Bright Horizons City Child Day Nursery and Preschool

1 Bridgewater Square, Barbican, London EC2Y 8AH
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9.4 44 Reviews
  • Bright Horizons City Child Day Nursery and Preschool, London
Bright Horizons City Child Day Nursery and Preschool is part of Bright Horizons portfolio and offers a warm, welcoming environment, supporting the transition from home to nursery.

The children benefit from a fantastic variety of extracurricular activities including French, Spanish, song and movement, gardening and cookery club, included in the fees. Piano lessons are available for an additional fee. Throughout age-focused rooms, the team provide the best start to schooling life through an enriching and wellbeing-focused Bright Beginnings Curriculum, designed by Early Years specialists. This holistic yet personal approach supports each child's wellbeing, development, and progress, whether that involves transitioning between rooms or preparing for school.

The nursery has a spacious outdoor garden, which is amazing for a central London nursery, and gives the children plenty of opportunities to extend their learning in the outdoors environment. The nursery rooms are bright with full length windows looking out into wildlife areas.

Bright Horizons’ own unique Ready for School Programme including Growing Readers, Writers and Mathematicians, further prepares the children for their transition to school; and while your child is busy exploring and having fun, the team can keep you updated via the Family app. Available for all Bright Horizons parents, this will keep you connected with your child's day-to-day experiences and up to date as they develop during their time at nursery.

Book your tour today to visit the nursery and discover what it has to offer, they can’t wait to meet you.

Care Provided by Bright Horizons City Child Day Nursery and Preschool

  • Type of Service
  • Day Nursery – Privately Owned
  • Open all year
  • Full Day Care
  • Sessional Day Care
  • Number of Childcare Staff
  • 15
  • Total Places for Children
  • 54
  • 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 & the week between Christmas & New Year

Bright Horizons City Child Day Nursery and Preschool Reviews (44)

Total of 44, showing 21-40
9.4

Bright Horizons City Child Day Nursery and Preschool has a Review Score of 9.4 (9.416) out of 10, based on 8 reviews in the last 2 years. Over all time Bright Horizons City Child Day Nursery and Preschool has 44 reviews.

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Overall Experience  Overall Experience 5.0 out of 5

Amazing staff and lovely environment. My daughter has flourished since starting here. Can not recommend enough!

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Overall Experience  Overall Experience 4.0 out of 5

Our child loves the nursery. The staff are very nice and attentive to the children. Outside space is great, it is very important for us that our child spends some time outside during the days.

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Overall Experience  Overall Experience 5.0 out of 5

City Child is a great place for my son to play, learn and grow. We have seen him develop so well through the focussed learning and social environment. The staff turnover concerns me but generally, everyone working with my son is very lovely, loving and supportive. The feedback we get is excellent (and
honest - this is so important to us).

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Overall Experience  Overall Experience 5.0 out of 5

Our son always goes to nursery happy and returns home happier. The nursery helps his development immensely and has made him a confident little boy.

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Overall Experience  Overall Experience 5.0 out of 5

My baby has been here as back up care for the last few days and I feel the staff have been amazing and supportive throughout. I was worried about leaving him but was reassured by staff, pictures, artwork and via phone calls. I would recommend City Child to all friends and family.

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Overall Experience  Overall Experience 5.0 out of 5

Very positive experience. Son settled in quickly, bonded with key worker and other staff. Staff informative and friendly.

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Overall Experience  Overall Experience 5.0 out of 5

City Child Nursery Bright Horizons has been the perfect nursery for our daughter. The outdoor area is huge with a wooden playground and slide and lots of outdoor toys like giant puzzles and tricycles. It's nestled next to a leafy green garden so they get the sound of the birds and little squirrels hopping
about over the other side of the fence. Our daughter loves the outdoors so that was a big plus for us. The staff are also just total heaven and care so much for the children. Our daughter always sings songs to us at home and talks about the painting and games she's played. Very happy.

