Nursery recommendations Holloway / Archway

[LearningAsIGoAlong]

i am looking for a nursery place nr Holloway / Archway for my son who will start when he is 1 yr in December. Any recommendations / advice gratefully received. Have looked at:

Mary Secole (kids unlimited)
Mount Carmel (Bright horizons)
Leaping Lizards

Any experience of these?

Many thanks - am rather apprehensive about it all!

Les Petites Etoiles (www.lespetitesetoiles.co.uk) is a French and English bilingual crèche and nursery. We aim to have a balanced intake, with at least half the children coming from French or bilingual families. We will also welcome children from non-French speaking families.
Les Petites Etoiles is delighted to invite you to our open day on Saturday 1st June from 11am to 6pm. We look forwards to meeting you there.
Olivier
director

Here are some other local nurseries. I've heard good things about them all. I can personally recommend Little Stars, although it may not be close enough to you.

local.mumsnet.com/islington/nurseries

I know a few families that have had kids at Margaret McMillan, and they said it was wonderful. www.margaretmcmillan.islington.sch.uk

Hi, my daughter went to Mount Carmel for a just over a year and she loved it! The girls working there really care about the kids and it shows in the way they interact with them. I only left as it was time for my little one to start school.

In saying that I would recommend you visit each school and go with your gut feeling - just as every nursery is different so is your child and you'll know which one will be best for your son. When you do visit ask as many questions as you want - daily routines, menus, topics they will focus on with the kids to hygiene and turnover of staff. Stay as long as you want taking in everything - remember if your child can have access to it why can't you look now... and then walk away without signing up - go for a coffee, giving you time to think it through. You are the client and they are a business at the end of the day, so they can (and the good ones will) wait for your decision.

Good luck with your search.

Many thanks for the helpful responses :-)

Please please do not send your child to Mary Seacole. My son is currently there and I'm taking him out. If you want to ask me any questions, please ask, I'll be happy to tell you. Good luck x

Ditto what oBirdy said. My DD was at Mount Carmel for 1.5 yrs and loved it. She was only there from 3yrs old but I know many people who have taken their children there from a young age - with similar enthusiasm. I can't rate it highly enough. The staff are lovely and welcoming and the kids seem genuinely happy. And there seems to be quite a low turnover of staff so you get some continuity.

And, I know it's a bit soon for you to think about, but they really do work very hard on the transition to school- now my DD is at school, I can really see the benefit of this.

Good luck

I visited Archway Children's Ctr when we were still living in Islington (we then moved into Camden, so we couldn't continue with our application) and were extremely impressed - very friendly staff, knowledgable...wonderful modern building and facilities incl outdoor space. Really impressive talk by head. Oftsed is also outstanding.
Yes, waiting lists are long, but I've since met Islington parents from all walks of life who have sent their children here and been very happy with the place.

...and to pick up what someone said earlier about clients and businesses - Archway CC is state run, so the people in it are really committed to the children's education and welfare from the outset (ditto Konstam CC where my DD went) because they love what they do - rather than doing it because they are within a business. It really shows.
I made an extensive search of both private and public nurseries when my DD was 1 and I was struck by how the children's centres are often more impressive than their private counterparts.
And Camden nurseries are now funding 25 hrs/week again from age 3 - what is there not to like?!

Thanks pmTea, I had thought that there wasn't much chance of getting into one of the children's centres but I might give it a try

True, the good ones are over-subscribed, but the good thing is you're looking well ahead of time, so you may be in with a chance. Good luck! Try visiting the 2 I've mentioned to get an idea for yourself - you'll be pleasantly surprised.