Little Raccoons Day Nursery Holloway

A large garden and a building spread across two floors give Little Raccoons Day Nursery Holloway its physical character. This Tollington Way setting takes children from 3 months to 5 years, with outdoor activity, creative play and experiences beyond the nursery forming useful parts of its offer.

At the May 2024 inspection, Ofsted judged the nursery Good and safeguarding effective, and found that support helped children make good progress, including those with special educational needs and/or disabilities. That positive judgement came with two clear priorities: making the key-person role more consistent and drawing quieter children more fully into play and group activities.

Full days, shorter preschool days and morning or afternoon sessions give families several attendance patterns to work with. Funded childcare is stretched across the year, with voluntary charges handled separately from the funded time.

Learning and Activities

The Early Years Foundation Stage sets the learning and care requirements here, as it does for other early years settings. For children, that means learning through play and conversation, developing movement and relationships alongside early reading, mathematics and creative expression. It is the foundation for the day rather than an additional programme.

In May 2024, children explored natural materials and used a home corner for imaginative play. An activity kitchen supplied real food for pretend cooking. These are concrete ways to give children something to handle, discuss and transform into their own stories, rather than relying entirely on adult instructions.

Yoga sessions at that time combined relaxation with listening to surrounding sounds. Staff also used them to practise vocabulary and speech sounds, linking a quieter activity with language learning. Stories and familiar songs offered further opportunities for children to join in.

Shape sorters and construction play brought early mathematics into practical problems in May 2024. Older children counted, while building and fitting shapes let children explore how objects occupy space. The activities gave mathematical ideas a physical form that children could investigate for themselves.

Outdoor and Community Life

The garden is a substantial part of the current setting. Outdoor walks, gardening, cooking, sensory activities and music sessions also sit within the funded-hours activity offer. Halloween, Christmas and Easter appear among its seasonal celebrations, giving the nursery calendar occasions around which shared activities can be organised.

In May 2024, outdoor equipment included bikes, balancing blocks and a wheel circuit. Raincoats and wellington boots supported play in wet weather, including splashing in puddles. Regular outings took children to a library and nearby shops, connecting their nursery experiences with familiar community places. The frequency was regular, rather than a fixed weekly timetable.

Relationships deserve close attention here. In May 2024, children sought reassurance from staff, who spoke with them at their level and adjusted activities to help them participate. Adults demonstrated listening and courteous behaviour, then acknowledged children when they used those behaviours themselves. This made everyday interaction part of learning to live alongside others.

At its May 2024 inspection, Ofsted asked for stronger support for staff in their key-person responsibilities and better interaction during both group activities and child-led play so quieter children stayed involved. These priorities matter for different reasons: a consistent key person helps keep attention on an individual child's development, while thoughtful interaction prevents the most vocal children from taking all the conversational space.

In May 2024, the special educational needs coordinator and staff knew how to seek support and guidance from other professionals. Staff shaped teaching and support using what they observed, their assessments and a developmental review for children between two and three years old. This gives parents a concrete mechanism to discuss, rather than a general promise of inclusion.

An online app and celebration events supported communication with families in May 2024. A library area in the entrance hall also allowed children to share books with parents and siblings. Children approaching school took part in preparation experiences for their next stage of learning; this was preparation, rather than a named school pathway.

Sessions and Attendance

The address is 91-93 Tollington Way, London, N7 6RE, off Holloway Road and the A103. Enquiries can be made by telephone on 0203 150 1515, by email to info-holloway@littleraccoons.co.uk or through the Holloway enquiry form.

The nursery opens Monday to Friday from 7.30am to 6.30pm. Full days cover that window; preschool days run from 8.45am to 3.45pm. Morning sessions run from 7.30am to 12.30pm, and afternoon sessions from 1.30pm to 6.30pm. A separate half-day booking category also forms part of the fee structure.

Non-funded attendance requires a minimum of two days. The nursery operates across the year, closing for bank holidays and a week at Christmas. Eight weeks of written notice are required to withdraw a child, while permanent changes to booked sessions need four weeks of written notice. These terms make the attendance pattern a decision to plan ahead.

Funding and Paid Extras

Both the 15-hour and 30-hour government-funded entitlements are offered, including the Working Families 30-hour entitlement for eligible younger children. Holloway does not offer the Early Learning 2-year-old entitlement. Funding is stretched over 52 weeks: the 30-hour entitlement becomes 22 hours each week, and the 15-hour entitlement becomes 11. Term-time-only funded attendance is not offered.

Funded time carries no fee, and families can combine full days, preschool days and morning or afternoon sessions. For funded children aged 9 months to 3 years, a voluntary weekly charge combines food and activities; for those aged 3 and over, voluntary food charges apply by day attended. Choosing not to pay the activity charge does not exclude a child from activities within funded hours.

Private fees include freshly prepared meals and snacks; the preschool day includes lunch and snacks but excludes breakfast and tea, while funded meals are charged separately unless parents choose to supply packed food. All food and consumables charges described for funded hours are voluntary, and the food alternative is meals brought from home.

A deposit and registration charge apply when booking private hours; neither applies to a booking consisting only of funded hours. Current prices come in the nursery's written quotation, which should distinguish the attendance pattern from any additional charges.

• Quiet children's participation. The May 2024 improvement priorities covered engagement during group activities and spontaneous play. On a visit, ask how practitioners include children who watch or speak less readily.
• Key-person consistency. Staff support in this role was another May 2024 priority. Ask how the assigned adult keeps track of development and how the relationship is maintained during absences.
• Funded attendance and food. Entitlements are stretched, with voluntary food charges and a packed-food alternative. Request a written breakdown for your chosen combination of sessions so the weekly routine and charge structure are clear together.

Holloway suits families considering morning or afternoon sessions as well as full days and shorter preschool days. Its garden and practical activity offer give children opportunities to move, make and explore, while the May 2024 findings provide a positive assessment with specific limits. Key-person consistency and quieter children's involvement are the two points to examine closely. For families using funding, the stretched arrangement and voluntary extras are equally central to the decision.