Hatching Dragons Nursery City of London

Ironmongers Hall, Shaftesbury Place, Barbican, London EC2Y 8AA
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16 Reviews
  • Hatching Dragons Nursery City of London, London

Care Provided by Hatching Dragons Nursery City of London

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

Good to Know

  • Person in charge
  • Kristina Preidyte (Nursery Manager)
  • Number of Childcare Staff
  • 25
  • Total Places for Children
  • 75
  • Age Range
    • from 0 years 6 months
    • to 5 years 0 months
  • Opening Times
  • Monday 08:00-18:30
    Tuesday 08:00-18:30
    Wednesday 08:00-18:30
    Thursday 08:00-18:30
    Friday 08:00-18:30
  • When Closed
  • Bank Holidays & Christmas

Funding & Fees Guide for Hatching Dragons Nursery City of London

  • Available on request


Hatching Dragons Nursery City of London Reviews (16)

Over all time Hatching Dragons Nursery City of London has 16 reviews.

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Overall Experience  Overall Experience 5.0 out of 5

Two of my children attend Hatching Dragons City. One in fact started in the school in Westminster before moving to the City as we moved closer to that branch. And I have to say, all throughout, the care, love and attention given to my child/children have been second to none. My little boy couldn't have
wanted better carers - he started at 9 months or so and has flourished into a determined but considerate and highly communicative little boy: caring, courteous (as much as a 2-year-old can be) and capable and I put most (if not all) of that down to their care. And my little girl started at the same age. Now in preschool, she sits happily with our Chinese books that have oral pronunciation tools built-in, pointing at the characters and objects and happily communicating what I know, from the books, to be the accurate pronunciation of the object. It's amazing and I have no doubt that the skills she's learnt here will last a lifetime - thanks to the manager. Thanks to the team!

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Overall Experience  Overall Experience 5.0 out of 5

Hatching Dragons is a top-notch nursery. Our little boy joined as an 8-month-old and people in the baby room have been nothing but great. We would have never expected the teams to be so nice and caring! Our little boy has never been so jolly and happy while the team also made sure we, as parents, felt
comfortable.
They give kids a friendly, multicultural and stimulating environment.
Also, as an organisation, Hatching Dragons is very transparent and has shown to have sound health and safety processes, thereby building trust that our child is safe at any time.
Would recommend any day!

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Overall Experience  Overall Experience 3.0 out of 5

Hatching Dragons markets itself as child-led and nurturing. As well-intentioned as the caregivers are, we haven't found this to be the case. It seems more like a handy creche. They like the kids, though, and that's important.
However, there seems to be a double standard when it comes to illness at
HD. When our child was in for their settling in period, there was another child with a streaming nose, nasty, persistent cough, and streaming eyes. This child gave our child strep because we had similar symptoms days later. We kept our child home, everyone fell ill, and we lost work.
Yet when our child attended after a course of vaccinations where a fever is normal, we were sent home despite the nursery knowing this. We were then sent home two days later when we came back because, apparently, we had to send the kid off for a PCR test - something that wasn't communicated to us. Communication needs help.
The building is inaccessible with buggies and they don't do cloth nappies either.

Reply from Cenn John, Owner at Hatching Dragons Nursery City of London

I'm sorry that you've felt dissatisfied with our service. Unfortunately, Covid has meant that we are under significant pressure to abide by the guidance of our local authority and PHE when it comes to fevers and sickness, and following their protocols means that we have to enforce a 48 hour exclusion policy for those who are feverish, irrespective of whether its provenance is from inoculation or another sickness - the fact that we cannot possibly know presents the risk factor that Ofsted require us to mitigate. I hope most parents would understand that particularly given the last year.


With regard to children who might present as sick, again, we follow PHE guidance and our policies, which doesn't state that a cough or a runny nose is excludable. It would be sad, I think, if we cannot accommodate children for having a runny nose - parents require continuity of care, which is why the guidance from PHE is so important as it provides clarity as to the expectations for all.