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Overall Experience  Overall Experience 5.0 out of 5

We have a child in the baby room since September 2018 and she has been looked after very well. It has been amazing to see how many new skills she has developed over the last few weeks and her confidence has grown significantly since attending the nursery. She is having great fun with other babies but
some days she doesn't eat well.

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Overall Experience  Overall Experience 4.0 out of 5

Great nursery, the staff really care and many have been there a long time. They're always refreshing the activity boards and keep the children busy with fantastic craft projects.

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Overall Experience  Overall Experience 5.0 out of 5

I registered my daughter to start City Child Day Nursery at 14 months. I was very anxious about leaving her in someone else's care, but the team at City Child were incredibly sympathetic to my concerns and did everything to make us all especially my daughter feel at ease.
It may be set within the concrete
jungle of the Barbican but it couldn't be a warmer environment for children. The rooms are a good size with bright light. Toys and books are expansive. The buggy shed is a good size to easily drop off/pick up a stroller.
After 6 months we relocated and the only sad thing about it is moving our daughter away from the nurturing and fun environment she has grown to love. She wakes up singing every morning as a result of the song and move sessions, she grew to love the outdoors and developed confidence hugely.
Even after leaving a month ago she still mentions names of peers and key workers, and surprises us by singing along with actions to songs we're only just discovering she knows! We felt the team genuinely understood our daughter and we will miss them greeting her with smiles and enthusiasm every day.

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Overall Experience  Overall Experience 5.0 out of 5

We love Bright Horizons City Child Nursery and have sent our daughter here for past 3 1/2 years. The staff are excellent and we are very pleased with our daughter's development.

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Overall Experience  Overall Experience 5.0 out of 5

Professional, friendly and safe environment for our child. We are very pleased with the service provided.

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Overall Experience  Overall Experience 5.0 out of 5

I have a child in the toddler room since October 2017, it has been amazing to see how much he has developed over the last few months and his confidence has grown a lot since attending the nursery. The care he receives from the nursery is first class, the staff has done an amazing job with him and I
cannot thank them enough for being so brilliant! It is very difficult to find a nursery in London that offers such a huge outdoor space for the children to play in and this is very important for us as our child loves playing outside.

Reply from Katherine O'Brien, Digital Marketing Coordinator at Bright Horizons City Child Day Nursery and Preschool

Thank you for taking the time to submit a review and thank you for your positive comments. I will ensure they are fed back to the Nursery Team.


With regards to your rating on the food section. I will ask the Manager to ensure you see the weekly menus so you aware of what the children are eating on a daily basis. Our Bright Horizons menus are carefully planned and freshly prepared by our chefs, in consultation with nutritionists and a daily menu should be displayed at nurseries. In addition to a balanced lunch, our children also tuck into a morning snack, afternoon tea and in some nurseries we also provide breakfast. Please do feel free to speak to the Nursery Manager at any time.


Kind Regards,


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Overall Experience  Overall Experience 5.0 out of 5

I have a toddler and a baby at this Nursey, it’s a very safe place to leave your child, the management and staff are absolutely amazing, they treat my two girls as if they were their own. The staff will always update you on the process of your child, they accommodate every need my children require.
The Confidence my toddler has is all due to her being so happy when she goes to the Nursey.
Thank you to everyone at City Child. You are one of the best.

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Overall Experience  Overall Experience 5.0 out of 5

Both of my children go to this nursery and they both love it. The most important thing to me is that my children are safe and happy and they are both of these things at City Child. The staff are great and really supportive. The hours the nursery is open makes juggling working and pickups/drop off easier.

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Overall Experience  Overall Experience 5.0 out of 5

My baby is very happy in the baby room. She has developed great relationships with the staff and always looks forward to coming to nursery.

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Overall Experience  Overall Experience 5.0 out of 5

We are with City Child to great satisfaction for 3.5 years now, with both daughters (4 and 2 years old) attending. City Child is a little children's paradise hidden in a small alley near the Barbican. Fantastic garden that was completely renewed 4 years ago and a cosy atmosphere, with very attentive,
caring staff who immediately made our daughters feel at home.


