Good nurseries in Herne Hill/Brixton/Tulse Hill?

[YodaisaCat]

Hi there,
I'm currently looking at nurseries for the New Year for my son and it's difficult to tell what they're really like. Does anyone have experience of Cherubins in Tulse Hill, Ruskin House in Herne Hill or the Wiltshire Nursery in Brixton? They are my top three at the moment!

Thanks in advance.

My son goes to Cherubins, overall we are happy with it because:

• he is very active and the outside play area is large and has good toys and equipment and he is also signed up to "Tots in Sports" extra activity sessions on Thursdays;
• the staff are nice overall but in particular the management are good and trustworthy;
• it is near Tulse Hill station which is where I commute from;
• it is open until 7 pm and this makes a massive difference to our ability to pick up on time if the trains from central London are running a bit late;
• the food is varied and freshly cooked;
• most of the rooms are nice and big (although not all of them so it is worth asking about this);
• the other children are nice and so are their families.

Downsides:

• fees are more expensive than some other nurseries in the area;
• because of the big rooms, class sizes are larger than some other nurseries - it's fine for my son but I know other children who have been moved because this didn't suit them very well.

Thank you so much. I really liked the staff when I looked round. This is really encouraging, thanks.

Yoda, I'd be a bit careful about Ruskin House. My son was there for a year, at the end of which I took him out. That was almost a year ago.
Very well run to start with, but went down hill over time when managemenr changed - poor communication, high staff turnover etc. Not to say that it hasn't picked up again - just ask lots of questions, and maybe have a second visit.

Hi,

I had a son at Cherubins (left in summer 2008) and have just put my other down to go in April 2010 when he will be 9 months. It was generally good and I felt that he was always happy there and the baby room especially was excellent. The manager (Janet) is really good in so far that she will listen to your views and the couple of issues that I did have were resolved very quickly and she seemed to take on board what I had said. Again I felt that because of this that DS was in a good place. I too have heard bad things about Ruskin house.

Good luck!

Hi

I have been looking into Ruskin House but have also heard bad things about it. I dida visit and they seemed nice but i got the impression that it was all about business and profit to them. They didnt seem to talk much about education and learning, care for children. They have taken advantage of the fact that they are close to the station and are charging double the amount than some of the nurseries around and they have a high staff turnover. The baby room in particular looked stuffy and there was no air. The communication is particularly bad and they dont cook on the premises - its all bought from an external company. Last of all the OFSTED report is 'satisfactory ' and there has been complaints in the past. But thats down to the lack of communication and bad managment between staff and management. Which i believe affects how you work.

Thsnk you both - I also thought that Ruskin House were charging quite a bit for the proximity to the station.

I'm off to visit Cherubins again on Monday and I'm glad you've found it good, twolittlekings.

Thank you.

Is Cherubims cheaper than Ruskin House?!

i am going to not send my child to Ruskin House. It doesnt seem that it will provide the level of care a child should get. Staff turnover is high and teh staff are rude

For all those looking for nurseries in the Herne Hill area. I highly reccommend 2nd steps nursery on Heron Road. The staff are really caring and the mgt and staff make the effort to speak to you in the mornings and when you go to collect. Fantastic nursery

Hi, I would recommend another look at Ruskin House. Both my children are there. Yes the nursery did go through some tough times when the long established manger left and was replaced by an inexperienced manager. However in December 2009 she left and the new experienced manager is a star. The children are well cared for and happy, staff are polite-I think the rude ones have been weeded out and the new manager welcomes and acts on feedback from parents. My children are very happy there and have formed genuine attachments to the staff.