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Overall Experience  Overall Experience 5.0 out of 5

I’ve been sending my eldest to Hatching Dragons for over 2 years and my youngest for 9 months. My wife and I have been exceptionally impressed with the quality of education and the care that all staff have consistently provided to both my children. As a non-mandarin speaker, it’s very surreal hearing
my kids converse with their teachers in this completely different and wonderful way. The variety in daily actives, the communication with parents (both in-person and via the online daily updates), the affection given, the central location and nearby benefits (e.g. Barbican and parks), the lovely and healthy food all lead to a very high recommendation. As parents we found the staff, without exception, to be extremely friendly and engaging and obviously the most important bit, both my children absolutely love going!

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Overall Experience  Overall Experience 5.0 out of 5

Very good Bilingual nursery. Staff are very friendly and my son really enjoyed the time there. He loves his meals - healthy and tasty, and his day has always been busy learning through playing. Strongly recommend!

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Overall Experience  Overall Experience 5.0 out of 5

Our daughter has been attending Hatching Dragons for just over a year. I have always had faith in all of the care she receives as she always appears happy and comfortable with the staff. She learns a great deal daily and I can see that the staff are very engaging with the children. She enjoys the food
she is given and really enjoys the various activities. I am always impressed by the variation in activities. The nursery has been extremely supportive during the coronavirus pandemic and in particular to the key workers during the hardest months. I am very happy with the care our daughter has received and very much recommend this nursery.

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Overall Experience  Overall Experience 5.0 out of 5

Our 1-year-old son attended Hatching Dragons for 2-months because of lockdown. We were nervous at first, but he settled in straight away and absolutely loved the place. The staff are so kind and easy to deal with, and the kids were always busy with so many activities, games, songs etc. I’m sure the
additional exposure to mandarin has been beneficial to his language skills too. It was also lovely to get photo updates on the app every day. I would have liked to have known what types of food he was eating though (the app only tells you how much they ate). My only other issue was it was hard to get up and down the stairs to the buggy storage area, but otherwise, I would highly recommend this nursery.

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Overall Experience  Overall Experience 4.0 out of 5

My daughter came to this nursery during lockdown due to Covid, while our regular nursery was closed.
The staff at this nursery is incredibly kind, supportive and fun. My daughter was very loved and was always happy to arrive. The indoor space is full of fun activities.
The team takes safety very
seriously, particularly during the Covid period. My daughter became an expert hand-washer and I credit the nursery for teaching her this habit.
Outdoor space is limited though the team always brings the children out to the nearby park for fresh air. My only gripe is the building itself is probably not ideal for a nursery as one has to navigate many stairs, particularly at the entrance where many have to manage a buggy and a toddler learning to walk. This is of course not the fault of the nursery though.

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Overall Experience  Overall Experience 5.0 out of 5

Our daughter attended the nursery for 2 months during the Covid-19 lockdown, because our nursery had closed. We were very lucky to be welcomed by Hatching Dragons without any problems for that period of time. The nursery had a warm and friendly atmosphere, and contact with the staff was problem free.

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Overall Experience  Overall Experience 5.0 out of 5

My daughter absolutely loves this nursey! As soon as we approach to the front door of the nursery she starts jumping from excitement. As a first-time mother, the manager and the team made me feel reassured and at ease. The staff are amazing, and it seems that they all love their job. They always have
a big smile and are very approachable. My daughter has developed so much in the little time she has been there. Despite the nursey not having an outdoor garden, the children are taken out every day to local parks, soft plays and museums. Daily online logs with pictures allow me to see what activities my daughter has done throughout the day, how much she ate and drank. I cannot recommend this nursery enough!

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Overall Experience  Overall Experience 5.0 out of 5

My daughter loves this nursery. Every morning she would ask me to take her to ‘the new nursery’ which is Hatching Dragons City. Comparing with her previous one she enjoyed the bilingual environment here. She is also fascinated by the daily outings when children are taken to libraries, museums and playground.
Food is organic and day nap is managed properly. The app is where I get all the updates of my daughter’s daily activities.
Staff are very responsible and they are currently working with me on potty training.