The nursery has it's own chef, catering for breakfast, lunch and an afternoon snack. Whilst every nursery goes through times of staff turnover, City Child has always managed to keep its lovely character. Management is very active in organising activities, both inside and outside curriculum, for both the children (eg. piano lessons, sports, Spanish/French) and parents (eg. first aid).


Communication is proactive, with regular newsletters and specific updates when needed. Our daughters absolutely love it, with the eldest already having made great friends whilst going from the baby room via the toddlers to pre-school. Highly recommended.


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Overall Experience  Overall Experience 5.0 out of 5

Our son has been at city child for just over a year and we have been incredibly impressed by the genuine level of care and support staff have shown him (and us!). The nursery has a fantastic large out door garden which is unusual for central London nurseries. There are also a huge number of activities
on offer for the children from trips to the library to song and move to water/sand/ paint play etc- our son is well entertained.

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Overall Experience  Overall Experience 5.0 out of 5

I have sent my son last year and have gone through the baby room and toddler room.
The only thing I can say is how much all of us love this nursery.
Location: conveniently located with multiple tube stations nearby, has lovely outdoor garden where they go out regularly,
Secluded place away from busy
city and near to Barbican library where children are taken over there frequently.
Teachers: very helpful and extremely friendly.
Teachers from other rooms all know my son by name! They arranged gradual settling in period at the beginning and transitioning to toddler room.
Handover: daily detailed communication sheet so that parents can have a good snapshot of the child's daily life.
Parents' concerns and opinions are well listened to and quickly acted upon.
Events and activities: lots of fun events song and move, potteries, hatching chicks, summertime bbq
Overall, I think my son is in the best place he can be and would like to use this opportunity to thank all the staff at the nursery.

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Overall Experience  Overall Experience 5.0 out of 5

Our eldest daughter has been at the nursery since she was 13 months old (now 3.5) and our youngest joined a couple of months ago.
We have always been very happy with level of care and nurturing environment created by the friendly staff at the nursery.
Both our children are happy and content and have
formed great relationships with their allocated key people, which makes it easier leaving them each day.

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Current Review Score: 9.4 (9.416)

Overview of Review Score

The Review Score of 9.4 (9.416) out of 10 for Bright Horizons City Child Day Nursery and Preschool 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 8 Reviews in the last 24 months.

  • b) The score for the number of positive Reviews is 4.5 out of 5 from 8 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 4.875 for Bright Horizons City Child Day Nursery and Preschool is calculated as follows: ( (86 Excellents x 5) + (8 Goods x 4) + (2 Satisfactorys x 3) ) ÷ 96 Ratings = 4.875

  • 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 4.541 Points relating to the number of positive Reviews for Bright Horizons City Child Day Nursery and Preschool is based on 8 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 = 3.8

    • 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 54 number of registered child places is 10.8. 8 Positive Reviews ÷ 10.8 = 0.741

  • 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 (1)

Abbey

Abbey

Job Title: Nursery Manager

Joined: 2010

Hi, My name is Abby and I am a level 3 Nursery Practitioner I have achieved a level 2 and Level 3 Diploma in Child Care and Education I have been with Bright Horizons since 2017. I was based at Heron Quays Bright Horizons as a Room Leader where I took the opportunity to progress in the role of a Third in charge in 2019.


I've supported Heron Quays on its journey to achieve a good Ofsted rating after many years of hard work. I have worked with children of ages 0-5 years but have had the opportunity to learn and develop my skills within the nurseries I have worked in by spending time in each of the rooms supporting my staff team.


I was asked to come over to Tabard Square to support them and this was also a part of my professional development. During my time at the nursery, I grew fond of the team and children and was able to help implement new changes and support the quality of teaching and learning with the team. The opportunity arises for a Deputy Manager over in Tabard Square. I took the opportunity to apply for this position. This has been something that I was working towards and knew it was the right time for me.


I now have had the opportunity to further my career with bright horizons by progressing to the Nursery Manager at City Child, I look forward to my new journey, being able to share my knowledge and role model practices with a new team. I also look forward to creating a new partnership with the families and children at city child.