) ÷ 274 Ratings = 4.85

  • 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 Little Garden The Kentish Town Day Nursery & Pre-School is based on 23 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 78 number of registered child places is 15.6, which has been reached with 23 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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Awards / Recognitions (5)

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Meet the Team (3)

Lisa

Lisa Mayamine

Job Title: Nursery Manager

Joined: 2020

My name is Lisa and I have been a Nursery Manager for over 20 years. My family are from Tuscany in the North of Italy and Bavaria in the South of Germany and I love to travel. I am a qualified teacher and hold a BA Hons Degree with a Qualified Teacher Status, but have always specialised in Early Years. I ran my previous nursery for 20 years and have been at Little Gardens since March 2020. The nursery is a very bright, busy and happy place with staff that have been here for many years. The atmosphere and staff team are second to none and our ethos will always be that our number one priority is to meet the individual needs of each and every child and keep them safe, stimulated and to provide the tools to nurture them to develop and thrive.


Magdalena

Magdalena Pietrzyk

Job Title: Deputy Manager

Joined: 2020

Hi, my name is Magdalena but people call me Magda. I am from Poland and I have been living in London since 2016. I always knew I wanted to work with children that’s why I chose Pedagogy at University. I completed my bachelor degree in Pre-school and Elementary Teaching and Masters in School Pedagogy. I gained my experience in different settings, I have worked in schools, nurseries and a psychological and pedagogical counselling centre in Poland. I love travelling and I managed to combine my two passions working for Thomas Cook Travel Agency. I lead a Kids Clubs in Croatia, Bulgaria, Rhodes and Mallorca working with children from all over the world. I came to London 4 years ago for an Au-Pair programme and I fell in love with the city. After finishing one year as a live in nanny, I got a pre-school room leader position in one of the nurseries in northwest London where I met Lisa, Kentish Town Nursery Manager. We shared the same passion for teaching and I can’t imagine working for anybody else. When Lisa said she was coming to work for Little Garden Day Nurseries, I knew I wanted to work with her. I have been working at Kentish Town Day Nursery for 9 months and I absolutely love the atmosphere, the team and the children. Their smiles, laugh, hugs and visible progress motivate me to do my best and to make sure that we as a team we provide a nurturing, caring and inspiring environment.


Dominique

Dominique John

Job Title: Deputy Manager

Joined: 2021

Hi, my name is Dominique, I’m Deputy Manager at The Kentish Town Day Nursery and Pre-school after being promoted from third in Charge.


I started as a part-time nursery nurse and have worked my way up. I champion safeguarding, policies and procedures and will support anywhere I am needed with complete confidence. I’m excited about what I can bring to the role as a Deputy Manager and all its challenges.


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