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Overall Experience  Overall Experience 5.0 out of 5

My son started the learning journey in Hatching Dragons Nursery when he was 13 months. We were lucky to find this place in the city of London which provides him with a great bilingual environment. All teachers in Hatching Dragons are very supportive. They do care about each child.


In addition, the

location is great for children to explore the Barbican and Museum of London.

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Overall Experience  Overall Experience 4.0 out of 5

Our child has been attending Hatching Dragons for 1.5 years and we have a very positive overall feeling about the setting. Although there is a space for improvement for email communication with nursery central management team, the most important part of the nursery is the staff. They are truly dedicated
to children. They keep inventing various activities, which not only develop a child's skills but also teach them how to build relations and work in the group.
The staff is always sharing a few photos and day descriptions via online app.


Another interesting thing is the 50/50 time split between English and Mandarin at nursery. After a year our child speaks both languages without any effort. That involves singing, nursery rhymes and simple day to day conversations.
Both children and parents take a part in events organised by nursery coming from both cultures e.g.: Christmas or Chinese New Year. It is a great fun and opportunity to get familiar with other children and their parents.


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Overall Experience  Overall Experience 5.0 out of 5

Our child has been at Hatching Dragons for 6+ months and it's been a very positive change from our previous nursery. Here the staff are all familiar faces and there is daily communication about our child's activities and behaviours from teachers through the online app. We get photo updates of playtimes
and notices of nap times. We can directly let the teachers know of any concerns or input that we have that day. Also, the nursery is very clean. This is important for young children when they are crawling and putting things into their mouths.


The most special thing about Hatching Dragons is how our child is learning to think, speak not only in English and Mandarin but also in both cultures. We LOVE that there are kids from different cultures at the nursery all learning languages together. The staff throw parties on holidays for parents and family to come and take part at the nursery. It really fosters a strong sense of community as parents and families get to know each other.


Reply from Cennydd John at Hatching Dragons Nursery City of London

Thanks so much for your kind words! Good to know the team are appreciated. Many thanks!


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Overall Experience  Overall Experience 5.0 out of 5

Like any parent, you worry that your child is receiving the best care while you are not around. Hatching Dragons puts your mind totally at ease, providing a wonderful, caring, interesting environment for your child to spend time and develop. I always feel happy that my child is in the best hands and
he always comes home with interesting and fun stories of what he's done that day, more recently telling me new Chinese words he's learnt.
Can't recommend enough.

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Overall Experience  Overall Experience 2.0 out of 5

Following the birth of our first child, this was our first foray into the world of nurseries and the experience was disappointingly far from what we expected.
Firstly I will stress that the actual day to day care and interactions were okay. Where we primarily experienced problems was interactions with
the management team who seemed much removed from the day to day operations.
(i) T&Cs - These were not covered as part of our initial on-boarding. We subsequently identified a number of contentious points including effectively a double deposit (initial dep = month fee + cur month + month in adv)
(ii) Daily updates on Online tool inconsistent or not completed at all
(iii) Food poor/non-nutritious and often replicated in lunch and evening meals (duplicating carb inputs for children)
(iv) Central Office staff slow or unresponsive to queries
The above (amongst other things) had been raised multiple times with no signs of progress to the point we were left with no other choice but to find an alternative.

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Frequently Asked Questions about Hatching Dragons Nursery City of London

What is the Age Range of Children that Hatching Dragons Nursery City of London accepts?

Hatching Dragons Nursery City of London accepts Children aged from 0 years 6 months to 5 years 0 months.

What Days & Hours is Hatching Dragons Nursery City of London Open?

Hatching Dragons Nursery City of London is open: Monday 08:00-18:30, Tuesday 08:00-18:30, Wednesday 08:00-18:30, Thursday 08:00-18:30, Friday 08:00-18:30.

How many Children does Hatching Dragons Nursery City of London have capacity for?

Hatching Dragons Nursery City of London has capacity for a total of 75 Children.

How far is Hatching Dragons Nursery City of London to the centre of London?

2.5 mile(s) as the crow flies, distance by road may be significantly further.