Clerkenwell Mount Day Nursery

Two adjoining townhouses give Clerkenwell Mount Day Nursery its character: a Grade II listed building with age-specific playrooms, a lending library and a garden equipped with a mud kitchen. There is a clear connection between indoor play, outdoor exploration and family life. Books can go home; the garden gives children space to get messy.

At its July 2025 inspection, Ofsted rated the nursery Good, finding effective safeguarding and positive relationships between children and staff, while asking practitioners to allow longer for children's answers and explain changes of routine more clearly. Those two improvements matter, especially for children developing their spoken English.

The nursery has capacity for 55 children and accepts ages from three to 60 months. Its Amwell Street address places it in Clerkenwell, with full-day attendance and a minimum booking of two full days each week.

Rooms and Ages

The baby room occupies the first floor and includes a sensory area with toys for exploration; the toddler room is on the top floor and supports developing independence; the preschool room emphasises preparation for school. Role play and creative activities feature across the playrooms. The arrangement gives each stage its own space rather than treating babies and older children as one group.

In July 2025, babies explored sensory resources with adults joining their play, while older children built together and took an interest in one another's constructions. Learning included the social work of sharing materials and taking turns. These are useful foundations for participating in a group, alongside the practical skills children develop as they grow.

Learning and Activities

The early years foundation stage provides the framework for children's learning, development and care: play becomes a way to practise communication, explore ideas and gain everyday skills. In July 2025, activities were planned around children's next steps, with their interests helping shape the play. The emphasis was on learning appropriate to each child's stage.

Structured activities include Boogie Mites, alongside yoga and language sessions. Sing and Sign also forms part of the enrichment offer, with instruments among the resources provided. These sit alongside child-led play, giving families a mix of children's own exploration and adult-organised activities.

Outdoor and Community Life

A mud kitchen and a small gardening area give the garden practical uses beyond exercise. Children can move freely between indoor activity and the garden, so outdoor play can follow their interests. The growing space also gives them something to tend and observe over time.

Regular outings take children to neighbourhood parks, shops and libraries around Clerkenwell. Community visitors come into the nursery too. In July 2025, children had experienced a police visit and an animal-handling workshop, as well as recycling activities and vegetable growing. These experiences brought people, living things and environmental care into their learning.

Relationships and Communication

Children build a relationship with a key worker. In July 2025, a buddy system also gave each child another familiar caregiver who understood their interests and needs. That arrangement matters when the usual adult is elsewhere: familiarity can come from more than one relationship.

Famly carries photographs and updates about children's learning, allowing parents to follow experiences beyond the handover conversation. The lending library extends shared reading into home life, while a donation box lets families contribute items or take what they need. Parent events throughout the year create opportunities to take part in activities together.

In July 2025, families were invited to stay-and-play sessions and received weekly accounts of activities and learning. This gave parents concrete starting points for conversations and play at home. Communication was about development as well as the practical details of the day.

Inclusion and Wellbeing

A SENCo role supports planning for children with SEND. At the July 2025 inspection, Ofsted found that individual plans were developed with families and helped children needing additional developmental support make strong progress. The useful mechanism here is shared targets: home and nursery work towards the same next steps.

In July 2025, staff used French as well as English to help children understand instructions. Everyday independence was also practised at different stages: babies fed themselves, toddlers served food and older children cleared away after eating. These small responsibilities linked care routines with preparation for school.

Sessions and Attendance

Clerkenwell Mount operates from 7.30am until 6.30pm on weekdays at 27-29 Amwell Street, London, EC1R 1UN. Full Day bookings cover 11 hours, and families must book at least two full days per week. This makes the attendance commitment substantial even for a family choosing only part of the working week.

The annual opening pattern covers 51 weeks, with closures for bank holidays and a Christmas shutdown lasting one week. Christmas Eve has an earlier closing time of 4.30pm. Enquiries can be made through the branch's question form, and an online calendar handles visit bookings.

Getting There

Kings Cross Station, Farringdon Station and Angel Station are nearby transport options. Paid parking on surrounding streets gives drivers an alternative, with parking costs to factor into the routine.

Funding and Paid Extras

Funded childcare includes the 15-hour entitlement for three- and four-year-olds, support-based 15-hour funding for eligible two-year-olds, and up to 30 hours for qualifying working families with children aged nine months to four years. Delivery is stretched across 51 weeks: the 15-hour entitlement becomes 11.17 hours each week, while the 30-hour entitlement becomes 22.34 hours. Private childcare is offered alongside funded hours.

The total childcare fee includes Everyday Essentials, covering catering, care products and enrichment. During funded hours, these categories are charged separately from the education and care entitlement, although arrangements using funding alone can carry no additional charge; families unwilling or unable to pay for Everyday Essentials can discuss an alternative with the manager.

Catering includes snacks, breakfast, tea and a cooked lunch, with vegan and vegetarian choices. Sun cream, hand sanitiser and wipes make up the listed care products: these are included within total childcare charges, but charged separately during funded hours.

A non-refundable administration charge covers enrolment, settling sessions and a settling pack. Families taking only funded hours instead pay a deposit credited to their account and returned within a month of their child starting. Annual costs are spread into equal monthly payments; current prices come in the nursery's written quotation.

• Conversation and routine changes. In July 2025, adults sometimes moved on before children could answer, and explanations of what came next could be unclear. During a visit, ask how practitioners now give children time to speak and prepare them for transitions.
• The weekly commitment. The minimum is two full days, and booking priority goes to full-time working families. Consider whether that attendance pattern fits the care you need before committing.
• Enrichment and funded extras. Boogie Mites and Sing and Sign sit within an offer that includes separately charged enrichment during funded hours. Ask what those sessions involve and how a booking using funding alone would work for your child.
• Food and dietary needs. Catering includes cooked food and snacks, with vegetarian and vegan options. Families managing allergies should confirm the current arrangements for their child's specific needs.

Clerkenwell Mount suits families seeking regular full-day attendance, whether across part of the working week or throughout it. The townhouse setting, garden, lending library and neighbourhood outings give its offer a recognisable shape, while Famly helps connect nursery experiences with home.

The July 2025 Good judgement provides a positive assessment, with clear work to do on conversational pacing and explanations of changing routines. The attendance minimum and the distinction between funded care and Everyday Essentials are the main practical decisions for families.